OCTA Announces Return of New Works Playwright Competition

21 Nov OCTA Announces Return of New Works Playwright Competition

Call for Submissions from KC Area and Kansas Playwrights

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Charlotte Gilman

913-484-1651 | asgcroc@aol.com

Tickets: www.olathetheatre.org  | Reservations: 913-782-2990 or tickets@olathetheatre.org

Olathe Civic Theatre Association (OCTA) is thrilled to announce it will once again host its New Works Playwright Competition for the second year in a row. A unique opportunity for local playwrights in the Kansas City Area (Jackson, Clay, Platte, or Cass counties) and Kansas, the competition-style event was a hit with both patrons and participants last season. The public aspect of the competition is comprised of two events: the finalist performances in March and the Winner Workshop performances in July.

OCTA requests submissions of 10-15 minute teasers of full-length plays from aspiring and established local playwrights. Of these, five finalists will be featured in a showcase where audience members will vote on the teaser they wish to see workshopped as a full play. Only submissions that have not previously been professionally produced will be considered, however scripts previously produced at the KC Fringe Festival will now be considered by the selection committee if the show ran 60 minutes or less in its original format. Playwrights are encouraged to e-mail competition chair, Andrew Joseph Brown, at OCTANewWorks@gmail.com for clarification as this is a change from last season and the original call for submissions this season.

Brown is thrilled that OCTA will bring back the competition: “OCTA provides a unique opportunity for local playwrights to get their name out in the community and have a chance to see a workshop performance of their production on stage.” The winning play last season was Michelle Tyrene Johnson’s The Green Book Wine Club Train Trip, which also received readings at National Black Theatre in New York City and at the new Johnson County Arts and Heritage Center.

The submission deadline is November 25, 2017. The New Works Playwright Competition finals will be held March 2-3, 2018 and the winner workshop is scheduled for July 13-14, 2018. Details can be found at http://olathetheatre.org/new-works-playwright-competition-call-for-submissions/.

A brief video of Andy discussing the submission process can be found here.

About Olathe Civic Theatre Association

Olathe Civic Theatre Association is a 501c3 organization producing theatre in Olathe since 1974. Performing in the Buddy Rogers Family Playhouse, OCTA produces five high-quality, engaging, and thought-provoking theatre productions a year. Through the generosity of volunteers, season ticket holders, donors, and the City of Olathe, OCTA has grown into one of the most progressive community theaters in the Kansas City metropolitan area.

Social and Digital Media: Receive daily updates by ‘liking’ OCTA’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/olathecivictheatre.

Upcoming in 2017-2018 | Olathe Civic Theatre Association

Violet – February 9-25, 2018 
Book and Lyrics by Brian Crawley | Music by Jeanine Tesori
Directed by Julie Ewing | Music Direction by Kevin Bogan

Based on the short story The Ugliest Pilgrim by Doris Betts

A scarred young woman embarks on a bus journey from her farm in Spruce Pine, North Carolina to Tulsa, Oklahoma in hopes of being healed by a TV evangelist, but discovers the true meaning of beauty along the way. Set in 1964, this stunning show won both the Drama Critics’ Circle Award and Lucille Lortel Award as Best Musical for its touching script and show-stopping anthems ranging from American-roots to folk to gospel.

 SPECIAL EVENT – New Works Playwright Competition – March 2 & 3, 2018

Five finalists present 10-minute teasers of their scripts – audiences vote for the winner who will then receive a full-length workshop reading in July!

Superior Donuts – April 6-22, 2018
By Tracy Letts | Directed by Diane Bulan

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of August: Osage County comes this moving comedy-drama set in an Uptown Chicago donut shop. Facing age 60 and all alone, proprietor Arthur has his dreary world turned upside down by the arrival of Franco, an ambitious employee in his early 20s.

Unnecessary Farce – June 1-17, 2018
By Paul Slade Smith | Directed by Bill Pelletier

Two cops, three crooks, eight doors…go! In a cheap motel room, an embezzling mayor is supposed to meet with his female accountant, while in the room next door, two undercover cops wait to catch the meeting on videotape. But there’s some confusion as to who’s in which room, who’s watching the video, who’s taken the money, and who’s hired a hit man. This fast-paced physical comedy is a comic gem!

SPECIAL EVENT – New Works Playwright Competition Winner Workshop – July 13 & 14, 2018

The full-length workshop reading featuring the winning play from the March finals!

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Please direct all media inquiries to: Charlotte Gilman at 913-484-1651 (cell) or asgcroc@aol.com.

For further information or tickets, please visit our Web site at www.olathetheatre.org.