For Submissions

Submissions are now closed for the
City Theatre National Award for Short Playwriting Contest.

The City Theatre National Award for Short Playwriting

The City Theatre National Award for Short Playwriting furthers the Company’s mission to identify, acknowledge and award excellence in short form dramatic writing. Known for developing and producing ten-minute works by established talents and promising new voices, City Theatre will select up to twenty-five plays from among its annual Contest submissions for special recognition. The National Award is valued at $2,000: the Winning Play will be produced in the annual Summer Shorts festival; the Winning Playwright will earn royalties, a cash prize of $1,000 and be invited to Miami for the festival. Finalists are awarded a certificate, and invited to Miami to attend the CityWrights Weekend for Playwrights (fee waived) and hear a reading of their Finalist Script (*subject to scheduling).

Note:
The Summer Shorts Festival is produced annually in Miami during the month of June. Not every play in Summer Shorts is a contest Finalist. Finalist plays are not guaranteed City Theatre productions, but receive preferred consideration in the current or future Summer Shorts festivals, and/or other City Theatre programming, including Summer Shorts, Shorts Gone Wild, Shorts 4 Kids, and its Readings Series. Winner and Finalists’ plays are also submitted to the annual Samuel French Off Off Broadway Festival Contest.

Submissions Rules and Information

City Theatre is looking for wonderful short plays (ten minutes) for Summer Shorts and other programming. Having produced hundreds of plays, we want scripts that are lively and timely, hilarious and provocative, poignant and surprising. We look for plays that span style and genre. We will consider bilingual scripts and ten-minute musicals. We have no restriction on the age range of the characters. In other words, we are seeking compelling plays that rise above the ordinary.

Please review the criteria thoroughly before sending your submission

Plays will be accepted yearly from August 30th – September 30th.
Scripts won’t be considered sooner or later!
Musicals may only be submitted through the New Play Exchange--CLICK HERE!
Playwrights can submit only one script - send us your best!
No scripts will be returned - save postage by submitting electronically. No SASE required.
Each play script must be no more than ten pages long. We start counting when the actual play begins.
Previously submitted plays, children's shows, longer one-acts or full-length plays or musicals won’t be accepted or returned.
City Theatre will consider previously produced works with a production history included with submission.
The volume of scripts submitted prevents us from providing feedback or criticism.
NOTE: City Theatre will only contact playwrights with scripts the company considers for the National Award for Short Playwriting Contest, or we are interested in producing in its various programming. ONLY those playwrights will be contacted in February-March by e-mail or a phone call.

SUBMISSIONS WILL BE LIMITED

TO THE FIRST 500 SCRIPTS WE RECEIVE

Submission Must be Postmarked or Submitted

to the Literary Director

by September 30th, 2019

Mail Submissions to:

Susan Westfall, Literary Director
City Theatre
444 Brickell Ave.
Suite 229Miami, Fl 33131

or submit your play electronically through our website by clicking on our submission link

Please submit script as a PDF

Please DO NOT EMAIL PLAYS