Thank you for your patience! We will be announcing our finalists soon! Stay tuned for the exciting news.
About the 2022 Annual Conference
The 2022 Conference will be held in Philadelphia, PA from July 05-24 at The Drake Theatre. This year is different from past years, in that only Philadelphia playwrights can apply. The parameters for this are broad and include writers who were born or/and raised in Philly, were educated there, or who at any time had an address within a thirty-mile radius of the city.
Click the Button Below to Submit Your Application
About Our Application Process
Beginning January 15, 2022, PlayPenn will be accepting applications for its 2022 New Play Development Conference; we are pleased to request your full length, unproduced script for consideration. Please review the guidelines carefully and completely before making application. Your application must be uploaded and complete by February 15, 2022 at midnight or it cannot be considered.
This year is different from past years, in that only Philadelphia playwrights can apply. The parameters for this are broad and include writers who were born or/and raised in Philly, were educated there, or who at any time had an address within a thirty-mile radius of the city.
A big change this year is that PlayPenn’s blind submission policy will be altered to pave a way for equity, diversity, and inclusion. PlayPenn values the multiplicity of voices in our community and believes that the collaborative process of storytelling deepens connections and communal understanding, in ways that enrich us all. We therefore must strive to remove all inequitable barriers that prevent people from fully engaging in the process. Because of this, you will notice a set of questions at the end of the application that will tell us more about who you are. However, we do not want to know your name as anonymity is important to the process.
Please be aware that we are a development conference rather than a festival or showcase for new work. To achieve this, we operate by the following guidelines:
- The playwright has agency, and we encourage an environment in which risk taking is rewarded and honest assessment is encouraged and provided.
- We make a concerted effort to provide an experience that relieves writers of the distractions of the day-to-day world.
- Playwrights who accept a place at the Conference are expected to work on their play. The Conference is not intended as an opportunity for playwrights to simply hear their plays in a rehearsed reading.
From the time of invitation to participate at PlayPenn, we expect that playwrights will accept no invitations for development that precede the July Conference dates.
How to Apply
For our application process, PlayPenn uses the Submittable platform. Please upload the following with no identifying information in the document or the document name:
- An original script in .pdf format with no identifying information (no name on the document). Applications that are submitted in non-pdf format will not be considered.
- Your current resume (.pdf) with no identifying information (playwright name or agent).
- A casting breakdown and the number of actors required (.pdf) (no name on the document). Please do not assume that doubling schemes are obvious. We want to know how many actors your play requires in a workshop setting.
- The play’s development and production history (.pdf) (no name on the document). Plays that have had readings are eligible. Plays that have been produced or that have been through multiple development processes are not eligible.
- List three areas in your play that you are struggling with and that you’d like to address while you’re at PlayPenn (.pdf) (no name on the document). Please be specific.
***If your files include the playwright’s name, your application will be disqualified***
PlayPenn does not accept agent submissions. Your application must be uploaded and complete by midnight February 15, 2022 or it cannot be considered.
Because of the number of applications we receive, and the labor-intensive nature of responsibly considering your play, we are unable to provide individual feedback.
Thank you for your application. We look forward to reading your work.
Questions? Email mail@playpenn.org
Keep up to date on Conference news by signing up for our mailing list, or find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.