Playwright Submission Guidelines
We will be accepting submissions from December 1, 2025 to December 22, 2025 HERE for our first annual 10-minute play Festival — Voices of the Village. This is a celebration of original, locally written short plays! This year’s theme is 'New Beginnings,' and we invite playwrights of all experience levels to explore fresh starts in all their forms: a new job, a new baby, a long-overdue divorce, a grand opening, or something completely unexpected.
Your play should clearly reflect the theme “New Beginnings”. Interpret the theme however you like—literal, metaphorical, realistic, surreal, funny, heartfelt, or anything in between.
Scripts should run 10 minutes or less in performance.
Submit scripts in standard play format:
· 8–12 pages
· 12-point font (Courier or Times New Roman)
· One-inch margins
· Character names capitalized and centered above dialogue
· Page numbers in header or footer
· PDF only
Each play should require 2 to 6 actors.
To keep the production cohesive and manageable, all plays must use only the shared festival set pieces:
· 1 Couch
· 2 Doors on wheels
· 1 Window on wheels
· 4 Chairs
· 1 Table
· 5 Acting blocks
Plays may use only these pieces for furniture. These items may be used creatively – or not at all – but no additional set pieces, large props, or furniture will be allowed.
Props are flexible within reason. Keep them minimal, portable, and easy to reset quickly. Think: a purse, coffee cup, baby blanket – nothing oversized, breakable, or high-maintenance.
· Basic lighting
· Sound cues
· No complex technical elements will be permitted including but not limited to – open flames, running water, live animals, trapdoors, flying, or other hazardous effects.
Our festival is family-friendly. No nudity or simulated nudity, excessive violence or graphic content, hate speech, slurs, or discriminatory themes.
· No AI-generated content — the submitting playwright must write the entirety of all scripts
· No previously produced plays (readings or workshops are fine).
· Scripts must be unpublished and not under consideration elsewhere during the selection process.
· Adaptations are allowed as long as the source material is in the public domain.
All genres are welcome! Comedy, drama, fantasy, mystery, absurdist, romantic, experimental, and more. Please ensure that your submission fits the theme of our festival and is feasible to be produced within our technical and staging constraints.
· Palos Village Players will retain production rights for this festival only.
· Playwrights maintain full ownership of their work beyond this production.
· Palos Village Players may take photographs and video recordings for archival and promotional use.
Submitting your plays for consideration is free. Playwrights of the selected scripts will receive free admission for themselves during the festival. The audience will select their top three shows and those playwrights will receive prizes.
Submissions are open to anyone, but we especially encourage writers from around the Palos Park area and surrounding neighborhoods. You do not need to be a member of the Palos Village Players to participate. Up to 2 submissions per playwright. Palos Village Players welcomes writers of all experience levels!
Playwrights may apply to direct, but selection as a playwright does not guarantee you will direct your play. Interested directors should submit between January 5 – January 25, 2026. See our website or contact us for more details.
- A selection committee will review all scripts.
- 15–20 finalists will be chosen by February 2, 2026.
- Selected directors will read all finalist plays and submit their top choices by February 15.
- Final programming and director assignments will be announced by February 22.
Include on the title page of your script:
- Your full name
- Phone number (optional)
- Email address
- Title of show
- 1–2 sentence synopsis
- Characters
- Cast size and any casting notes
Please only put your name on the title page so we can judge all scripts blindly.
Each playwright may submit up to 2 plays.
Submissions will open on December 1, 2025 HERE
Reach out at pvp10minutes@gmail.com with any questions about submissions, format, or eligibility.
· Call for Play Submissions: Dec 1 – Dec 22, 2025
· Director Applications Open: Jan 5 – Jan 25, 2026
· Script Finalists Selected: Feb 2, 2026
· Directors Selected: Feb 2, 2026
· Directors Choose Scripts: Feb 15, 2026
· Final Lineup Announced: Feb 22, 2026
· Auditions: Mar 2–3, 2026
· Rehearsals Begin: Mar 5, 2026
· Tech Rehearsals: Apr 6–9, 2026
· Performances: Apr 10–12, 2026