NOW ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS

GAYFEST NYC(Bruce Robert Harris and Jack W. Batman, producers)is now accepting submissions for its Third Annual Festival of New Plays and Musicals to be presented in New York City during 2009-2010.

Approximately three to five new works (plays or musicals) will be selected for fully-produced Main Stage productions with Actors’ Equity Association casts and professional directors and staff personnel. Additional new works may be chosen for presentation in the Festival’s Studio Reading series if one is scheduled, or for readings throughout the year. Each Main Stage production will receive between 7-15 performances.  

Young and emerging writers as well as experienced and professional playwrights and composers are encouraged to submit their work. You don't have to be Gay or Lesbian to submit a play. We do, however, ask that the work you submit deal with LGBT characters or issues in some literal or metaphorical way.

The goal of GAYFEST NYC is threefold: to develop new works that will have a life outside the festival, on other stages and in other media, worldwide; to expose our large and diverse audience to fresh, exciting new theatre works; to develop new voices who will be valuable storytellers about LGBT issues, thereby adding to the already diverse texture of the theatrical landscape.

GAYFEST NYC is a not-for-profit arts organization benefiting the Harvey Milk High School Scholarship Fund.
Log onto our web site at www.GAYFESTNYC.com for more information and to read about our previous Festivals.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
1. GENRE: All submissions must be original, unpublished, full length works dealing with LGBT characters or issues. Legal clearance of materials not in the public domain is the full responsibility of the playwright. Librettos and musical scores must be complete, not merely in developmental form. Plays or musicals do not need to have a contemporary setting.

Please remember that scripts must be original and be ready for production.

2.  RESTRICTIONS:  Plays and musicals must be full length and may have no more than three settings and a cast of no more than ten actors. There are no restrictions on subject matter but salacious or unsavory material will not be considered for presentation in the Festival. Playwrights may only submit one script.

3.  ELIGIBILITY:  If your play or musical had an Equity showcase in the past year or if you are planning an Equity showcase within one year after the Festival, the work is ineligible for acceptance. If this work has been produced in a New York City theatre with more than 99 seats, it is also ineligible.

4.  REQUIREMENTS:  On the title page, in addition to the title of work, please include author’s name, address, phone number and email address. If a musical, please make sure the CD or cassette of the score is properly marked as well. Also include a biography and/or author's history of the play, character breakdown, and brief description or synopsis of the work.

5.  PROCESSING:  Please include a processing fee of $20.00 with your submission to cover duplication and distribution of materials to our reading board. Checks or money orders (only) should be made payable to GAYFEST NYC, Inc.  Do not send cash.

6.  RETURNS: If you would like your script returned, include a manuscript size self-addressed envelope with appropriate postage affixed. Please do not include loose cash, stamps, labels or metered postage. If no S.A.S.E. is included, your script will be recycled. You will not be contacted unless we are interested in your script.

7. SUBMISSION FORM: Scripts must be typed, with pages numbered, securely bound (no binder clips) in a soft cover, in standard professional manuscript format. No disks or electronic submissions, please. No changes or revisions accepted after submission.  No double-sided pages.

8.  HANDLING: All submissions will be handled with care. GAYFEST NYC assumes no responsibility for lost or damaged scripts. Please retain a copy of your manuscript.

9.  AWARDS:  In lieu of royalties, playwrights of a work chosen for a Main Stage production or Reading Series presentation will be awarded $100 plus a certificate of acceptance. In exchange, Main Stage series playwrights agree, in consideration for the above payment and in exchange for GAYFEST NYC producing and presenting the Play, to grant GAYFEST NYC sole and exclusive right to develop the Play and produce and present it in any media now known or devised hereafter, for a two (2) year period beginning with the date of the first public performance of the Play in the 2008 Festival. (Reading Series playwrights agree to these provisions for a term of one [1] year.) A letter agreement outlining terms will be signed prior to production.

10.  OTHER BENEFITS:  Playwrights will be invited to attend rehearsals and join in the collaborative process. Playwrights will receive four (4) tickets for the opening night performance of their production and two (2) tickets to all other GAYFEST NYC presentations during the 2008 season. Due to limited resources, GAYFEST NYC cannot cover the cost of travel or housing for selected playwrights.

11. SUBMISSION REVIEW:  It usually takes three to five months for us to read and process submissions. We ask that you please do not call or email our offices in the interim to inquire on the status of your submission.
 
IF WE ARE INTERESTED IN YOUR PLAY OR MUSICAL, WE WILL CONTACT YOU BY PHONE OR EMAIL.

12. WHERE TO SUBMIT: Mail two copies of your script and (for musicals) two copies of your score (on CD only) to: GAYFEST NYC, Inc., One River Place, Suite 917, New York, NY 10036.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS:  OCTOBER 31, 2008.