All-of-us Express Children s Theatre 2016 Young Playwrights Festival

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1 Cover Sheet Name Address City Zip Age Date of Birth Phone Name(s) of Parent(s)/Guardian(s) Title of Play Number of Characters Number of Pages Setting Plot How did you hear about Young Playwrights Festival? Checklist: Completed Cover Sheet Script is typed in playscript format and includes page numbers this cover sheet and your script to: (Subject: Young Playwrights Festival) Mail a check for the $15 processing fee (made out to City of East Lansing) to: All-of-us Express, Attn: Young Playwright s Festival 819 Abbot Road East Lansing, MI SUBMISSIONS ARE DUE BY JANUARY 4 TH, 2016 Note: EVERY submission will receive notification of the panel s decisions via mail, to be postmarked before January 18,

2 What is Young Playwrights Festival? FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Youth participants have the opportunity to submit their original work to potentially be performed on Hannah Community Center s stage. Four to six writers will be chosen to have their plays produced in a similar fashion to our main stage productions. The chosen writers will go through a mentoring process with AECT s Artistic Director to ensure the play is ready for auditions. The shows will then go through rehearsals and will be performed. Are there Awards? No. There are no winners or losers of the festival. Each writer that submits a script will have accomplished the very difficult task of writing an original play and should be very proud of their work! We encourage the writers who are not chosen to participate in another way, and each participant will receive a certificate of completion at the end of the festival. What is the Schedule of Events for the Festival? (Subject to change depending on the number of plays selected) Script Submissions: Due January 4, 2016 Auditions: February 19, 20, 6:30-8:30pm and 10am-12pm, respectively Individual Writer Meetings: Tailored to the writer s schedule o February 10 (second draft due), March 16 (final draft due) Staged Reading Workshop: March 25, 2016, 4-8pm First Read: March 30, 2016 Rehearsals: April 01, 2016-May 18, 2015, 6:30-8:30pm or 10am-12pm Shows: May 27, 2016, 7pm Where/How Can Students Learn About Playwriting? There are tons of wonderful books available on playwriting, especially for young writers. Participants may ask the Artistic Director or one of the other panel members for specific suggestions at any time. The internet can also be a valuable resource to research items of interest like playscript format and the like. Also, watch for AECT s playwriting classes coming soon. 2

3 What are the credentials of AECT s writing coach (Artistic Director)? AECT alum Sarah Willis has a Bachelor s Degree in Writing, with a concentration in Playwriting, and Theatre minor from Grand Valley State University (GVSU). Through The Community Theatre Association of Michigan (CTAM), she completed a Playwriting Master Class in She has had play readings sponsored by CTAM, as well as productions sponsored by GVSU and Rosedale Community Players, and shows produced by AECT. Her directorial credits include: The Great Gatsby (AECT, 2016); Hammie: Shakespeare s Hamlet in Twenty Five Hilarious Minutes (AECT, 2015); The Truly Remarkable Puss-in-Boots (AECT, 2014); When the Curtain Falls (AECT, 2014); That Takes Ovaries! (GVSU, 2013); Home is Where (GVSU, 2012); It s Not You, It s Me (GVSU: STAGE, 2011); Harriet Avenue (GVSU: STAGE, 2010); Peter Pan (AECT, 2010); and Stuart Little (AECT, 2009). Sarah s other theatrical experience ranges from Makeup to Management to Acting, and includes several Shakespeare productions. What is Tech Week, and what happens during it? Tech Week one of the most important parts of the rehearsal process, as it is where everything in theatre comes together. It is the week that everyone gets to experience the space for the first time, and familiarize themselves with the adjustments in timing, sound, lights, set changes, costumes, and makeup. Tech Week is often more stressful than other rehearsals because all of these different elements are coming together, so coming in with a positive attitude is the best thing you can do. During Tech Week, youth will experience not only all of the different theatrical elements coming together which allows them to see the big picture and the magic of theatre but will get as close to feeling like what a real show is like. 3

