Darknight Gallery IV – 2007
Information and Submission Instructions for playwriting competition
Darknight Gallery IV – 2007
Information and Submission Instructions for playwriting competition
 |
Before you proceed please note… þ Thank you for your interest! |
þ Darknight Theatrical Productions is a 501(C)(3) not-for-profit theatre
company.
Our goal is to produce thought-provoking, discussion-generating
work with a tale that resonates with our audience.
 |
The Darknight Gallery playwriting contest is an
annual |
þ Cash prizes for the
winning plays:
$ 400 to the script that receives the most votes in the
one-day event
$200 to the second place script
$100 to the third place winner
and a chance to see your work produced for the full run in Darknight Gallery
IV!
þ below you will find information and tips regarding the specific
genre we are looking for, our criteria for selecting the winning scripts,
and instructions on how to submit your play. Please read over this
information carefully to ensure that your script has the best chances of
being produced in our 2007 production of Darknight Gallery IV!
 |
Please feel free to contact us if you have any
questions. Our email address is darknight_theatrical_productions@yahoo.com. If you would like more information about our production history,
our mission, or our company members, please visit our website at:
www.dtpsite.org. |
THE GENRE
Rod Serling’s television programs,
Night Gallery and The Twilight
Zone often told stories of characters struggling with mankind’s most primal
emotions: fear, greed, pride, or their own mortality. The stories were told
in a setting that resembled our world in almost every way, yet in every
episode the characters encountered something unfamiliar and had to learn how
to face it using their limited (and often terrified) human understanding. It
is our intention to excavate the inner mind and explore such emotions and
such experiences as paranoia, isolation, insanity, and horror from the
safety and comfort of our theatre.
What we want!
ü Twisted and Disturbing scripts about the human mind that would scare an
audience,
yet leave them wondering about who we are as human beings.
ü Good dialogue combined with characters
taking actions that gets to the point
and tells a complete story in
45
minutes or less.
ü Strong Characters
ü Socially Conscious Themes
ü Dramatic Tension that intertwines with Suspense
Our Ideal PROTAGONIST:
M. Night Shymalyan is a contemporary author who writes in
this genre. His movies
The Sixth Sense and Signs are eloquently
executed in the vein of Rod Serling's programs.
Our protagonist is someone who the audience can RELATE TO,
he/she is the narrator or advocate of action.
He/She is driven by a series of events that lead him/her
to evaluate the seemingly familiar territory that surrounds him/her.
Events (not just conversation) should be leading the protagonist closer to the
truth.
Tension increases until he/she rushes towards an inescapable conclusion:
a conclusion that the audience is afraid to know, yet NEED to know!
T What we DO NOT want are “slasher” scripts.
T We also want to avoid
scripts that are situational instead of plot driven.
i.e. if two (or more) characters spend their stage
time working out
issues or rehashing an old dispute....we can't really use it.L
T Avoid characters who
debate a reality that they previously failed to acknowledge.
(i.e. we don't want characters that do very little but talk MUCH!)
The main characters that we are in search
of use actions to overcome or resolve a dilemma
rather than hashing it out with words.
Each script we receive goes through the following process…
EVALUATION ROUND
Three Tiers of Evaluation:
I-Does the scripts fit the genre and follow
the guidelines?
II-Does the script have strong dialogue, characters, and is the plot clear?
III-Does the script make you think, what are the human interest aspects of it?
(The 6 Strongest Scripts go on to the Finalists Round)
Playwrights selected for The Finalists Round
will be notified by email
a
The 6 FINALIST playwrights will then invited to participate in the…
Darknight Gallery
IV - One Day Finalists Event!
a Each playwright will be asked to create a
shortened
version (a taste if you will) of their script.
aDirectors and actors will then be selected to
participate in this shorter version for the one-day event.
a On June 2, 2007, the actors and directors
will come together in the morning to
rehearse the shortened script.
aThat evening, the 6 pieces will be performed for an audience.
a The audience will vote for the scripts they would like to see produced in
their entirety.
a
The 3 scripts with the most votes are the winners of the Darknight Gallery
IV playwriting contest!
WINNERS CIRCLE
The three winning playwrights
will
then begin a collaborative journey with a director to
transform the script from page to stage!
Darknight Gallery IV will run for 5 weekends beginning
July 20 and closing August 19, 2007.
Follow these guidelines and you may see your words debut on stage in July
2007!
A FEW TIPS:
Write something that is PRODUCIBLE!
OSave those western gun fights and explosions for your Hollywood screenplay!
üWe want scripts that can be produced and staged within a modest budget and
theater space.
üWhile you are writing, consider a minimal number of locales
(even if it’s only 1 - we prefer it!)
Plausible costumes, and moderate set
pieces are a HUGE plus!
Consider the GENRE!
A creepy or
twisted tale propelled by a protagonist who uses actions to resolve the
conflict.
That’s what we want to read!
(See
our description of the genre and make sure your script fits our
mold.)
Keep it DIRECT and to the point!
45 minutes may seem like little time once you get the wheels turning and
start writing,
but do keep the script focused and clear.
30 pages is the
best goal to aim for when you are writing.
Have a PLOT!
þ Make sure your script has a clear beginning, middle, and end.
þ
A plot should
involve a character who takes actions that unveil information as the suspense builds.
þ
We are NOT interested in producing scripts that are "situational", in
which the protagonist
debates the events that have already taken
place. Let them discover as they act!
þ
They should have a clear arc in their character.
i.e. figure out where you want them to start and where you want them to end up.
Make this decision clear to the audience.
Make sure you have the proper FORMAT!
Although there are variations, you should have your play written in proper
script format: A brief explanation
or set-up of scene, description of
characters, and exchanging of dialogue with minimal stage direction. You can use
any published play as a guideline for format.
SUBMITTING YOUR
PLAY:
Before you submit, PLEASE check to make sure that your script:
1.) Fits the genre we are looking for
2.) Would run 45 minutes or less (20
to 30 pages)
3.) Is written in proper play format
4.) Please submit your script as a Microsoft's WORD
or ADOBE file.
-that's a "doc" file or "pdf" file
5.) Can be produced by a modest theater within an equally modest budget
6.) Please be certain to put all
pertinent information on the cover page only.
- we've had many scripts in the past that we couldn't
contact the playwright because there wasn't a cover page.
If your script fits the above criteria then please submit the completed
script along with a COVER PAGE THAT INCLUDES YOUR NAME, PHONE NUMBER, HOME
ADDRESS, AND EMAIL ADDRESS
so that we can keep in touch with you. This cover
page is crucial as it not only helps us to get in touch with you,
but it
also assists us in our anonymous judging of the scripts.
PLEASE DO NOT PUT
YOUR NAME ON ANY PAGE OTHER THAN THE COVER PAGE.
We would love to know how you heard about us!
Please include a comment on
your cover page telling us how you were informed of the
Darknight Gallery
IV playwriting contest.
Thanks!
Please feel free to submit as many scripts as you would
like...
as long as they meet the format and genre requirements.
Please EMAIL your submission to
darknight_theatrical_productions@yahoo.com
Please do not use the
postal service to submit your scripts!
Once we receive your completed submission, we will email you a confirmation
that your play is with the committee for review. The playwrights selected to
participate in the Darknight Gallery IV - One Day Finalists Event will be
notified by email.
THE DEADLINE FOR RECEIVING SUBMISSIONS IS
midnight
APRIL 29, 2007.
Thank you for your interest and
J Good Luck! J