Waterford Theater Accepting Applications For Playwright Conference

Press release via Eugene O’Neill Theater Center

WATERFORD, CT — The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center is now accepting applications for the 2024 National Playwrights Conference. The submission window will remain open through Thursday, September 28, 2023, at 11:59pm PST.

The O’Neill will once again employ an open script submission process for its founding program and invites all playwrights to share their work. Plays that have not yet received a professional production are eligible for the Conference, and the O'Neill welcomes submissions of all styles and genres. Scripts are reviewed blind, without writer names or contact information, and are accompanied by a character breakdown and the playwright’s developmental goals. Playwrights do not need an agent or professional representation to apply.

Selected playwrights will spend a month on the O’Neill’s seaside campus in Waterford, CT, during the summer of 2024. While in residence, each writer will receive time to experiment and revise their piece during a week-long workshop, which will include two script-in-hand public readings. These writer-led development processes offer playwrights a chance to work with a team of industry-leading directors, dramaturgs, actors, and designers dedicated to exploring their piece.

Scripts should be submitted to the online application form at tinyurl.com/oneillnpc24. A $20 fee offsets the costs of the administration of the application process and submission platform. The O’Neill is committed to continuing to reduce fees for all professional programs, with a goal of reaching a $15 submission fee when it opens applications in the fall of 2024. If the fee is a barrier to submission, a number of waivers are also available on a first-come, first-serve basis and can be requested on the O’Neill’s website prior to beginning an application.

More information about the National Playwrights Conference and its application process is available at www.theoneill.org/npc.