4 Eligibility: Ages SCRIPT SUBMISSION Guidelines: 3-6 Characters pages Original work No Special effects ( i.e. fire, smoke/fog, flying, combat) Suitable for all ages Standard script format, including page numbers Completed cover page, with the writer s name appearing nowhere else on the script How to Submit: Cover page and script electronically to swillis@cityofeastlansing.com Hard copy and Check for $15 processing fee mailed to: All-of-us Express Children s Theatre Attn: Young Playwright s Festival 819 Abbot Road East Lansing, MI Format: Standard script format. See our sample on page 6. WRITERS If Selected: You will receive a congratulatory letter via post by January 18, and upon receiving this letter, please give a call to (517) by January 23 to accept your role as writer and schedule individual meetings with your coach! You will be required to attend several individual meetings to work one-on-one with your writing coach and two workshops, in addition to completing two edits of your original script. An additional participation fee will be required: $85 for members, $110 for non-members. Scholarships will be available. If Not Selected: You will receive a letter via post by January 18, which will contain our regrets and suggestions as to how to improve your work. We encourage you to get involved with Young Playwrights Festival in another way by auditioning for a role in one of the shows, or serving on crew. 4

5 ACTORS/CREW Eligibility: Ages 9-18 Requirements: Attending auditions is required for both cast and crew. Potential cast members will complete the audition process, and crew attends to fill out the necessary paperwork. Cast members will be required to attend all of the required rehearsals, one to two workshops, Tech Week, and performances. Actors may be cast in multiple shows. Crew members will be required to attend specific rehearsals (calendars will be available at auditions) and performances. A participation fee is required of cast ($75 for members, $90 for non-members) and crew ($50 for members, $75 for non-members). Scholarships will be available. DIRECTORS Eligibility: Part of the All-of-us Express Guild Program* Requirements: Directors will be required to attend production meetings before auditions to share their vision for the show and one during production, auditions, and attend all required rehearsals and readings, and performances. The responsibilities of a director will include working closely with the writer and production staff (including the Artistic Director), adding additional blocking to the script, casting the show, working with actors on honing their skills through note-taking and games, discussing crew choices on production elements, giving a curtain speech, maintaining discipline during rehearsals and productions, showing leadership though thought and action, and maintaining organization and communication. A participation fee is required: $100 for members, $125 for non-members. Scholarships will be available. *For more information on how to get involved in AECT in other ways like the Guild Program, see the PDF on our website or swillis@cityofeastlansing.com 5

6 Playscript Format Example: This excerpt is from When the Curtain Falls, AECT s Renegade Theatre Festival 2014 performance. When the Curtain Falls is an original one-act about the meaning of family at the fictional North Star Children s Theatre, directed by Sarah Willis and written with assistance from the cast members. Scene One LIGHTS UP on JEFF and KATIE s apartment. JEFF, late 20s, sits on the edge of the couch reading a Star Wars book. KATIE, his fiancée, late 20s, sits on the opposite end of the couch surrounded by a pile of papers, making notes on various sheets. Beat. KATIE See that man over here? This is Jeff. Jeff Stone. KATIE signs, then looks up from her work. JEFF smiles nerdily and waves at the audience, then goes back to reading. KATIE (CON T) Which is how he introduced himself when we ment, He thinks he s pretty slick for someone who wears Mister Rogers sweaters. (Katie laughs) But that s what I love about him. He might not be hip to the scene like he thinks he is, but he is unapologetically himself. KATIE returns to her work after a sweet glance at JEFF. Beat. JEFF finishes his book and closes it with finality. JEFF Katie, she s a great girl. I always thought I was lucky to be her friend, especially since I tried to introduce myself like James Bond, and getting bad guys while wearing a tuxedo isn t really my thing. Microsoft Word offers formatting, as does the free downloadable program Celtx (the format slightly differs, but will also be accepted). If youth would like to learn without the assistance of a pre-formatted document, all this requires is: centering and underlining for the scene titles, six indents for character names which are always all capitalized and stage directions. 6