BWW Blog: Adam Brandner - Galactic Bay Publishing Launches New Website

Galactic Bay Publishing launches new website!

CompetitionScripts.com is the ULITMATE resource for theatrical competition pieces

By: Adam Brandner

Are you having trouble finding scripts that fit your needs? Are you a theatre student or educator that is tired of the same old monologues online? Are you a writer that wants your work published? Then Galactic Bay Publishing is where you need to go! My name is Adam Brandner and I am the owner of Galactic Bay Publishing. I am very pleased to announce that we at GBP have launched our very first website competitionscripts.com!

I decided to launch this website with completely original material because as an educator, I was having trouble finding quality material for my students for competition. Being in the theatrical competition circuit, I have learned that these competitions have sometimes very rigid and specific rules. Finding quality scripts that favor minimalism is not easy. I find that either the scripts out there currently require elements that don't work for the competition circuit, or they aren't challenging enough. So I began writing and publishing my own material. These scripts are student friendly, work for competition, and focus on the fundamentals of acting and characterization while remaining challenging.

I wanted to create this website because in college, theatre, for me, was strictly an art form. It was an escape and chance to express myself. Transitioning into the world of theatrical education, I found that that art form is mainly expressed in competition. Students perform in several tournaments or festivals a year and each time they are competing. Does the competition atmosphere interfere with the creation of art? Does the act of competing take away from the expression? I say no. I believe that the theatrical competition circuit teaches students that competition is a part of life. They especially need to know that the artistic business they may want to go in is very competitive. I believe that competition is a good thing.

Having said that, there can be problems with the competition circuit, in my opinion. For example, in two of the tournaments that my students compete in every year, dramatic monologues limit actors in movement to a three-foot circle. Why? I've asked that question many times and each time I'm told that they have such a rule because it forces students to focus on their acting and not their movement. It would be such a crime to combine the two apparently. THAT is what I find limiting about the competition circuit. These are unnecessary rules that are limitations on expression for no valid reason. I'd also like to add that there are many more rules that I find absurd, like being penalized for memorizing your poetry piece instead of reading it out of a folder, but I think you get the picture.

Finding scripts that fit these, sometimes rigid, rules was starting to become a nightmare. I'd find a great monologue in a book for a student but then have to scrap it because it required too much movement. We'd have to settle for a less challenging monologue simply because it 'fit' the competition's parameters.

Frustrated, I began writing and publishing my own material. Currently, being in the academic world, I feel as though I am fully immersed in what students today are looking for and what they want to say. I feel like I have a grasp on what they want to express. I've spoken with many students and written many original pieces that have been published and placed first at competitions in Houston. I believe that most of my pieces fit the rigid competition rules but also remain challenging for the student actors. My scripts also have the option to become lavish if the situation calls for it. For example, in my short play Holiday Robbery: The Adventures of Grace Galaxy, a bare stage will work for the entire production. However, I have put suggestions in the staging that can help the play become lavish and even more challenging if you would like it to be.

As a writer, I have had a little luck with my creative and educational works, but I have also spent a lot of time banging my head against the wall waiting for the 'big' publishers to respond to my submissions. I am still waiting, for over a year now, to hear back from one of the biggest publishers, which is still reviewing several pieces I submitted. They shall remain nameless. But I'm sure the authors out there understand my frustration. Galactic Bay Publishing and Competition Scripts are now accepting submissions and have a turn around of 1-2 weeks. Usually even less than that! We also provide feedback for young authors trying to get started. We are all about theatrical education, after all. Did I mention that I hold a B.A. from Ball State University in Theatre Education? Trial and error, editing, and taking constructive criticism, are key components of the artistic process and we want to nurture creativity and effort.

Our mission is to create real art that is expressive and unique but also fits the 'real world' of secondary, collegiate, and professional theatre. We want to publish pieces that nurture the fundamentals of acting and movement while keeping pieces student and competition friendly. We won't bore you and we'll keep you on your toes!

I am just starting out but have gotten great feedback and wonderful support from the community. We also offer historical Reader's Theatre pieces for educators and Custom Scripts for individual actors or troupes. I hope that you will check out Galactic Bay Publishing and our newest website Competitionscripts.com!

To post a comment, you must register and login.