Full Stack is back! KDC Theatre’s new writing competition and summer show returns as a Festival of New Writing of rehearsed readings, and we need YOU!
The Festival of New Writing, “The Plan”, will take place on Tuesday 25 June and Wednesday 26 June at the Drayton Arms Theatre and we need writers, actors, and directors to make this a success. Below is all the information you need, so read on.
- For Writers
Calling all writers!
We are asking you to submit your short plays, with the winning scripts making up our Festival of New Writing show, “The Plan”; a great opportunity to see directors and actors bring your words to life.
This year we’re asking for submissions with the same opening line:
“It’s not like we planned it.”
Any genre is welcome, and we’re not looking for identikit plays to a theme. Be as creative as you like with where your story goes from that first line!
Each winning play will be performed as a rehearsed reading, with directors and actors drawn from a company created for the festival.
We want this to showcase as much new writing as we can fit into an evening so plays should be limited to a maximum of 8 minutes (6-7 pages) but you can submit as many scripts as you like. We will time each script and if they’re too long, we won’t be able to accept!
Be as flexible as you can with gender so we can assign both male and female presenting actors to your characters.
Write for at least 2 characters (no monologues) and a maximum of 8 characters (doubling up is possible).
The deadline for submissions is 18 May 2024 and you can submit your scripts HERE. The selection committee will read all plays once the submission window closes and then get back to each writer with the outcome of the selection process.
Once we have our selection of short plays, we of course need directors and actors! This is an excellent show for new and starting directors and actors to get stuck in without the commitment and pressure of a full-length play. If you come on board, you will work on multiple short plays over the course of the rehearsal period.
- For Directors
Directors will come on board for the whole of the rehearsal period and will take on multiple plays to direct. Exactly how many you take on will be decided in conversation and will depend on your appetite, the total pool of directors we have signed up, and the amount of plays we select.
The showrunners will assign scripts to directors (and actors), but they will ask if you have any preferences or ambitions for a genre or type of play. No promises we can get you everything you want or like, though!
The format for the Festival of New Writing is rehearsed readings. This means the actors will sit in a line on chairs on stage, and have their scripts in their hands to read from. There will be no moving around (blocking), no costumes, and no props – unless extremely necessary and/or easy, which will have to be approved by the showrunner.
In rehearsals you will work with your actors on the text and character analysis and performance of the lines. The focus will be on the text and the performances, not the staging.
Each play will get 2-3 online rehearsals and 1 in-person rehearsal. A rehearsal schedule will be created when we have the full company confirmed and plays assigned. There will also be a full-day rehearsal with the showrunners to create transitions from one play into the next, and to run all plays in front of each other. This will be on Saturday 22 June or Sunday 23 June and it will be mandatory for everyone to attend.
The show will take place on Tuesday 25 June and Wednesday 26 June at the Drayton Arms Theatre. All directors and the company will be called each day from an hour before the show to set up, prepare, warm up, and then perform. Each show will have a different set of plays, so each director will have a different cast to look after each show. If you cannot attend all shows, please let the showrunners know; we do ask you to attend as many as you can to support your actors and the show.
Directors can sign up HERE if they want to be a part of the company. Once you sign up, we will take a bit of time to finalise the company list and we’ll then get back to you. Thank you!
- For Actors
There will be no auditions to take part in this Festival of New Writing, “The Plan”; we will create a company of 20 actors on a first come, first served basis from the actors that sign up. Once the plays have been chosen, roles will be assigned to the actors in the company and rehearsals will start. Actors will be assigned multiple roles in multiple plays.
Each play will get 2-3 online rehearsals and 1 in-person rehearsal. A rehearsal schedule will be created when we have the full company confirmed and plays assigned. There will also be a full-day rehearsal with the showrunners to create transitions from one play into the next, and to run all plays in front of each other. This will be on Saturday 22 June or Sunday 23 June and it will be mandatory for everyone to attend.
The format for the Festival of New Writing is rehearsed readings. This means you will sit in a line on chairs on stage, and have your scripts in their hands to read from. There will be no moving around (blocking), no costumes, and no props.
In rehearsals you will work with your director on the text and character analysis and performance of the lines. The focus will be on the text and the performances, not the staging.
The show will take place on Tuesday 25 June and Wednesday 26 June at the Drayton Arms Theatre. Each evening will feature a different set of plays. Every actor will have roles on each night, unless you tell us you absolutely cannot make a particular date. We do ask that you be as available as possible to allow us to allocate and schedule rehearsals easier. Please ensure you add that information to the sign-up form so we are aware.
Actors can sign up HERE if they want to be a part of the company. Once you sign up, we will take a bit of time to finalise the company list and we’ll then get back to you. Thank you!
Tickets will go on sale very soon, please sign up for our newsletter or keep an eye on our social media for the announcement. We will offer a “buy tickets for all shows, get a discount” deal!
