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Re: RAT Unsolicited Scripts . . .
>I understand that pretty much every theatre, large or small, fat or
>rat, has a stack of manila folders stuffed with plays that will barely
>get looked at, far less considered for development. I also understand
>that this is inevitable.
>
There must bew another way. I can't get this right-- maybe someone will
help me. Here's the model: 1)there are 50 theatres in a theoretical
Consortium.
2) All theatres are dedicated to producing new playwrights.
3) Each theatre does full productions of 5 plays a year.
4) each theatre recieves 200 scripts a year
50 total submissions for all theatres : 10,000 scripts
6) Scripts produced : 250 scripts
7) scripts left over: 9750 scripts
Now every company has a different orientation, looks for and admires
different qualites in a script. How do we get the scripts around to
everyone so that we are aware of what's out there? This would also help
with the Crishtmas Carol being the most produced play in America problem..
One concept:
Maybe all consortium script submissions are sent to a warehouse in Hays,
Kansas-- (the geographical center of the United States)-- and the literary
managers of these companies meet for two weeks in early May (before the
next year's season is decided) for a marathon script - reading session.
Each literary mananager is allowed to take 25 plays to consult on with
their colleagues back home. 5 of those will become their season. The other
twenty go into a collective consortium backup pool , which anyone can
choose from in case rights are not available or the director drops out.....
In the July issue of American Theatre, a notice is posted that there are
9750 new scripts sitting in a warehouse in Hays Kansas. Anyone in the
theatre can recieve a key to this warehouse by sending a CV to the
consortium... This is one of the advantages of consortium membership- first
crack at the new scripts.
Oh, yes.. the title and author's name are removed fromn the script to
insure that there is no collegial bias, that no one has heard that a work
with this title was coming out.They are replaced by numbers, from 1 to
10000. A cross-referenced list is kept in a computer, and when you make
your five final choices, you send the number to a listbot, with a password
that is only given to you at the warehouse... and it replies with the
author, title , and a contact phone.
Reactions? Improvements? Dismissals?
--brad