2011 Young & Hungry Art’s Trust Playwrights’ Initiative

WIN OR DIE TRYING!
Do you have an original and engaging idea for a play?

Young & Hungry is currently accepting ideas submissions for the 2012 festival season. We are looking for fresh and funky New Zealand voices to create plays for young people aged 15-25 years.

Our theme for 2011 is WIN OR DIE TRYING and submissions close on Friday 24 September 2010 so don’t miss out on your chance to shine!

The Young & Hungry Festival of New Theatre originated out of BATS Theatre, Wellington in 1994. The aim of the festival was to provide young people with the opportunity to work in a professional theatre environment with quality scripts written specially for them!

The scripts accepted into the 2012 Festival of New Theatre will be worked on with professional script advisors, mentored through the process by New Zealand’s play development organisation – Playmarket. This is a great opportunity for emerging playwrights to learn within a professional theatre environment.

Now in it’s 16^th year, the Festival of New Theatre continues to pave the way for young people in the performing arts industry. 2010 also marks the 2^nd year in partnership with Auckland Theatre Company; with simultaneous festival seasons taking place in Auckland and Wellington Young & Hungry is quickly becoming a national movement!

For more information on how to register for the Y&H 2011 Playwrights’ Initiative visit www.youngandhungry.org.nz or contact us at young.hungry@gmail.com

Young & Hungry is a charitable arts trust that promotes youth participation and development in the performing arts. For more information about the The Young & Hungry Playwrights’ Initiative please contact Alec Wheeler at 04 385 8227 or email young.hungry@gmail.com.

For images or interviews please contact Y&H Publicist Brianne Kerr
04 801 6470 or briannekerrpublciity@yahoo.co.nz

We specifically focus on development through:

• Mentoring; pairing up playwrights with an established dramaturg to provide advice and support throughout the writing process.
• Artistic expression: providing an opportunity for playwrights to tell their stories.
• Skill development: ensuring that playwrights have the necessary support, funding and development opportunities.

Ideas Development

• We will select 4 playwrights from the overall submissions to write a 60 minute play based around the selected festival theme to a first draft stage.
• The play must have at least 6 characters, and a special appeal to people aged 15-25
• A panel of stakeholders and industry professionals assesses the first 4 first draft scripts. 2 playwrights are selected from the initial 4 to be commissioned to a final draft script. Our third playwright is usually a The ‘established’ playwright is defined as someone who has had success as a professional playwright and who displays an affinity for writing for young people.

Playwright's commissioning

• The 2 plays selected through to the final draft script are asked to complete three more drafts of their scripts.
• The playwrights are provided with support from a dramaturg over the entire writing period.
• After the second draft they have a reading
• After the third draft they have a professional 2 day workshop
• After the final draft the scripts are considered for production in the Young and Hungry Festival of New Theatre 2012

Making a submission

Your submission needs to:

• Be based on the theme - WIN OR DIE TRYING - ensure that you apply this theme to both the form and content of your submission.
• Have a special appeal to youth aged 15-25
• Have a minimum of 6 characters, preferably with no bit parts
• Ensure your play runs for no longer than an hour

You need to write

• The working title. Capture our attention right from the beginning
• A short synopsis of your story. Why is this going to be an awesome story to be shown on stage? (100-250 words).
• A scene by scene breakdown. This may be a list of events or a more detailed account of the action of the scene. Show us how you can build a story.
• A short explanation of why your play will appeal to 15-25 year olds. Tell us why they will want to act in it, crew it, design it and watch it on the stage (100-250 words).
• An outline of the characters. Minimum of 6 characters. Who are they? Are they well-rounded characters? What kind of journey will they be going on in the play?
• An outline of how your idea is based on the theme (100-250 words).
• A sample scene or two. This shows us that you can write in the dramatic from. Include dialogue and stage directions. You can include a full scene, or sections from the different scenes.
• A personal statement about playwrighting (100-250 words).
• A covering letter explaining who you are, giving an outline of your writing background and explaining why you have submitted this proposal.

Tips for making a good Submission

• Put the working title of your play on every page of your submission.
• Number your pages
• The ideal length of your submission should be 5-10 pages long.
• Concentrate on giving us the feel of your play and why it will be a great experience for 15-25 year olds.
• Ensure you have a grasp on your story and some understanding of what you want an audience to feel and think about your play.
• The ideal length of your submission should be 5-10 pages long.

Keep in mind

Young and Hungry are interested in...

• Play ideas that incorporate a range of cultural backgrounds.
• Play ideas that have characters aged 15- 25 years old.

Registration

Send your submissions to

Young and Hungry Playwrights Commission
PO BOX 19176
Courtenay Place
Wellington 6149

Make sure you include

• Name
• Postal Address
• Home Phone
• Work Phone
• Mobile Phone
• Email address
• Working Title of Play
• A story synopsis
• A theme outline
• A scene Breakdown
• An outline of characters
• A sample scene
• Your writing background
• Your statement about playwriting

Timeline