It’s back! After a four-year hiatus, 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” playwriting festival.

Submissions for the 10-minute play festival will be accepted through March 8. Eight winning submissions will be notified March 15 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.

Launched in 2017 by Hesston College Theatre Director Rachel Jantzi, the “Pen to Paper to Performance” (P3) playwriting festival 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.

“Audiences and past submitters asked if P3 would make a comeback – it’s nice, knowing it’s been missed,” Jantzi says. “I’m thrilled to get submissions from our returning playwrights, and I’m also excited to receive work from those new to the genre.”

In the past, P3 productions have featured nonfiction accounts based on historical or personal events, fictional works as commentary on important societal issues, fables, folktales, lighthearted humor and drama. Jantzi encourages all ages and skill levels to consider submitting a play on a topic that speaks to them.

“Don’t let a lack of experience or age stop you. Look over a play to see how it’s formatted and then start writing,” she recommends. “Everyone has a story in them, and we’d love to help tell yours.”

10-Minute Play Festival submission criteria

Scripts are accepted until March 8. 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 Theater on the Hesston College campus. Winning submissions will be notified March 15 and will receive a percentage of the box office earnings. Rehearsals for the chosen shows will begin the following week.

Submission rules:

• No more than two plays per playwright.
• Scripts should fall between eight and 12 pages and run roughly 10 minutes.
• Suggested number of characters is three to five.
• Location and setting expectations should be minimal for the sake of logistics.
• No musicals.
• Original work only; no previously produced work.
• Submissions will be acknowledged via email, but no critiques will be offered.
• Please staple hard copies of scripts. Please no binders, covers or folders.
• Director reserves the right to edit for the sake of time or logistics in collaboration with the playwright.
• Work from outside of Kansas will not be considered.

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 or mail submissions to:
Hesston College
c/o Rachel Jantzi, Keim Center
PO Box 3000
Hesston, KS 67062

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