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Welcome to The Write to be HeardİA
one-act playwriting competition for grade 8-12 students Click
on topics below to learn more ^ Top Competition, guidelines, and flyerThe Write to Be HeardİA one-act playwriting competition for grade 8-12 students within a 60-mile radius of Buffalo, NY (Canadian
entries are most welcome.) $1,000 Scholarship for the Winning Playwright! Plus your play performed at a downtown Buffalo public theatre with a staged reading at Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Amherst. You will also receive gifts, recognition, and involvement in the rehearsal process. COMPETITION GUIDELINES:
UNFORTUNATELY, SUBMISSIONS THAT DO NOT COMPLY WITH THE INSTRUCTIONS ABOVE WILL BE DISQUALIFIED. Send to: The
Write to Be Heardİ 3842 Harlem Road Suite 400- # 204 Cheektowaga, NY14215 Visit http://www.thewritetobeheard.com
For more information
contact Margo Davis at info@thewritetobeheard.com
^ Top Frequently asked questionsThe Write to Be HeardİSTUDENT PLAYWRITING COMPETITION FAQ'S Can I write it with someone else? Sorry. Only single author scripts. Can I submit more than one play? Of course. Submit as many unpresented plays as you like, as long as they have been written within 365 days of the current January 7th deadline. When will I know if I won? You should know by March. Who decides the winner? Students nominated from throughout the region volunteer as dramaturges to read all of the plays aloud as a group, discuss them, individually rank them and choose a winner to be performed. If you are interested in becoming a dramaturg, please visit the Dramaturgy section of THEWRITETOBEHEARD.com or email us. If I don't win, will I receive feedback on my play? Because
the competition is growing, it is becoming increasingly more difficult
to provide individual feedback. However, if you do request it at
the time of your submission and provide a stamped, self-addressed
envelope, we'll make every effort to share feedback. Historically,If
time and logistics (volunteers/interns) haveallowed, we have provided
feedback for all participants. We will do our best to continue this. Is there a 2nd and 3rd prize? Yes. Barnes and Noble Booksellers generously donates items, and you receive free tickets to the premiere of the grand prize winning play, where a portion of your play may be presented as a staged reading. You may also be eligible for a scholarship and a production of your play. What makes a good play? Many things. The Web will be able to help. Ensemble pieces have historically been highly successful. Winners have included comedy, drama, absurd, fantasy, science fiction, etc. Other elements include interesting, well-developed characters with something that makes you want to understand them; worthwhile topic and theme; cleverness and originality. We also offer workshops for interested groups. Visit http://www.thewritetobeheard.com for more information. If I entered last year, may I enter again? Of
course you can! Just be sure your script was written within 365
dys of the current deadline. How much do I pay to enter? Entry is free. No money. When can I enter? You may send in your script any time before the current January 7th deadline . Just make sure that the post mark is that day or earlier. Sorry, no on-line submissions. How do I get more information? See
the flyers posted at your school, contact info@thewritetobeheard.com Or visit http://www.thewritetobeheard.com ^ Top Letter to educatorsThe Write to Be HeardİSTUDENT PLAYWRITING COMPETITIONDear Educator, Celebrating over a dozen years of success for student writers and actors, The Write To Be Heardİ Student Playwriting Competition offers all students in grades 8 through 12 within a 60-mile radius of Buffalo the opportunity to write a one-act play and have a public performance at a downtown Buffalo public theatre. The winning playwright will:
Additional awards, recognition and involvement are granted to finalists as well. If you think that an introductoryplay writing workshop would benefit your students, either within the academic day or as part of an extra-curricular activity, please contact us.Please spread the word to your students and share the information with interested faculty. Enclosed you will find:
For
more information Margo Davis
at info@thewritetobeheard.com or visit http://www.thewritetobeheard.com ^ Top Suggested morning announcements and newsletter articleThe Write to Be HeardİSTUDENT PLAYWRITING COMPETITION Suggested Morning Announcement: "Hey! You have something to say! Right? Write it! Do you want a $1,000 scholarship? Any student in grades 8 through 12 interested in writing a one-act play and submitting it to The Write To Be Heardİ Playwriting Competition has a chance to win a $1,000 scholarship and a production of their play presented at a downtown Buffalo public theatre and more. Please see (insert school contact name) for details. Or go to THE WRITE TO BE HEARD dot com." Suggested Short Newsletter Article: WRITE TO BE HEARDİ WIN BIG MONEY GET THE LEAD OUT PLAY ON THE KEYBOARD If you have written a play recently or have wanted to, you can enter it for a chance to win a $1,000 scholarship. In addition to receiving the scholarship, your play will be produced and performed by area students at your school, and at a downtown Buffalo public theatre in the spring. Your play will also receive a staged reading at Barnes and Noble Booksellers, Amherst and you will also be a part of the entire rehearsal process. The second and third place winners will also receive awards, recognition and involvement. For a chance to win a $1,000 scholarship, just get your play mailed before January 7th and be sure to follow the guidelines. For more information, please see (insert school contact name), or visit http://www.thewritetobeheard.com. ^ Top How to I start?The Write to Be Heardİ(If you are interested, we can also provide a workshop for you. Just contact us.)Do you