In order to submit a play please send the following via email:
1. A 200- to 300-word synopsis of the play
2. The complete script
3. Your telephone number and home address, plus the phone number of one other person in your production that we can contact
4. Your bio with age included
As soon as your play is accepted, you will be sent the festival guidelines.
All plays will be given a three-performance run at the theater.
Prizes
After all plays have had their three-performance run, the best 6 plays will be selected by the Thespis jury as nominees for the $3,500 prize of Best Play. Those 6 shows will be given a fourth performance that will be advertised to the surrounding community, which is full of artists and theater-goers who are aware of Cabrini Repertory Theater. So if, after your three-performance run in Thespis, your play is selected as one of the 6 nominees, you are not only in the running for Best Play, but in addition to other audience members you’d like to invite, we will invite our supporters to your fourth performance.
Along with audience members from the theater’s neighborhood, three judges will also attend your fourth performance. This panel of outside judges will make the final decision about the winning play.
There will also be several nominations for best actor. In addition to the winning actress ($500 prize), there will be a third and second runner-up. These runner-ups will receive surprise prizes!
The winners are chosen buy a well know group of Judges that operate in the city of New York… This is the real deal.
Winners will be announced during a special prize ceremony at the end of the festival to which the cast and crew of all nominated productions will be invited.
All plays will be filmed. At the end of the festival, or after your show’s run, you can purchase a copy of your show’s video for $75.
Please be aware that the festival is not directly involved with the filming of the plays. You must connect with the videographer on your own in order to purchase your show’s video.
There is no fee to submit your play to the Venus Festival.
Once you are accepted, there are two methods of participant payment and ways to make a profit at your show’s box office:
1. You can send in a $300 refundable check. The deposit will be returned as long as the production is able to bring a minimum of 39 audience members in total to all three performances assigned to each show; that means at least 13 people per performance = 39 audience members in total to all three performances assigned.
2. You can send in a $500 non-refundable check and receive 50% of every ticket sold for your play. That means you’ll receive $10 for every ticket sold. If you get 17 audience members for each of your 3 shows, you will break even and from there on, make a profit. Nominees for Best Play will be given a fourth performance and have even more of a chance to make a profit at their box office.
Plays from last year’s festival whose creators came from the Tri-state area brought an average of 70 audience members for their show’s run.
Again, there is no submission fee. Only those plays that are accepted will be required to send in participant payment.
General submission to Venus is free-of-charge and submissions will be accepted until June 1st.
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PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THE THEATER HOSTING THESPIS NY IS INVOLVED IN SEVERAL HUMANITARIAN EFFORTS TO AID THE LOCAL COMMUNITY. THEREFORE, A SMALL NUMBER OF PEOPLE ARE ALLOWED TO SEE ANY OF THE SHOWS RUNNING IN THESPIS FOR FREE. THESE PEOPLE WILL BE A NICE ADDITION TO YOUR AUDIENCE.
