Attention Community Theatre Directors!! 

The Whidbey Playhouse Play Reading Committee is working on the 2011-2012 season, reading and discussing dozens of plays and musicals.  If you have directed at the Whidbey Playhouse, Anacortes Community Theatre, or Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, we invite you to submit a script to direct for our season running September 2011 thru June 2012.  There are slots for five season shows, and all must be professionally published plays, musicals, or revues.  Straight plays run for three weeks, and musicals run for four weeks with four performances per week.  Musicals must have musical directors and accompanists lined up before approval will be given.  You may submit up to three scripts for consideration.

There may also be blocks of time available for off-season fringe productions or youth shows.  These performance periods range from one to two weekends.  Fringe productions provide a good opportunity for new directors and those who have directed elsewhere to learn the WPH ropes and to demonstrate their directorial ability.  Assistant directing is another avenue for those pursuing directorial qualification.  Please contact me for more information.

You may print the submission forms attached, or contact the playhouse office for copies.  Submission deadline is October 3rd, 2010.

The Whidbey Playhouse has provided theatre to our community for almost 45 years.  We are a volunteer based group and eagerly solicit your participation in our efforts to develop a great theatre programming for all involved--actors, those behind the scenes, and patrons as well.  We look forward to hearing from you.

Julia Locke, WPH Board Performance/Production Chair

Whidbey Playhouse

Play Submission for Directors and WPH Members 2011-2012 Season

Information

·        Thank you for your interest in submitting a play for the Whidbey Playhouse 2011-2012 Season.  Please read this information carefully and completely. 

·        WPH utilizes an open play submission process.  The Play Selection Committee reads and critiques plays from April until November.  They welcome and encourage submissions from interested directors who wish to submit a play.  They also welcome submissions from WPH members who wish to submit, but not direct, a given play.  All submissions must be professionally published plays available for community theatre.

• All necessary forms are available in the office copy room in the Play Day Box in a file labeled ‘Director/WPH Member Submission Forms’ or may be printed from the WPH website.

• Complete a ‘WPH Director/Member Play Submission Form’ and submit it along with all necessary materials to the Play Day Committee as soon as possible after May 1, 2010.  Plays submitted after October 3, 2010 cannot be considered by the Play Day committee for presentation on Play Day, if held.  However, they may be considered by the Board of Directors in the final formation of the season.

• All submitting directors please complete the Timeslot Preference and Production Staff Form as much as possible.  *If you are a director who has not directed at Whidbey Playhouse before, please complete the Director Background Information on the reverse side of that form.  You need to complete only one background sheet if submitting more than one play.

• Please include the following and submit by October 3, 2010:

      1.  WPH Director/Member Play Submission Form

      2.  Director Timeslot/Staff Sheet if you are a submitting director

      3.  One copy of the script      

      4.  One copy of the libretto if submitting a musical

      5.  One copy of the music on CD if submitting a musical

      6.  Copy of score if available

• Place materials in a manila envelope, clearly labeled on the outside with your name and the play title.  Place in the Play Day Box in the WPH office copy room.  Please email the Committee Chair as notice that a packet has been submitted.  If you do not have email access, office personnel may be willing to do this for you.

• Please submit no more than three plays or musicals.  Submit a separate submission packet for each play submitted. 

• Please note:  As if the 2010-2011 season, submitted musicals must have pre-committed musical directors and accompanists in order to be approved by the Board.  If possible, we would also like to see an excerpt of the printed score.

• The committee will add your submission to the plays to be considered and will read, discuss, and evaluate the play according to the agreed selection criteria.  You will be notified as soon as possible if your submitted play is rejected, and your materials will be returned to the office for you to pickup.  If your submitted play is still in the running at Play Day, if held, you will be notified of the final decision as soon as the list is finalized.  Every effort will be made to keep you informed of the status of your submission(s) throughout the process.

• Directors who are Play Day Committee members may submit up to 3 plays they wish to direct. 

• The Board of Directors uses the finalists of the Play Day Committee vote to create the final show season based upon (not listed in any order of importance):
• rights availability
• an interested qualified director
• scheduling
• production costs
• balancing the season
• other criteria

• In the event that rights cannot be obtained or other circumstances make any of the final Play Day choices unavailable or inappropriate for the season, the Board of Directors may return to other plays from the list that did not make the final list of six.  They may also solicit other shows, including Director-submitted shows that were received after the October 3^rd deadline.  It is the obligation of the Play Day committee to search the available repertoire to make the best possible recommendations to the Board of Directors.  It is the obligation of the Board of Directors, considering those recommendations and the will of the membership, to create the best possible Whidbey Playhouse season for the community.  The Board of Directors makes every effort to reflect the will of the membership in their final play choices.

• If you have questions, please contact Julia Locke, Play Day Committee Chair, at julialocke@comcast.net

WPH Director/Member Submission Form   Fill out both sides of form. Date____________                                   

Submitting Member/Director_____________________________ Phone_________ Email__________

Title of Play______________________________________________Publisher___________________

Author(s), Lyricist, Composer ____________________________________________ Pub. Year_____

Musical___ Comedy___ Drama___ Comedy/Drama___ Mystery___ Revue___ Other______________

Setting__________________________________________________ Time Period________________

Men________/______________________________________________________________________

Women______/_____________________________________________________________________

Other:  Musicians_________________ Dancers__________________ Choreographer_____________

Brief synopsis: _____________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1.  What are the strengths of the show (consider action, characterization, suspense/dramatic impact, plot development, entertainment value, educational value, audience appeal, etc.)? __________________________________________________________________________________  __________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

DIRECTOR TIMESLOT PREFERENCE, STAFF & BACKGROUND

Director’s Name:________________________________   Email:_________________

Address:_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________ 

Day Phone:_____________Evening Phone:_____________Cell Phone:____________

Please indicate which timeslots you prefer  and which you absolutely do NOT want.

Production Staff

WPH is a volunteer organization.  The Board liaison can assist the director and/or producer in gathering production staff as needed.   If you have already recruited key staff members, please list below, indicating which have tentatively committed to the production.

**Please complete reverse side if applicable.

If you have not directed at WPH before, please complete this section:

Theatre Experience other than WPH, ACT or WICA:  Please list productions that you have directed.   Indicate production dates, theatre names and locations. (Example: “Grease”, 1998-99 Season, Bend Community Theatre, Bend Oregon)

Theatre Experience working on local productions (WPH, ACT, or WICA).  Please list job title or role played, play title, production dates, and director.  Include information about shows that you are working on during the current season.

(Example: Stage Manager, “Big”, ACT, 1994-95 Season, Director – Jane Doe)

Since you have not directed a WPH production before, do you have an experienced WPH stage manager or assistant director lined up for your show?          If so, who?

Please list any other significant theatrical experience and training.

***Remember to Include:              

·         WPH Director/Member Play Submission Form

·         Copy of Script

·         Copy of Libretto (if submission is a musical)

·         CD of Music (if submission is a musical)