RE: RAT Unsolicited Scripts . . .

["Sylvain, John" <jsylvain@station.sony.com>]

Brad,

This is a wonderfully unworkable idea. It will solve nothing and I think
therefor we should jump upon this bandwagon and run with it.

Some clarifications:

1. Is Hays, Kansas the center of the continental U.S. not including Hawaii
and Alaska?

2. Why do you assume that seasons are decided over the summer? Is there some
assumption about what constitutes a season that I don't know about? (This is
a semi-serious question)

What if there was a fire?

Excelsior! 

John

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	brad rothbart [SMTP:scrdchao@nni.com]
> Sent:	Saturday, February 27, 1999 10:17 AM
> To:	rat-list@whirl-i-gig.com
> Subject:	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
>