Thespis Theater Festival was an amazing opportunity for my cast and creative team to showcase our work at the professional level. As young artists, it can be difficult to find affordable space and supportive people to sponsor us as we work towards polishing our aesthetic. Franco Moschetti was an invaluable resource to us, being warm, friendly and full of good advice as we went through the festival process. As this was my very first time participating in a festival, I feel very lucky to have had the wonderful folks at Thespis to teach me the ropes. Moreover, the opportunity to extend our show into the Finals portion of the competition was incredibly exciting and made the entire team feel as if they had accomplished something at a much higher level. Thespis Theater Festival has been an incredible experience – bringing together many artists into one collaborative atmosphere. Thank you!
Lily Raabe – Director of Eaten Voices
I have been honored to be a participant in the Thespis Theater Festival, performing in my show Kennedy/Reagan. I have been pleased with the professionalism shown by Franco Moschetti who has been completely prepared and shown me great hospitality. I have been astounded by the high caliber of audience members, many who are very engaged and volunteer helpful comments after the show. I would recommend Thespis to all playwrights as a means of presenting their new work.
John C. Kendall – Playwright of Reagan/Kennedy
The Thespis Theater Festival is a playwright’s contest designed to offer writers a chance to direct their own, never-before-seen shows, helping them to develop a sense of casting, staging, use of lights and direction. With Thespis, it is our intention to give writers a unique chance to create their vision from the first stroke of their pen to the last scene of their play. Thespis is not only a festival; it’s a competition as well. That means that there are prizes! The winner of Best Play will receive a prize of $3,500. Winner of Best Actor will receive $500. Thespis, as well as our wintertime festival, Venus, is hosted by the CabriniRepTheater.com, a beautiful, 99-seat proscenium theater in uptown Manhattan.
Accepted plays will be considered on a first - come first served basis. (The earlier you submit, the better your chances of being accepted.) Acceptance might close before June 1 if the number of plays that will run in the Festival will be reached earlier.
Cabrini Repertory Theater wants to make staging your show a pleasure.
First-time writers are more then welcome!
We’ll help you with everything you need to stage your play.
What The Thespis Festival offers:
- Shows will be not be packed into a cramped festival schedule.
- Musical playing life music are more then welcome, we offer a large area in front of the stage for the orchestra to play. The stage is 4′ elevated from the floor level
- Your play will be the only one that performs on your scheduled nights, so no rushing your production on and off the stage.
- Five-hour tech/dress rehearsal (as opposed to getting just double your show’s run time)
- Professional, easy-to-use lighting/sound system that anyone on your cast can learn to use
- Free lessons in how to use the system
- Free venue director from the Cabrini Repertory Theater team-you won’t have to hire an outsider.
- Constant contact with the Art Director of the venue should you have any questions about staging, lighting, sound or theater rules. You will never be forced to wait on answers, causing your production process to be held up.
- A strong, effective and aesthetically beautiful ad campaign run in the theater’s neighborhood, which means access to audience members in the surrounding area
- Email blasts announcing your show to the theater’s mailing list
- Set pieces and props that are already stored in the theater, saving you time, energy and money in transporting stage sets
- Storage space for your own props and set pieces should you decide to keep them in the theater during your show’s run
- The possibility to drive your props to the front door of the theater and temporarily park your vehicle there
- Free box office management
- A beautiful 21′ by 18′ proscenium theater that stands out and has a reputation in the neighborhood. (So many small theaters are located on 42nd Street that many tend to get lost. Cabrini Repertory Theater is the only theater in a neighborhood of artists and theater lovers. So getting an audience is far more likely than on the crowded streets of midtown where many theaters fight for attention.)
- Three performances, all during prime theater-going hours
- Every show in the festival will be performed in the Cabrini Repertory Theater—no outside venues will be rented.
- All festival participants can see all other festival shows for free.
- The possibility to be covered by reviewers
- A $3,500 prize for Best Play and $500 for Best Actor, and an exciting Prize Ceremony
Rules
Only plays from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut,
Massachusetts and Pennsylvania will be accepted.
Submissions must be between 75 and 90 minutes long.
ALL PLAYS MUST BE FIRST RUNS AND MUST
NEVER HAVE BEEN PRODUCED BEFORE
THESPIS THEATER FESTIVAL IS FOR BOTH
NON-UNION AND UNION
Each applicant is fully responsible for all elements of their production. These include directing, casting, stage-managing and hiring a sound & light board operator.
What the Theater Offers
For those playwrights who want to incorporate live music into their play, Cabrini Rep offers a fully-tuned baby grand piano. We also offer a choice of stage furniture and props to all productions, as well as a large projection wall at the back of the stage and a quality projector that will create a wide range of possibilities for your set. In this way, productions need not be as concerned about moving their props in and out of the theater before and after each performance.
