1st St. John's Shorts
PLAYWRITING CHALLENGE
READ ALL INFORMATION BEFORE TO APPLY!
Welcome to the 1st St. John's Shorts Playwriting Challenge offered in partnership with
PARC (Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre).
PARC (Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre).
How will the Playwriting Challenge work?
A group of eight playwrights will meet weekly for a month with the award-winning playwright Santiago Guzmán to write a new short play. By the end of the four meetings, each participant will have a complete first rough draft. Three plays will be selected by our jury to be part of a night of readings on August 3, 2024. During this event, the overall winner will be announced, receiving various prizes, including the opportunity to bring their play to the 9th Annual St. John's Short Plays Festival this September! Prizes will also be awarded to the second and third place winners, and there will be an Audience's Choice Winner as well.
When the meetings will happen?
- Meetings will be weekly on Saturdays, June 29, July 06, 13 and 20 from 10 am - 1 pm.
- The meetings will be in person.
- The location is TBD (but somewhere in Downtown St. John's).
- Participation in all meetings is mandatory for the participants! Please only apply if you are available for all meetings!
What are the prizes?
- 1st Place: A spot in the 9th Annual St. John's Short Plays Festival in September, a Home Delivery with Santiago Guzmán* and a one-year membership from PARC.
- 2nd and 3rd Place: Home Delivery with Santiago Guzmán from PARC
- Audience's Choice: a Festival Pass for the 9th Annual St. John's Short Plays Festival.
You can find more information about PARC Home Delivery Program below.
Can I use the same idea I submitted for the Festival?
- Scripts written before the start day of the challenge will not be considered. However, a pre-existing idea can be considered if the writing process has NOT STARTED.
- Participants that have submitted for the festival and weren't selected can work on previous ideas but the draft needs to be a new one and developed during the Playwriting Challenge meetings.
- Participants must create an original, unpublished, unproduced play idea;
- Multiple people cannot collaborate in the written process;
- The play developed during the challenge will be approximately 15-20 minutes long.
Who will be leading the Playwriting Challenge?
Santiago Guzmán (he/they) is a an award-winning writer, performer, director and producer for theatre and film originally from Metepec, Mexico, now based in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. He is the Founder and Artistic Director of TODOS Productions & the Artistic Director for Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre.
Santiago’s work aims to put local, under-represented narratives and characters on the frontlines, whilst inviting audiences to appreciate the vibrancy of Newfoundland and Labrador from a diverse perspective. Their work is very brown, very queer, and very real.
You can learn more about Santiago HERE.
Santiago’s work aims to put local, under-represented narratives and characters on the frontlines, whilst inviting audiences to appreciate the vibrancy of Newfoundland and Labrador from a diverse perspective. Their work is very brown, very queer, and very real.
You can learn more about Santiago HERE.
Who will be the jury for the Playwriting Challenge?
The jury for the Playwriting Challenge will be formed by Santiago Guzmán (PARC Artistic Director and facilitator for the challenge), Ana Pitol (St. John's Shorts Artistic Director) and Raven Ritman (St. John's Shorts Professional Development Director).
About the Playwriting Challenge Overall Winner's Participation at the Festival:
- The overall winner will get a spot to bring the play written at the Playwriting Challenge for the 9th Annual St. John's Short Plays Festival.
- The overall winner will need to fulfill all the requirements below to participate in the Festival:
1) A copy of your detailed synopsis/plan for your production, along with content and trigger warnings;
2) A $200 registration fee.
About PARC (Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre)
PARC was formed in April of 1991 to address the needs of Atlantic Canadian playwrights and playwriting. The goals of the organization are to contribute to the development of Atlantic Canadian scripts through programs and services designed to serve the playwrights’ needs in the creative process; assist in the professional development of Atlantic Canadian playwrights; promote the work of Atlantic Canadian playwrights and Atlantic Canadian Theatres; and
document Atlantic Region works of theatre.
You can learn more about PARC and the benefits of being a PARC Member HERE.
document Atlantic Region works of theatre.
You can learn more about PARC and the benefits of being a PARC Member HERE.
About PARC Home Delivery Program
The Home Delivery Program, PARC’s inaugural script development service, allows playwrights to connect with a professional dramaturge to gain valuable, objective feedback on a script in progress.
The playwright can request a particular dramaturge(s) from anywhere in Canada or PARC can assign an appropriate one. PARC members can apply for one Home Delivery per year and PARC pays the dramaturges’ fee. Home Deliveries are available on a first come, first served basis as funds permit.
The dramaturge will offer generous, well-intentioned comments and ask questions to be considered when writing a new draft. Some areas that may be addressed include: structure, character development, story development, dialogue and style/genre. After a chance to absorb the written feedback, if desired, the playwright can a follow up meeting with the dramaturge (maximum 1 hour) to ask questions or for clarification.
The playwright can request a particular dramaturge(s) from anywhere in Canada or PARC can assign an appropriate one. PARC members can apply for one Home Delivery per year and PARC pays the dramaturges’ fee. Home Deliveries are available on a first come, first served basis as funds permit.
The dramaturge will offer generous, well-intentioned comments and ask questions to be considered when writing a new draft. Some areas that may be addressed include: structure, character development, story development, dialogue and style/genre. After a chance to absorb the written feedback, if desired, the playwright can a follow up meeting with the dramaturge (maximum 1 hour) to ask questions or for clarification.
*Participants already selected for this year's Festival cannot apply for the Playwriting Challenge!
The deadline to apply is Friday, June 21 at noon.
The deadline to apply is Friday, June 21 at noon.
Click HERE to apply!
Contact Ana Pitol at [email protected] if you have questions or concerns about the Playwriting Challenge.
The St. John's Short Play Festival is made possible through the RCA 60/40 Box Office Split Agreement.