have a gem of an idea?Get a cup of something, sit, and let your mind wander. Who is it about? Where does it happen? What causes it? What bugs you? What makes you laugh? What did you just discover? Jot down your ideas. Rome wasn't built in a day. If you have lots of ideas, write all of them down. One will float higher than the others. Write a poem or a monologue or a stream of consciousness. A poem is often an internal voice at a crossroads. Include/imagine a character saying it. What makes the character say it? Reread your poem to dig into the thoughts, feelings, or issue without worrying about "the poetry" What happened just before it was said? What happened just before that? Others involved? Allow yourself to "write all over the place" You can pare down later. (The poem or monologue usually becomes the scaffold for the climax of the play. Is there a photograph or painting that moves you?Why? Write about it. What brings the people in the photo to where they are- physically, emotionally, intellectually, etc? What are they saying, feeling, not saying? What happened the moment before? What makes a play a play?Someone (or something) can't get something, tries; either does or does not succeed. That "something" need not be tangible. A wants something. B wants something. Push comes to shove. Result is either win/win, win/lose, or win/lose. HintsSingle locations work best for one-act plays. Be sure that all the characters don't sound the same. Keep your main focus/theme idea in sight. Make it happen in the now, rather than people talking about what happened last week, year, century. Write on a computer and save everything. Labeling each as draft 1, 2, 9, etc. When printing drafts and reading them, print one and a half or double space and write all over them Always adhere to guidelines and deadlines or you risk disqualification. Sad after such hard work. Final WordsIt's not about the destination; it's about the ride. So hop on and enjoy. Nobody's watching. If you come to a standstill, just get off, take in other scenery, when you're ready, get back on. You may find yourself going in an entirely new direction and that's fine. Just go. Margo Davis Executive
Director The Write To Be Heardİ ^ Top Physical Layout of a ScriptThe Write to Be HeardİSam: I don't know how to actually format a script of a play I want to write and I don't know where to find out. Pam: Well, for one thing, the name of person who is speaking is on the left, (or sometimes centered above) the words they say. But it takes more paper the second way. Sam: O.K. Pam: There's usually a colon after their names too. Sam: (opening up a note book) What else? Pam: When the playwright wants to add a stage direction, he or she puts the stage direction in parentheses and italics. Sam: Is there more? Pam: Not that I can think of ..except that pages should be numbered, typed on only one side, and a cast list should have its own page at the beginning of the play after the title page. Sam: Hmm ..that doesn't sound so difficult. Pam: NOPE! Oh, wait. It should be at least one and a half spaced between lines. Sam: Got it. ^ Top Workshop informationThe Write to Be HeardİWe understand that it is sometimes difficult to find the time during a busy school day to introduce students to the joys, techniques, and other specifics of play writing. Margo Davis, actor, director, educatio, and Executive Director of THE WRITE TO BE HEARD, along with several professional playwrights and writing educators, are available to present custom workshops at your school, either during the school day or after school as part of your drama club or other extra-curricular activity. Just contact us at info@thewritetobeheard.com ^ Top Past winnersThe Write to Be HeardİPast The Write To Be Heard Grand Prize Winners: THE MESS I MADE by Maria Patnella Mount Saint Mary Academy 2010
WHEELS
TO COURT by Christopher Shipman
Buffalo School 84 2009
BEING WHAT WE ARE by Meredith Jones Hamburg High School 2008 HOW DID WE GET HERE by Kate Boswell Kenmore East High School 2007 THEN AND NOW by Fredrica Germany Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts 2006 A TIME FOR MERCY, by Elizabeth Norwich Niagara Falls High School 2005 HE SAYS, SHE SAYS, by Claire Armstrong Welland Centennial Secondary School, Ontario 2004 MIA, by Tearra Rhodes Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart 2003 PROCEED WITH CAUTION, by Jennifer Graham Niagara Falls High School 2002 AN ACT IN ONE PLAY, by Paul Gradowski Niagara Falls High School 2001 A QUARTER, by Gretchen Graham Buffalo Seminary 2000 POST, by Rachael Brody Williamsville South High School 1999 ^ Top How winners are chosen...The Write to Be HeardİStudents in grades 8 through 12 from schools who have teachers who are members in good standing of the New York State Theatre Education Association are the first eligible to take part in the selection process. If you are interested, just contact us. For information about how to get involved, see Getting involved in choosing and performing Students meet for one day, read all plays aloud together, taking character roles, comment both in writing and through discussion, pick the few best, reread, and decide on winners. Playwright's identities are anonymous. Whenever possible, all entrants are sent written response to their submissions based on student dramaturge reaction. Dramaturges consider these main ideas: Stage
worthiness
Concept - is the idea worth putting on stage..
logistics(dramaturgs usually perceive multi-scene pieces as
film, not theatre) Theme
relevance Pace Characterization Clarity Mechanics,
following the rules , readability Dialogue Effectiveness
Audience/stage appropriate ^ Top Getting involved in choosing and performing (or even directing)The
Write to Be Heardİ
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proudly endorses THE WRITE TO BE HEARDA one-act playwriting competition for grade 8-12 students
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