Hi, there. I'm writing you regarding your Play Bytes by Playwrights new play competition and am doing so in the spirit of camaraderie and shared goals for the future of theatre.
Myself and most playwrights out there, especially the ones who have experience and talent, avoid any competitions that charge entry fees. Here's why:
- Asking a playwright to pay to submit would be like asking a friend to pay you to bring a dish to your potluck. The play itself has intrinsic value, whether you choose to use it or not.
- The playwright has spent many hours creating this work and may never make a dime off of it. $20 is a lot of money in the life of an artist. In the world of theatre, this is as high as a fee gets the vast majority of the time and usually for full-length, not ten-minute, plays.
- Many theatres use the rationale that it covers the cost of awards, readers, expenses, etc. Ten-minute play festivals are already popular with audiences and are good money-makers for theatres. To charge a fee is asking artists to do the job of producing the show that your theatre is mounting, without any guarantees of production.
- Playwrights, if they do agree to an entry fee, are looking for an opportunity that may further their career. The vague promise of award money from a panel of unknown judges does not instill confidence in any reasonable outcome.
We playwrights often don't expect compensation for our ten-minute plays. Many of us view them as calling cards in hopes that someone will want to see more of our work. Asking us to pay for the possibility of production and the lesser possibility of reward is putting the burden on the artist without whom you, the theatre, would have no show to mount. Theatres are producing entities and it really should be their job of finding the funds to mount these shows and not rely on those who are trying to make, not lose, money off of their art.
I know many playwrights out there share these sentiments and it would be great if you shared your thoughts as well.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
John Servilio
Update: Here is their response. I think they missed my arguments, which already addressed their considerations. I also think their response underscores a more insidious view of artists as funding sources across all art forms. It's almost as if they're saying: Don't worry. We're not targeting you, just those people who don't know any better.
"John-
Thank you for your email. We have a great deal of respect for playwrights. This competition is intended to provide less experienced playwrights with the opportunity to have their work considered for production, and possibly produced, without the need to incur all of the costs of self-production, but rather a modest entry fee. Additionally they have the opportunity to have their work rewarded with a sizable prize. It is certainly common practice within other aspects of the fine arts to assess entry fees for participants. As a small non-profit arts organization, we believe this is a fair trade-off, but will certainly take your suggestions under advisement for the future.
Sincerely,
Janet Teunis
Project Director, LowellArts!"