Rules for submitting play scripts for the 2021 NW10: Into the Cybersphere

In acknowledgement of the happenings of 2020, the 13th annual NW10 festival of 10-minute plays in February 2021 will be streamed online again instead of onstage at the Oregon Contemporary Theatre in downtown Eugene.

But between now and then, playwrights in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and British Columbia have until Oct. 31 to submit their scripts.

In keeping with the times, next year’s festival will be titled NW10: Into the Cybersphere. And that approach has benefits as well as challenges, as festival producer Eric Braman said in a news release announcing the competition.

“We are excited to see how playwrights creatively utilize the assets of digital theater to tell dynamic stories,” Braman said. “The best part? Theater in the cybersphere is accessible theatre — this is a great opportunity for playwrights to access a huge, new audience across the digital world.”

Ten-minute play festivals, sometimes dubbed the haiku of theater, have gained popularity since they debuted in the mid-1970s at the Actors Theatre in Louisville, Ky. Locally, the NW10 Festival is cosponsored by NW10 and Oregon Contemporary Theatre.

Guidelines for Submissions

  • The competition is open to residents of Idaho, Oregon, Washington state and British Columbia.
  • Script submissions will be chosen from the first 100 submissions received from September 1, 2020, through October 31, 2020.
  • Scripts must be original, unpublished and not produced or scheduled for production in the Pacific Northwest (ID, OR, WA, or BC) at the time of submission.
  • Scripts must have a running time of approximately 10 minutes, totaling 10 pages or less (exclusive of title and cast pages) in a 12-point font.
  • Plays with small casts, simple sets, and minimal technical requirements are strongly preferred.
  • Plays focused on the experience of pandemic/COVID-19 are strongly discouraged.
  • Only one script may be submitted per playwright.
  • Selected playwrights will be notified in January 2021.
  • Playwrights must consent, if selected, to permit NW10 and Oregon Contemporary Theatre to produce their play online in 2021.
  • All selected playwrights will receive an honorarium and retain copyright and full ownership of their play.
  • Plays will be presented via livestream in February 2021, with a limited time on-demand presentation of the complete festival online from February 25-28, 2021.
  • Selected playwrights are asked to participate in a talk-back following the live performance of their show.

How to submit

  • Send entries to: NW10Festival@gmail.com with the subject “NW10 Submission – [Play Title]”.
  • The body of the email must include the following:
    • 1)  Play title
    • 2) Playwright’s name, address, phone number(s) and email address
    • 3) Two PDF attachments: a) a version of the play titled “Name of Your Play — BLIND” that presents the play with no contact information attached; and b) a version of the play with the name of your play that is a complete version, including contact information, to be used by actors and directors for selected scripts
  • Only PDF attachments will be accepted — no hard copy submissions or other formats will be considered.
  • All submissions should be in a standard professional play format.
  • The first page of the script should include the title, characters, and basic setting; title and page number should appear at the top of each page.
  • Deadline: Submissions must be received no later than October 31, 2020.
  • Only the first 100 submissions will be considered; playwrights will be notified immediately if their submissions arrive after the cutoff date or when the submission cap has been reached.

More information: octheatre.org/nw10