The inaugural Fade To Black Arts Festival is coming to Houston,
June 8-14, 2025 and will attract thousands!
The Ensemble Theatre will select ten celebrated playwrights who
will receive a prestigious theatre reading across the city.
We can't wait to see the unique stories and creative visions that will
come from this exciting initiative.
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FULL-LENGTH PLAY SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Submission Period: August 1 - September 15, 2024
𝗥𝗘𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦
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The playwright must be the sole author of the submitted work.
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The playwright must publicly and openly identify as African-American, Black, or of the African diaspora.
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The author must be at least 18 years of age.
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Previously published or produced work by the author is not allowed (See definitions below).
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Play can have musical elements, but must not be categorized as a musical.
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Play must not be written for children or youth.
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Play must not be a film. Screenplays/scripts written for television or cinema will not be accepted.
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The play must be a full-length work, typically ranging from 60 to 120 minutes in performance time.
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The manuscript must be properly formatted according to industry standards (e.g., character names in all caps, stage directions in italics).
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Each play submitted must be accompanied by a brief synopsis (one page or less) and a playwright biography (one page or less).
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The play must be an original work and not an adaptation of another author’s material unless the original work is in the public domain.
𝗦𝗨𝗕𝗠𝗜𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗗𝗘𝗧𝗔𝗜𝗟𝗦
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Fee: $25.00 per submission.
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Limit: Maximum of 3 submissions per playwright.
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Format: Online PDF submissions only.
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Once submitted, no revisions to the script will be allowed unless specifically requested by the review panel.
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Submission Period: August 1 - September 15, 2024
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Script Evaluation Period: August 1 - November 1, 2024
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Winners Announced: January 31, 2025
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Festival: June 8-14, 2025
𝗗𝗘𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦
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Produced: Your play was marketed for production date(s) by either you (its playwright) or a theatre company and was performed before an audience who purchased tickets to see the event.
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Published: Your play is an officially published work and commands royalties from the producing theater each time it is performed.
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Staged Readings: Staged readings (formal or informal) are not considered productions. If your play has only had public or private readings but has not been produced as a full-scale stage performance, you are permitted to submit the play.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Past Submissions
So You Think You Can Write?
Script submissions will be accepted from
February 1, 2024, until April 1, 2024!
𝐖𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐞𝐧-𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧
𝐛𝐲 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧-𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬. 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐝
𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟏, 𝟐𝟎𝟐4 (𝟏𝟐:𝟎𝟎 𝐀𝐌 𝐂𝐒𝐓) 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟏, 𝟐𝟎𝟐4
(11:59 P𝐌 𝐂𝐒𝐓).
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[𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬]
*𝑻𝒆𝒏-𝑴𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒕𝒆 𝑷𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒔
1. Playwright must be the sole author of the submitted work.
2. Playwright must publicly and openly identify themselves as African-American, Black, or of the African diaspora.
3. Previously published or produced work by the author or theatre/company is not allowed (See definitions below).
4. Play must run no longer than 10 minutes long on stage, but no shorter than 8 minutes. (Conduct informal readings to ensure).
5. Play should accommodate a “bare-stage” set requiring only a minimum of removable stage props and require basic lighting and
sound cues.
6. Play must not be a musical.
7. Play must not be written for children or youth.
8. Play must not contain characters that are under 17 years old.
9. Play must not be a re-submission of previous Fade To Black play festival seasons.
10. Play must not be considered a translation or adaptation.
11. Play must not be a film. Screenplays/Scripts written for television or cinema will not be accepted.
12. Play should be "stand-alone", a separate body of work that has not been extracted from a larger, previously written play.
13. Author must be at least 18 years of age.
14. Play must be submitted in a PDF format.
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Produced” - Your play was marketed for production date(s) by either you (its playwright) or a theatre company and was performed before an audience who purchased tickets to see the event.
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"Published" - Your play is an officially published work and commands royalties from the producing theater each time it is performed.
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Staged readings (formal or informal) are not considered productions. If your play has only had public or private readings but has not been produced as a full-scale stage performance, you are permitted to submit the play.
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*𝑴𝒐𝒏𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒖𝒆𝒔
1. Playwright must be the sole author of the submitted work.
2. Playwright must publicly and openly identify themselves as African-American, Black, or of the African diaspora.
3. Monologue must run no longer than 3 minutes long on stage, but no shorter than 1 minute.
4. Monologue should accommodate a “bare-stage” set requiring only a minimum of removable stage props and require basic lighting and sound cues.
5. Monologue must not be a musical.
6. Monologue must not be written for children or youth.
7. Monologue must not be a film. Screenplays/Scripts written for television or cinema will not be accepted.
8. Author must be at least 18 years of age.
9. Monologue must be submitted in a PDF format.
TO SUBMIT:
1. Complete the script submissions application online (see links above)
2. Upload pdf of original work.
Write, Playwright, Write!
𝑻𝒆𝒏-𝑴𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒕𝒆 𝑷𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒔
Winning playwrights will be announced:
May 1, 2024
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Link to submit: https://forms.gle/wKXvZGyPSutzAEZDA
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- No fee is required.
- No restriction of theme or genre.
- Three (3) plays are allowed per playwright.
- Selected playwright winners will be awarded a cash prize.
- Full production provided.
𝑴𝒐𝒏𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒖𝒆𝒔
Winning playwrights will be announced:
June 1, 2024
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Link to submit: https://forms.gle/a8rLmkskzxSy9xhk9
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- Theme preference: The Wonder of Life
- Preferred genre of scripts: Comedy
- No fee is required.
- Three (3) monologues are allowed per playwright.
- Selected playwright winners will be awarded a cash prize.
- Full production provided.