reading SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

We receive a ton of plays to critique in a short time, so please, we beg you, follow our submission requirements. We have good reasons for all of them, we promise. Deviation causes delays, frustration, and insanity! We reserve the right to disqualify submissions that do not follow all requirements.

There are three submission opportunities each year.   The Playwrights’ Center of San Francisco produces a Reading Series comprised of Developmental Readings and Staged Readings in the Spring and another in the Fall.  Additionally we produce an annual benefit production, Sheherezade, each winter.   The deadlines are as follows*:

• Spring Season: 11:59 p.m. Nov. 30
• Fall Season: 11:59 p.m. April 30
• Sheherezade:  See Sherezade guidelines
• Staged rehearsals: Ongoing.
  

*We reserve the right to extend or change the deadlines as deemed necessary and at any time.

Our policy is to send an acknowledgement of receipt of your play within two weeks of the deadline.  We do not send acknowledgements prior to the deadline.   For more information about our selection criteria and policies click here.

Below are the submission guidelines for the reading series, followed by guidelines for staged rehearsals. 

Reading Series

• Only PCSF members are eligible for a slot in our reading series.  Plays will not be read if membership is not current at the time of submission. Join PCSF here! Or contact membership@playwrightscentersf.org to confirm your membership status.
• Please read our Writers’ Guide to Staged Readings and Writers’ Guide to Developmental Readings to review playwright responsibilities.  Make sure you understand the playwright responsibilities before submitting.
• No musicals. If the play contains incidental song(s) or music, the playwright must own the rights or have express written permission to the rights, or the song(s) must be in the public domain.
• All submissions must be electronic in MS Word (.doc/.docx), Rich Text Format (.rtf), or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format only.  If you  cannot send an electronic copy, contact us and we will make arrangements for hard copy submission.
• Send all submissions to submissions@playwrightscentersf.org with Fall (or) Spring Reading Series in the subject line.
• Plays must be in PCSF standard script format. Plays with improper margins or formatting may be disqualified.
• The submission must be a one-act, full-length, or a group of one-acts around a central theme.
• The total submission (all plays) must be no more than 100 pages (properly formatted) in length (approx. 90-110 minute run-time). Submissions over 100 pages will not be considered.  
• Play must include character list, tag line, and short summary.
• Each submission must include three items:
1. One (1) completed reading series submission form. (Submission form as .doc) (Submission form as .rtf)
2. One (1) blind copy of the play with no playwright identifying information.
3. One (1) copy of the play with playwright name, address, email, and phone number and a brief bio.
• Please use the following naming convention for the files:
• Submission form:  subform_{play title}.doc (or) .docx (or) .rtf (no .pdf for this file)
• Blind script:  {play title}_blind.doc (or) .docx (or) .rtf (or) .pdf
• Script with playwright info: {playwright last name}_{play title}.doc (or) .docx (or) .rtf (or) .pdf

Staged Rehearsals

Submissions are now being accepted for PCSF's newest playwright development program: Staged Rehearsals.

In the PCSF development rubric, Staged Rehearsals sit between Scene Nights and Developmental Readings and are directed rehearsals of one ten-minute scene, followed by a feedback session. Each rehearsal will be worked through by a director and up to four actors, serving two to three playwrights per evening.

Staged Rehearsals give the playwright the opportunity to see how directors and actors work material once it's handed off to them; it will provide active insight into the process (how the scene is interpreted), and the play (what's working, what isn't).

The evening will begin with a cold read-through of the scene, then the director will take the four actors through a thirty-minute rehearsal of the scene. Following will be 10-15 minutes of Q&A. There will be a 10-15 minute break between playwrights and the evening runs 7 to 10 p.m. on dates to be announced.

Staged Rehearsals are not juried and are open to the entire membership. However, to be eligible, playwrights must attend the first staged reading of the 2010 fall season to sign-up for a rehearsal slot (other attendance requirements will follow in future seasons). In addition, full plays must be submitted electronically

• Only PCSF members are eligible for a slot in our reading series.  Plays will not be read if membership is not current at the time of submission. Join PCSF here! Or contact membership@playwrightscentersf.org to confirm your membership status. Additional sign-up requirements will apply: for fall 2010, playwrights must attend the first staged reading of the 2010 fall season to sign-up for a rehearsal slot.
• Please read our Writers’ Guide to Staged Reahearsals to review playwright responsibilities.  Make sure you understand the playwright responsibilities before submitting.
• No musicals. If the play contains incidental song(s) or music, the playwright must own the rights or have express written permission to the rights, or the song(s) must be in the public domain.
• All submissions must be electronic in MS Word (.doc/.docx), Rich Text Format (.rtf), or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format only.  If you  cannot send an electronic copy, contact us and we will make arrangements for hard copy submission.
• Send all submissions to stagedrehearsals@playwrightscentersf.org with Staged Rehearsals in the subject line.
• Plays must be in PCSF standard script format. Plays with improper margins or formatting may be disqualified.
• The submission must be a one-act, full-length, or a group of one-acts around a central theme.
• The total submission (all plays) must be no more than 100 pages (properly formatted) in length (approx. 90-110 minute run-time). Submissions over 100 pages will not be considered.  
• Play must include character list, a synopsis of the play, and a scene-by-scene summary (one to three sentences per scene describing the important actions, revelations, and character developments) so the director, actors, and audience will understand the arc of the play and therefore make the Q&A session more valuable.
• You are welcome to suggest the scene you are most interested in seeing rehearsed, but the director will have the final decision as to which scene is rehearsed.