Staged Reading / Workshop?
The goal of this competition is to provide a SECOND production, not a first.
A staged reading is a staged reading.
A workshop is a workshop.
A production says a company was willing to gamble
real money on a script, including extended rent, tech, manpower, costumes, etc.
Not to seem snooty about things, but the concept is that we, as an art and as a community of artists, have stacks of World Premieres each year and those scripts are abandoned (many rightfully so) by publishers to die without a second production. There's a little "prestige" to be had premiering things and that can help market a single production.
Until the second or third independent production shows the promise of making money with a script, publishers just don't seem to want to invest in them.
That's what we want to start people thinking about with this project.
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World Premieres?
We've done about one a year... inadvertently for the past several years.
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As for "Drama" and "Musicals"
and "Performance Art" and "Slam Poetry"
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Dramas do not sell easily.
We have to pay the bills even with this one.
Musicals cost an arm and a leg and frankly, the only people that come see musicals are people that only come see musicals. It doesn't really help our overall season.
... and did I mention we have to pay the bills.
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Performance Art?
We have to pay the bills.
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Slam Poetry?
We don't serve insanely overpriced coffee
and Bongo Liability Insurance doesn't grow on trees.
Oh.... nor does paying the bills?
Hope that helps.