One-Act Play Competition

This annual competition, sponsored by the Port Townsend Arts Commission and now in its sixteenth year, culminates in an Annual Playwrights' Festival produced by Key City Public Theatre.

See list of past winners...

The 2011 Guidelines

The competition, sponsored by the Port Townsend Arts Commission, will culminate in early 2012 at the Sixteenth Annual Playwrights’ Festival produced by Key City Public Theatre, where local playwrights see their work brought to life on stage.

Playwrights may submit one-act plays of any length -- from 10 minutes to 60 minutes. The judges will select the best four or five plays from those submitted. The chosen plays will not be ranked first, second, third, or honorable mention. Instead, all the chosen plays will be recognized as winners.

The competition is open only to residents of Jefferson County, Washington. Playwrights are limited to one entry per year. They may revise and re-submit any previously entered scripts. No previously performed or published plays are accepted. Please note this competition is reserved for one-act plays. The judges will not consider full length plays.

All entries must be typewritten or computer-printed and submitted in triplicate. Each submission shall be accompanied by a cover page bearing the title of the play along with the name, address and telephone number of the author; the scripts themselves shall have the title of the play only and no author information.

Script entries must be postmarked no later than Thursday, September 1, 2011.  A $15 submission fee, made out to “City of Port Townsend/PT Arts Commission” shall accompany each entry.  Entries should be sent to:

Port Townsend Arts Commission

Attn: Play Competition

250 Madison St

Port Townsend, WA  98368.

To be returned by mail, scripts must be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope.

The Port Townsend Arts Commission partners with Key City Public Theatre, which produces the annual Playwrights’ Festival to showcase the winners of the One-Act Play Competition. All winning plays from the 2011 Competition will participate in the Sixteenth Annual Playwrights’ Festival to be held in February of 2011.  In addition, all winners will be honored by the Port Townsend Arts Commission at an awards ceremony prior to the opening of the Festival performances.

After the results of the competition are announced, a reading will be arranged for each of the winning plays. This reading will not be open to the public. The reading is an opportunity for the playwright to hear the work read by actors and to discuss it with those actors, potential directors, and Key City Public Theatre’s Artistic Director.

Following these readings and consultations with the playwrights, Key City Public Theatre’s Artistic Director will determine the level of production that each script will receive for the Festival (i.e., staged reading or workshop production). KCPT will provide the director for each script; playwrights will be invited to refine, rewrite and polish the play prior to the rehearsal process. The playwright is also invited to participate in the audition, rehearsal and performance process under the guidance of the Artistic Director.

In submitting an entry to the Arts Commission competition, the playwright grants Key City Public Theatre premiere performance rights for the script’s production. Performance rights payments from the Festival will be distributed among the winning playwrights. The playwright further agrees that in any future publication of the script, KCPT will be credited with the premiere production.

In a continuing effort to develop local playwriting talent, the Port Townsend Arts Commission and Key City Public Theatre sponsor a Playwrights’ Workshop every year. This year’s workshop featured Tony and Pulitzer Prize nominee Lee Blessing, a nationally recognized and produced playwright.

Key City Public Theatre also hosts Playwrights’ works-in-progress nights, providing a safe and constructive environment for writers to hear their works aloud and receive feedback.

For more information, visit www.keycitypublictheatre.org or call KCPT Artistic Director Denise Winter at 360-379-0195.

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One Act Play Competition Archives

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2010 Winning Playwrights

Jerry Chawes: "Stalling Tactics" (#)
Judith Glass Collins: "The Glass Kingdom" (*)
Deborah Daline: "How My Big 5-0 Turned Toxic" (*)
Art Reitsch: "Dreamtime" (#)
David H. Schroeder: "Quiet" (#)
Richard Weston: "Ransom" (*)
 

All plays participated in the 15th Annual Playwrights Festival in Feb, 2011.  The (*) plays received workshop productions.  The (#) plays received staged readings.

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2009 Winning Playwrights

Judith Glass Collins: "Taste" (#)
David Draheim: "A Portrait of Five Generations" (#)
David H. Schroeder: "Belief" (*)
Susan Solley: "The Farm in the Neighborhood" (*)
Richard Weston: "Meeting Denny" (#)
D D Wigley: "Mickey" (*)
 

All plays participated in the 14th Annual Playwrights Festival in Feb, 2010.  The (*) plays received workshop productions.  The (#) plays received staged readings.

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2008 Competition — Results and Events

2008 Winning Playwrights and Plays

These plays were performed at the 13th Annual Playwrights Festival in Feb-Mar, 2009.

James Daly: Signs of Change
Jack O'Connor: The Red Bike
Flip Wingrove: The Bingo Wars
 

2008 Honorable Mention Playwrights and Plays

These plays were read at our Summer Sampler in July 2009:
 

James Daly: Who's Afraid of George and Alice

David H Schroeder: Belief

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2007 Competition — Results and Events

2007 Winning Playwrights and Plays

This year, there were 38 submissions from 24 Jefferson County playwrights. These plays were performed at the Twelfth Annual Playwrights Festival in Feb-Mar, 2008.

Read audience comments from the festival.

 

2007 Honorable Mention Playwrights and Plays

These plays will be read at our Summer Sampler in July 2008.
 

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2006 Competition — Results and Events

2006 Winning Playwrights and Plays

These plays were performed at the Eleventh Annual Playwrights Festival in Feb-Mar, 2007.

Paul Anderson - "The Switch"
Jack O'Connor - "A Few Moments at the Sonatina Cafe"
Art Reitsch - "Gathering"

Read audience comments from the festival.
 

2006 Honorable Mention Playwrights and Plays

These plays were read at our Summer Sampler in July 2007.
 

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