Play Submission Guidelines
The Element New Plays Festival is currently accepting scripts-in-progress by emerging playwrights looking to participate in a collaborative, intense development process culminating in a staged reading. The deadline for submissions is February 7.
We consider you an "emerging" playwright if your work has been performed at a fringe festival, community theater, or college, but not if your work has been produced by a professional or storefront theater in Chicago or another major theatrical community. We are happy to speak with you about whether you qualify as "emerging" for Element's purposes; please contact our producer Erica Hohn.
We accept one- and two-act plays-in-progress, and are interested in plays that fall between a 4 and an 8 on a 1-to-10 scale of completion. Plays that benefit most from the Element process are moving in a clear direction, but need more work before they are fully realized.
If your play is two acts and the second act is not yet written, please include an outline or synopsis of the remainder of your play. The more information you can give us about where the play is going, the better.
When submitting, please include:
- A character list with brief descriptions, including age and sex
- A short (one to two lines) synopsis of your play
- Up to 100 words on why you would like to be involved with Element
- A short bio
- A brief history of your play's development and any past productions
Send submissions (Word or PDF only) here.
