The 2025 Boston New Works Festival will be held late June 2025 at the Boston Center for the Arts.
Invitation
Moonbox Productions invites BIPOC and non-white Massachusetts based playwrights to submit one un-produced play, musical or proposed project for a staged reading or workshop production as part of the 2025 Boston New Works Festival. All submissions must be received by May 15, 2024.
Script Criteria
MOONBOX STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND GOALS FOR THE NWF
- Scripts will be evaluated based on the goals for the project, the clarity of vision, and the alignment of the proposed project with Moonbox’s mission and values.
- Eligible plays must be un-produced and may have no more than one other development process prior to participating in the Boston New Works Festival.
- Eligible plays must not have any productions of the proposed project upcoming or pre-planned.
- Moonbox encourages writers at all stages of their careers and projects at all stages of “readiness” to apply.
Proposal Submission
- Writers interested in participating in Moonbox’s 2025 New Works Festival should submit both a BLIND COPY (no identifying information) and a copy with names attached, a statement outlining the writers’ goals for the project/play, what they hope to get out of the process and what their vision for the project is. Writers are also encouraged to write about how they believe this project serves Moonbox and contributes to the Mission, Vision and Values of the organization.
- The statement should also include details regarding the play’s creation and development: Was it a commission? Is there a committed or probable production of the script? Are there any local or regional planned or past participation in another development process?
- In addition, writers should attach either a current draft of the play, a 10-page sample of dialogue or a detailed outline that clearly articulates the scope of the project, the story that will be told (non-traditional storytelling is as encouraged as traditional narrative structure) and any other supporting materials that will help the adjudication team understand the proposed project.
- Selected projects will have development support from September to June. All of the scripts selected will receive a 6-hour table read/work thru in the fall of 2024 to clarify goals for the process. Projects selected for workshop production will move onto a 15-hour development workshop in March/April of 2025 followed by a 4-5 week rehearsal process (depending on musical vs. non musical productions) that will culminate in 4 performances as part of the Festival. Scripts selected for our reading series will receive 2 ½ weeks of rehearsal ending in a staged reading with lights up/lights down.
Script Selection
The Reading Committee composed of a diverse group of theater makers, educators, advocates and administrators will blind-read all submissions. There will be three adjudication rounds: Round 1 (May 15th-Jun 15th), Round 2 (July 1st – August 15th) and Round 3 (August 15th – September 15th). Selections will be announced by October 2024.
All submissions will be responded to and Moonbox will update the writers with regards to the status of their submission along the way.
Projects that make it into Round 3 will have an opportunity to submit an updated version of their proposal/submission.
How to Submit
To APPLY: Email Bridget O’Leary, Director of New Play Development @ bridgetkathleenoleary@gmail.com. Make sure your subject line in the email is BNWF Playwright Submission.