• What Is PlayFest?
• How Does PlayFest Work?
• What Awards Are Given?
• Who May Enter PlayFest?
• Must I Register For The Full Convention?
• What Materials Will I Need To Enter PlayFest?
• How Do I Enter PlayFest?
• What Is The Timeline For PlayFest?
• What Will Cause My Script To Be Rejected?
• Who Should I Contact For More Information About PlayFest?

What Is PlayFest?

PlayFest is a playwriting competition/event whose principal objective is to encourage the writing and production of new plays. The purpose of PlayFest is as follows:

• To encourage and promote the study of playwriting by all.
• To encourage and promote the writing of new plays.
• To provide a clearing house for the reading and evaluation of new plays in a working and teaching environment.
• To provide greater incentive to playwrights by establishing a working relationship between professionals, educators and playwrights.
• To produce new play productions. This may include staged readings, workshop productions, and new play seminars, annually at the T.E.T.A. TheatreFest Convention.

How Does PlayFest Work?

Plays are written and submitted to the PlayFest Chairs for consideration. The plays are sent to readers/adjudicators throughout Texas for evaluation. The plays and evaluations are sent back to the PlayFest Chairs for awarding. The Chairs will notify all participants of the decisions of the PlayFest Committee. Submitted scripts will not be returned to the playwrights.

Successful participants will then be responsible for having their play mounted and performed at TheatreFest Convention the following January. The performance is required of all recipients of the PlayFest awards. For production purposes at the convention, all successful scripts must be cut to one hour performance time. The production will have one and a half hours to rehearse at the convention prior to the performance. Simple costumes, props and makeup is requested. One U.I.L. unit set will be provided for use. All materials brought for the production must arrive on the exact day of the performance. No storage space will be provided. Playwrights, who may not have access or connections with a school or any other acting company, can seek assistance from members of the Playfest committee to help search and find someone to produce their play.

The hour long performance and a 20 minute audience "talk back" with the playwright and mounting company will take place on Friday or Saturday of the convention. All materials will need to be cleared immediately following this 90 minute presentation.

What Awards Are Given?

Successful submissions will receive a plaque, a $200 check, and slot at the T.E.T.A. TheatreFest Convention for mounting the play. Two submissions will be selected for these awards in each category of: High School Student, College/University Student, and Texas Residence. The total awards will not exceed 6 per year.

Who May Enter PlayFest?

PlayFest is open to any TETA member including any student attending a Texas high school, college, and/or university. Other Texas residents are encouraged to submit plays. Amateur and professional submissions are accepted. Plays that are currently published are also accepted. Membership must be paid at the time of submission.

Must I Register For The Full Convention?

To submit a script does not require convention registration but DOES require membership in TETA. However, PlayFest award recipients will require full convention registration for TheatreFest and must be paid by December 15.

Performers and technicians that attend TheatreFest only to assist with the mounting of the successful submission, and who do not attend any other part of the convention, do not have to pay convention fees. They must, however, pay membership dues by December 15. Dues are $20 for students and $50 for adults.

What Materials Will I Need To Enter PlayFest?

For each entry, participants must submit five (5) "typed" copies of the play, bound or stapled. Also, separate cover sheet with the playwright's information:

• Name
• Contact information
• a valid e-mail for the playwright
• name of the school in which they are currently attending if student playwright
• the phrase "Other Texas Resident" on the cover sheets for non-students

The participant's name and school affiliation will not be given to the adjudicators of the plays.

Plays are not limited to length, subject matter or language. They will be judged on the play's potential to be performed before an audience in a staged reading, workshop production, new play seminar, or production during next year's T.E.T.A. TheatreFest.

How Do I Enter PlayFest?

Send the registration form found on the main page of this website along with your membership dues to the address on the form. THEN mail the five (5) typed copies and cover sheets no later than September 15 (earlier submissions are encouraged) to:

In order for the contest to have enough time to judge each entry, to determine and notify winners, and to include this information in the convention program, teachers using the contest as a classroom assignment are asked to limit the submissions to the two best from each class.

What Is The Timeline For PlayFest?

• Submissions and cover sheets typed, 5 copies are made, and are sent to the PlayFest Chairs. Cover Sheets are required to include:
  • Name
  • Contact information
  • a valid e-mail for the playwright
  • name of the school in which they are currently attending if student playwright
  • the phrase "Other Texas Resident" on the cover sheets for non-students
• They must be postmarked no later than September 15 (earlier submissions encouraged).
• Submissions are divided and mailed to the readers/adjudicators within one week.
• Submissions and evaluations are sent back to the PlayFest Chairs by October 15.
• All playwrights will be notified of the submissions chosen for awards and mounting by November 1.
• Successful playwrights must notify PlayFest Chairs by phone or e-mail about their acceptance of the award, and guarantee of mounting the production at the T.E.T.A. convention within three days of the email sent to the playwright by the PlayFest Chairs.
• Successful playwrights will cut their scripts to a one hour performance time, and make arrangements for the script to be mounted.
• PlayFest Chairs will e-mail a production participation form to the playwright to complete and e-mail back to the Chairs. Chairs will forward this information to the Convention Registrar to confirm that all participants have paid appropriate convention fees and/or T.E.T.A. membership dues.
• Playwrights will register and pay for the full convention fees and T.E.T.A. membership dues by December 15. Production participants must pay for either the full convention fees and T.E.T.A. membership dues, or just T.E.T.A. membership dues if not attending the full convention, by December 15.
• Mounted productions are presented at the TheatreFest the following January.

What Will Cause My Script To Be Rejected?

Scripts will be rejected and discarded for the following reasons:

• Not making 5 copies or not typing the scripts.
• Not being a current member of TETA.
• Not including a cover sheet with contact information required.
• Not including a valid e-mail for contacting the playwright.
• Submissions postmarked after September 15.
• Not accepting the award within three days of the e-mail from the PlayFest Chairs to the successful playwright.
• Not producing the play at TheatreFest in January.
• Not submitting payment and registration forms for the playwright(s) for the full convention fees by December 15.
• Not receiving payment and registration from all production participants for either the full convention fees and T.E.T.A. membership dues, or just T.E.T.A. membership dues if not attending the full convention, by December 15.

Who Should I Contact For More Information About PlayFest?

The PlayFest Chairs, Rachel Seney, may be contacted initially through the contact page on this site (click here).

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P. O. Box 15990, NE Station; Austin, Texas 78761-5990; TIN: 23-7120592