Writing stories and crafting plays can be a creative way to express a writer's feelings through the characters that they create. Creating these stories transports a reader or viewer to a reality where everything they see and hear comes to life. Are you interested in turning your stories into big bucks? Premiere Stages at Kean University is now accepting submissions for the Bauer-Boucher Kean Student/Alumni Playwriting Award.
Premiere Stages is a professional, on-campus theatre company based at Kean University. The residence was created back in 2004, and through the partnership established with Kean, they are able to develop educational initiatives and professional developments for those who want to get a chance to experience what it is like to be a part of a professional theater company.
The Bauer-Boucher Kean Student/ Alumni Playwriting Award was created back in 2014 by John Bauer and Nancy Boucher, who are both supporters of Premiere Stages. The award was created to recognize the work of a playwright each year among the Kean University student and alumni community.
Premiere Stages starts accepting submissions of unpublished plays and stories that have never received a professional production during the fall semester of each academic year, from writers who are currently attending, or are alumni of, Kean University. The submission period began on Nov. 15, 2019 and will run until Dec. 15, 2019 this semester. Other qualifications to be considered for this award include:
- Playwrights must be current students in good academic standing or graduates of Kean University.
- Scripts must be one-acts, full-length, or solo shows.
- Scripts that are incomplete must contain at least 25 pages and attach a scene breakdown for the entire play.
- Previous script winners & script finalists are ineligible.
- Playwrights must be available for the development of their script (see schedule).
- Submissions are accepted Nov. 15, 2019 through 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 15, 2019.
- All plays must be submitted as a PDF via email to premiere@kean.edu. Hard copies will not be accepted.
The Bauer-Boucher Award also requires plays to include a brief synopsis which can be no more than half a page, a character breakdown (a list of characters in the show and a brief description of each of them), the playwright's bio or resume and the script. The script does not have to be the final version, but rather as much of it as is already written and the scene breakdown for the rest of the play.
After the submission period closes on Dec. 15, 2019, finalists will be called for an interview by Premiere Stages in early January of 2020 to discuss their work, and winners will be selected in mid-January. One current Kean student will be awarded a cash prize of $1000, while one alumnus will receive $2000, for winning the contest. Additional playwrights who are selected as finalists will receive a $100 award. The student winner will then get to perform a staged reading of their play on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020 at Kean, and the alumnus will do the same on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020 at the Lantern Hill Rutgers Room in New Providence, New Jersey.
"The Bauer Boucher Award provides more than just a cash award. It's an opportunity to hear new work with professional actors and learn from a live audience, which are essential to developing a play," said Nick Gandiello, Education and Play Festival manager at Premiere Stages.
Premiere Stages is fully encouraging writers as well as playwrights of all backgrounds and ages to apply and submit their plays for a chance to win recognition and a cash prize for their skills. For more information regarding the contest, please contact Premiere Stages at premiere@kean.edu.
