The 2007 James Sunwall New Comedy Prize has been awarded to Donna Spector for STRIP TALK ON THE BOULEVARD.
The play will receive a staged reading at the 2008 Writing the Region workshop, being read on July 26, 2008.
Thank you to all who entered.
Sarah Bewley
Coordinator
The deadline for submission of scripts is December 1, 2008, with winners announced in January 2009.
The rules are simple: The play must not, at the time of submission, be produced nor contracted for production. The play must be full-length and the original work of the playwright, not an adaptation of a work by another author. The play may be adapted from other work by the playwright.
The play should have a small cast, limited set requirements, and must be a comedy.
Related one acts are not acceptable, nor are manuscripts submitted in screenwriting format.
The play will be produced in a staged reading on Saturday night, July 27, 2008, as a part of the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Writing the Region workshop. A director and actors will be hired to perform the staged reading, which will be presented in the Spanish Courtyard of the beautiful Thomas Center, a historical hotel in downtown Gainesville, Florida.
The playwright will be flown in to see the staged reading. Transportation and hotel accommodations will be paid for by the MRK Writing the Region workshop, and the playwright will be free to attend any of the workshops that are available on the Friday and Saturday that the playwright is in Gainesville.
The workshop is advertised nationally, and the staged reading is open to the public. A reception with wine, tea, coffee and water along with finger foods will be held from 5:00 to 5:30 pm on Saturday evening, with the play being performed from 5:30 until it ends, approximately 8 pm in most cases.
If the playwright has published work which he/she wishes to have available at the bookstore on site at the workshop, these books will be ordered by the bookshop and made available for signing and will handle all sales.
Plays must be submitted, securely bound, in acceptable play format (meaning double sided printing is acceptable, but electronic submission is not), postmarked by December 1, 2007. The address for mailing the plays is:
James Sunwall Comedy Prize
Acrosstown Repertory Theatre
P.O. Box 12246
Gainesville, FL 32604
Plays which have won in the past have addressed sexual issues, homosexual issues, family issues, academia, astronauts in space who discover they are in love (and both were male), school settings, and a wide variety of other topics. Profanity is acceptable, but it is expected that it be "in character" and not the only content of the dialogue.
If you have questions about the competition, please call toll free: 888-917-7001, and speak with the coordinator of the competition, who is also the coordinator of the workshop or email at: SarahBewley@sarahbewley.com.
If you wish acknowledgement of the receipt of your play, please include a self-addressed, stamped postcard. If you wish your manuscript returned to you, please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
Notifications are sent to all applicants by mail regarding the results of the competition.
Please feel free to circulate this notice as widely as possible.
Thank you.
The Sunwall Prize Committee
Acrosstown Repertory Theatre
Gainesville, Florida