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NATIONAL PLAYWRITING
PROGRAM

The Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival National Playwriting Program is dedicated to supporting student playwrights in the development of their original work for the stage, with dramaturgical and performance opportunities that emphasize respect of the written word and for the playwright’s contribution to the theatrical process.

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Region 8 sponsors both a 10-minute and a one act-play competition at our regional festival. Six 10-minute plays and three one-act plays are selected through an exchange process with another region of the country. All plays are read “blind” (without the author’s name or school affiliation) to avoid bias in the selection process. The six 10-minute plays and three one-acts selected will be presented as staged readings at the regional festival.

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A group of qualified respondents will select 2 of the 10-minute plays and 2 of the one-acts as national semi-finalists; those 4 scripts will be sent forward to the national office for consideration at the national level in Washington D.C. in the spring. The plays will be judged as written work, not based on the presentations at festival.

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National Playwriting Program’s Mandate

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  1. To offer progressive mentorship of student playwrights that honors the integrity of individual voice, and is aimed at nurturing students into professional playwrights.

  2. To strive to create links with individual artists and institutions in the professional sphere and to provide opportunities for the production of student work.

  3. To advocate for theatrical text and to preserve the integrity of the playwright’s intent within all stages of the collaborative process.

  4. To engage and support faculty members who are developing new work in their theatre programs.

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The Dramatist's Bill of Rights

The National Playwriting Program (NPP) operates under the Dramatist's bill of Rights created to support and uphold this fundamental principle: playwrights own and control their work.

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CONFERENCE 57
National Playwriting Program

Mesa Community College
Mesa, Arizona
February 10 - 15, 2025
Categories

SUBMISSION
CATEGORIES 

Plays are accepted in the following three categories:

A play 10-pages or fewer in length.

(12 point font)

A play more than 10 pages in length with a running time less than one hour.

(12 point font)

A play more than one hour in length.

(12 point font)

Every year all submission have a hard due date of:
November 1st

Guidelines

SUBMISSION
GUIDELINES

Region 8 takes submissions from three different categories: student written, faculty, and working playwrights. In order to submit for Festival and award consideration, a playwright must meet certain criteria.  Below are the guidelines for each of the categories of eligibility.  Click on the category you wish to submit to see more.

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Please make sure you read the guidelines for your submission thoroughly.

HOW TO SUBMIT

Submit

Region 8 uses Submittable for all NPP submissions.

 In order to submit a play you will need to create a free submittable account.  All scripts must be submitted blind.  This means that while your submittable account contains your name and school affiliation, the actual document containing the script must be anonymous. This ensures a fair and unbiased selection process as the scripts are read. Failure to follow these important directions may result in disqualification.

 

When submitting please adhere to the following rules:​

  • All scripts must be free of playwright's name

  • All scripts must be free of school affiliation 

  • All scripts must be .pdf, .doc, or .docx format only

Once you have created a Submittable account and your script follows the rules above, you are ready to submit. 

You may submit at this link:

Every year all submission have a hard due date of:
November 1st

The Team

THE TEAM

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Miguel Torres Cruz
NPP Chair
miguelkcactf@gmail.com

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Cristina Goyeneche 
NPP Co-Vice Chair
cgoyenechenpp@gmail.com

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Rosa Navarrete
NPP Co-Vice Chair
rosa@casa0101.org

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NATIONAL FESTIVAL

Each April, the Kennedy Center welcomes about 125 outstanding theater students to the KCACTF National Festival. Student awardees in design, performance, directing, playwriting, stage management, dramaturgy, arts leadership, and theatre criticism, are invited from all eight Regions. Through master classes, presentations, conversations, and staged readings, students learn from and connect with established theatre artists, as well as their peers from across the country.

National Festival
Contact
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