It’s time again for south central Kansas playwrights – both amateur and experienced – to exercise their creativity and storytelling abilities with submissions to Hesston College Theatre’s “Pen to Paper to Performance” play writing festival.

Submissions for the 10-minute play festival will be accepted through March 11. Eight winning submissions will be notified March 18 and will be produced in the final showcase event April 26 and 27. Playwrights of winning submissions will receive a percentage of the box office earnings.

Now in its third year, the “Pen to Paper to Performance” play writing festival, which was launched by Hesston College Theatre Director Rachel Jantzi, has become a sought after experience both for local playwrights and audience members who get to see the stories come to life on stage. With the plays performed by Hesston College Theatre students, the event allows voices and talent from the community and across the region to be heard and shared.

The 2018 event featured nonfiction accounts based on historical events both recent and further in the past, fictional works as commentary on important societal issues, and lighthearted humor.

10-Minute Play Festival submission criteria

Scripts accepted until March 11. Eight selected submissions will be produced in the final showcase event, “Pen to Paper to Performance,” April 26 and 27 in the Keim Center Black Box Theatre on the Hesston College campus. Winning submissions will be notified March 18, and will receive a percentage of the box office earnings. Auditions and rehearsals for the chosen shows will begin the following week.

Submission rules:

• We will accept no more than two (2) plays per playwright.
• Scripts should fall between 8 and 12 pages and run roughly 10 minutes.
• Suggested number of characters is three to five.
• Characters in plays should be able to be portrayed by college students.
• Location/setting expectations should be kept minimal for the sake of logistics.
• No musicals.
• Original work only; no previously produced work will be accepted.
• We will acknowledge submissions via email, but we will not offer critiques.
• Please staple hard copy of scripts. Please no binders, covers or folders.
• We reserve the right to edit of the sake of time or logistics in collaboration with the playwright.

How to submit:
Please submit both a hard copy and an emailed copy. Hard copies will not be returned. Plays should include a cover page with the following information:

• Play title
• Playwright’s name
• Playwright’s phone number
• Playwright’s email address

Deliver submissions to Rachel Jantzi in Hesston College’s Keim Center

OR

Mail a hard copy to:
Hesston College
c/o Rachel Jantzi
PO Box 3000
Hesston, KS 67062

Email an identical copy to rachelj@hesston.edu with “10-minute play” in the subject line.