The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center Announces Open Submission Process For 2010 National Music Theater Conference and National Playwrights Conference

The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center has announced the start of its Open Submission Process for projects to be considered for development during the 2010 National Music Theater Conference and National Playwrights Conference. The O'Neill's Open Submission process is unique in the field of developing works for the stage, requiring neither agent submission nor previous experience. This commitment to a truly democratic process has led to great discoveries of new artists and works, now iconic in American theater.

Open submissions is a key element of both the National Music Theater Conference and National Playwrights Conference missions to encourage creativity and develop diverse voices and new works for the American Stage.

Applicants for the National Music Theater Conference may begin to submit projects immediately; the final date for accepted material will be Tuesday, December 1, 2009. Applicants for the National Playwrights Conference may submit works from Monday, September 21 through Friday, October 23, 2009. Early submissions for both conferences are strongly encouraged.

Submitted works will be considered for further development through an anonymous, multi-tiered selection process involving multiple readers and a panel of theater professionals. Anonymity allows the O'Neill's volunteer readers to focus on each writer's voice and story, rather than a recognizable name or previous accomplishment. Selected artists will receive a developmental residency at the O'Neill for the duration of their respective conference.

The National Playwrights Conference, the O'Neill's flagship program, was founded in 1964. Playwrights shaped the Conference from its very inception. When founder George C. White first gathered a prominent group of emerging writers to discuss their needs, the result was the O'Neill model - a place where playwrights can focus entirely on the development of their plays without the pressures of commercial production. More than 600 plays have evolved through the National Playwrights Conference.

The National Music Theater Conference follows the same mission to provide a supportive and challenging environment in which emerging and established creative artists can take risks in order to refine and illuminate their work's vision during its formative stages. Since its inception, NMTC has developed more than 100 works.

Wendy C. Goldberg, Artistic Director of the National Playwrights Conference since 2005, noted, "This Conference belongs to the playwrights, and I believe that it is imperative to allow the playwrights who submit their work the opportunity to have their plays read and considered seriously for the conference. I remain committed to the open submission process and it is a priority for the Playwrights Conference to seek out the best writers through this endeavor."

Paulette Haupt, co-founder and Artistic Director of the National Music Theater Conference since its inception in 1987, describes the open submission policy as "...the heart of our mission. We look forward to hearing from the next generation of writers and composers who seek to explore their projects with peer professionals in the field and gain a clearer perception of the work still needed to be done to complete their vision."

Submission requirements and application forms for the National Music Theater Conference and National Playwrights Conference are available at the O'Neill website: www.theoneill.org.

National Playwrights Conference applications must be postmarked by Friday, October 23, 2009, and applications for the National Music Theater Conference must have a postmark date of Tuesday, December 1, 2009 or earlier. Any works submitted after either cut-off date will not be considered. For further information about either Conference contact Martin Kettling, Literary Manager, (860) 443-5378 or email litoffice@theoneill.org.

The O'Neill continues to build an endowment to support the Open Submission process. Initiated in 2006 with donations made in honor of O'Neill playwright Wendy Wasserstein earned income helps support the submission and selection process. For more information about the O'Neill's Wendy Wasserstein Fund, please call (860) 443-5378 ext. 213 or email theaterlives@theoneill.org

The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, founded in 1964 in honor of Eugene O'Neill, America's only Nobel Prize-winning playwright and fourtime Pulitzer Prize winner, is America's preeminent organization dedicated to the development of new works and new voices for the American theater. It has been home to more than 1,000 new works for the stage and 2,500 emerging artists. Scores of projects developed at the O'Neill have gone on to full productions at other theaters around the world, including Broadway, off--Broadway and major regional theaters. In addition to NPC and NMTC, O'Neill programs include: National Puppetry Conference, National Cabaret & Performance Conference, National Critics Institute, and National Theater Institute, which conducts semester-long, fully accredited intensive theater training programs and Theatermakers, six-week accredited summer program. In addition, the O'Neill owns and operates as a museum the Monte Cristo Cottage, a National Historic Landmark and the childhood home of Eugene O'Neill. The O'Neill has received a Tony Award, the National Opera Award, the Jujamcyn Award for Theatre Excellence and the Arts and Business Council Encore Award. For more information, please visit the O'Neill website, www.theoneill.org, call (860) 443-5378 x213 or email theaterlives@theoneill.org.

 

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