The MITF just finished producing a very successful and varied Midwinter Madness Short Play Festival in Times Square. It’s time to think seriously about the summer equivalent, the Midtown International Theatre Festival (MITF)’s Short Subjects, now in its fourth season. (The MITF itself is enjoying its 13th season.) The MITF Short Subjects are a repertory of plays running from 30 – 60 min. performed in their own intimate venue, with lower participation fees and ticket prices than other plays in the MITF. The Short Subjects is an excellent opportunity to test new theatrical ideas in a less demanding environment than full-length plays in larger venues.
The following facts and rules set the Short Subjects apart from the rest of the MITF:
The MITF does not accept Short Subjects from outside the tri-state area. If a play is from outside the tri-state area and can be coaxed to run an hour or more, please consider the “regular” MITF.
Every play gets 3 performance slots in the WorkShop Theater’s 30-seat Jewel Box theater. We attempt to honor requests for slots (“third week only, please!”) but our scheduling decisions are final. Performance dates are July 16 – Aug. 5, 2012, 6 – 10 pm weekdays and noon – 10 pm weekends.
All plays must be 30 – 60 min. long. Scripts must be in standard playscript format, in Word or PDF, E-mailed to us*.
There is no application fee.
The participation fee is only $100, payable on acceptance of the script by the MITF, by check or PayPal**.
There is a simple one-page agreement, sent on acceptance of the script and payment of the participation fee.
Deadline is June 1, 2012.
The production is responsible for producing the play, including finding actors, director, board op, props, costumes, rehearsals, etc; the MITF provides the theatre and some shared scenery (cubes, table, chairs).
Show must be produced as an Equity showcase, and Equity is not issuing waivers for this program. All shows must be non-union.
Production values must be kept to a minimum: costumes and hand props only. We provide rehearsal cubes, chairs, and a table.
We provide box office services and venue management.
The MITF keeps 100% of the door.
Tickets are $17 for shows running 45 – 60 min., and $14 for shows running 30 – 45 min. Each playwright and director gets 1 comp to each of their performances. Comps are non-transferable. There are press comps but no industry comps. The production must purchase any additional seats they wish to comp.
Shows will be allotted a tech rehearsal running at least 2 hours, during the hours of 10 – 5:30 weekdays during the Festival (July 16 – Aug. 3).
The MITF does not do staged readings; productions must be off-book. Plays not off-book during tech rehearsal will be removed from the line-up.
While programs of related short plays totaling 30 – 60 minutes may be submitted, the MITF will not “marry” two or more unrelated short plays into one program.
*Standard playscript format for the MITF is 12 pt Times Roman; character names in the middle on their own line; line spaces between speeches and stage directions; indented stage directions. E-mail all scripts (no snail-mail please!) to [email protected] with a completed application form (see below).
**Please add 3% for PayPal handling fees. Make PayPal payments to [email protected]. Send all paper checks to: John Chatterton, 2578 Broadway #145, New York, NY 10025. Paper checks should be made out to MITF.
The 2012 Festival will take place at the June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor; the Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor; the Main Stage Theater, 312 W. 36th Street, 4th floor; and the Jewel Box Theater (reserved for the Short Subjects), 312 W. 36th Street, 4th floor.
Further information about the MITF can be found in the “Festival Manual,” under Application Process, at www.midtownfestival.org.
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