Sharpen those pencils, start your dictation machines, and wheel out your Smith Coronas (how about those three anachronisms, huh?) because it’s time for the 4th (!) Annual Davenport Theatrical 10 Minute Play Contest!

(Wait for sound of applause and cheers.)

Just like the last contest (and the two competitions before it), from now until April 15th, we are accepting submissions for new ten minute plays . . . and the winner will receive $500.

But unlike the last contest, we’ve changed the format thanks to feedback from all of you.  Although we loved the live performance of the ten finalists, so many people emailed me wanting to enter the contest (for their shot at the $500 prize . . .) but they weren’t in the NYC area, couldn’t get to the NYC area, or just couldn’t pull together the mini production that the final presentation would require.

So, we’ve listened . . . and this year?  Well, the entire contest is going in the cloud.

Here’s what’ll happen.  You’ll submit your ten minute play to us.  We’ll narrow it down to ten finalists.

And then, those ten finalists will be announced on this blog.  And instead of seeing those in performance like we’ve done in the past, we’re going to make all ten plays available for reading online!  Why, you ask?  That’s because you . . . the readers of TheProducersPerpsective . . . are going to be one of the judges!

Make sense?

And the other judges for this year’s 10 minute play contest will be . . .

• Yours truly
• Beth Blickers, the high powered Literary Agent at Agency for the Performing Arts
• Chris Coleman, the super smart Artistic Director of my favorite regional theater, Portland Center Stage

Together you and the judges above will pick the winner (and in the event of a tie . . . YOU, the readers, will have the deciding vote).

We hope this new cloud-version of the contest allows Playwrights (and people who want to be Playwrights) to enter no matter where they are in the world.  Because that was the intention of this contest . . . to give Writers a reason to write something new.  To put something on paper . . . like a warm up for your Pulitzer Prize winner you’re going to write right after you spit this one out.

You’ve got three weeks, or 21 days, to write this ten-minuter.  That’s less than a page a day.

You got this.

You can enter here.

But before you do, here are some other important rules and regulations:

• Submissions must be original and not previously published, recorded, or produced before this contest. The idea is to create something new . . . so no cheating. Producer’s Perspective Honor System enforced.
• All entrants must agree to allow their play to be published for online viewing/voting.
• Submission deadline is April 15th April 17th at 11:59 PM.
• Finalists will be announced on Tuesday, April 26th on this blog and voting commences immediately.
• The winner of the $500, a cool certificate and bragging rights will be announced on May 6th.
• There is an entry fee of $10.
• You may enter as often as you like.

And gooooood luck!