Residency

Play submission for consideration for a Wisconsin Wrights Residency will be accepted on a biannual basis with our next round opening in November 2012 for consideration for workshops in May 2013. Each of the three Award Recipients will be awarded a one week residency in Madison, Wisconsin. The three plays will be featured as part of the University Theatre summer season with each receiving an intensive one week workshop (with a cast, dramaturg, and director) which culminates in public readings.

Entry Guidelines

Deadline: Postmarked by February 11, 2013. Late submissions with entry fee of $40 accepted through Feb. 20.

Eligibility

The Wisconsin Wrights New Play Project is open to current Wisconsin residents only.

Each playwright is limited to one script submission per project year. 

Plays must be new works.  Adaptations (or any other use of material protected by copyright) must include proof of rights to use source material.  Translations will not be accepted.

Entry fees

A non-refundable reader's fee of $30 must accompany each submission. Checks should be made payable to the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Late submissions must include an entry fee of $40 and should be postmarked by February 20, 2013.

Submission guidelines and requirements

  1. Plays must be an original full-length work which has not previously been produced. Plays that have had staged readings are eligible and may be submitted. At this time, musicals and screenplays will not be accepted.
  2. Scripts should follow the standard professional play format.  In an effort to be environmentally conscious and reduce postage costs, we encourage playwrights to send double-sided scripts.
  3. All author information should be listed in the application packet only. No reference to the author is permitted in the body of the manuscript.
  4. Submit one complete hard copy of the manuscript. Send the script to Wisconsin Wrights; 21 N Park St., 7th Floor, Madison, WI 53715. Entries must be postmarked by February 11, 2013.
  5. In addition to the hard copy, please submit an electronic copy of your work (Microsoft Word or pdf format) via e-mail to Sarah Marty at smarty@dcs.wisc.edu.  Please remove all references to the playwright from the document, including the title page.  The file title should be the playwright’s last name and part of the play name  ie: Marty-New Play.
  6. Please send a copy of your Entry Forms and signed Release Agreement (in Microsoft Word) to Sarah Marty at smarty@dcs.wisc.edu.
  7. All submissions must be accompanied by a completed original Entry Form, a signed Release Agreement, and the entry fee of $30. The manuscript should be bound in a soft-cover three-hole binder. Please do not send permanently bound scripts or hard-cover three-ring binders.  Scripts will not be returned.

Deadlines

  1. All entries must be submitted by mail and postmarked by February 11, 2013. Electronic copies of your manuscript and application packet are due by midnight on February 11, 2013.  All material submitted become property of the Wisconsin Wrights New Play Project and will be disposed of at the conclusion of the project. Scripts will be recycled, not returned.
  2. Wisconsin Wrights New Play Project Award Recipients and the workshop selections will be announced by April 15, 2013.  The playwrights selected for workshops will be notified by mail and phone.

Please note: In order to receive a Wisconsin Wrights workshop and reading the playwright must be available to participate in project activities including rehearsals, production meetings, and public readings.

The residency is tenatively scheduled for May 25-29, 2013 with University Theatre workshops that week. Readings are scheduled for May 27, May 28, and May 29, 2013.

Acknowledgement and notification

If you would like notification that your script has been received, please enclose a self-addressed, stamped postcard with your application.  Award recipients will be notified by phone and mail after April 15, 2013.

Evaluation

Initial Screening:  Each application will be screened for eligibility (a completed application packet, play in the correct format, signed release form, and entry fee).

First Round:  Each script is read and evaluated by at least two first round readers.  Based on evaluations semi-finalists will advance to the second round.

Final Round:  The semi-finalists will be read and evaluated by the final panel of evaluators.  Award recipients will be identified with three plays selected for workshops and readings through Wisconsin Wrights.  Forward Theater Company and the Milwaukee Chamber Theatre will each select a work to be given a staged reading in their 2013-2014 season.

Feedback:  First round readers and second round panel evaluators will be given the opportunity to provide written feedback on the works that they evaluate. If you would like to receive a copy of the feedback (if any) provided, please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope with your entry materials.

For more information

Contact Sarah Marty, Program Director, UW-Madison Continuing Studies in Theatre, at 608-263-2790 or smarty@dcs.wisc.edu.