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Key Dates

Submission Window Opens:  Monday, February 12, 2024

Submission Window Closes:  Friday, April 12, 2024

Free in-school workshops available for schools located within the City of Boston:  Monday, February 12 – Friday, April 5, 2024

Selected Playwrights Notified:  Late April 2024

Revisions Due:    Mid-May 2024

Rehearsal Period:  Saturday, May 25 – Sunday, June 2, 2024

Festival of Readings:  Monday, June 3 at 7pm

Eligibility

All Greater-Boston area students in grades 6 – 12 are eligible to participate. Plays will be evaluated within the following grade bands:

  • 6th through 8th grade
  • 9th through 12th grade

Submission Guidelines

  • Plays must be the original work of the person submitting the work. Play adaptations or team-written plays will not be considered.
  • Lyric First Page is a 10-minute play festival, which means plays should be a maximum of 12-15 pages long, depending on formatting, and must run approximately 10 minutes when read aloud.  Not sure how long your play will be when it’s off the page?  Try using the Words to Time converter to get an estimate!  Selected playwrights whose plays run significantly longer than 10 minutes will be asked to edit their work.
  • Submissions should include a Cover Letter, Title Page, Cast of Characters, and (optional) Setting and Time, all as a single document.
  • Cultural and Civic Responsibility: Please take into consideration your responsibility as an artist to refrain from representing actions or language that would be deemed inappropriate for a general audience.

The Process

  • Submissions will be accepted via Google Form on this page from February 12 – April 12, 2024.
  • All submitted plays will be read by a panel of Greater Boston theatre professionals with significant expertise in new play development and evaluated on the following criteria:  Characters, Dialogue, Plot, and Overall Impact. These are outlined, by grade levels, in our “Suggestions for a Strong Script.”
  • All playwrights will receive the panel’s feedback on their plays.
  • 8-9 plays will be selected for the Lyric First Page Festival.  Playwrights whose plays are selected will have approximately two weeks to revise their work in preparation for a rehearsal and presentation as a staged reading.
  • Each selected play will be rehearsed by professional directors and actors from the Greater Boston area and presented as staged readings at the Lyric First Page Playwriting Festival.

Our Digital Playwriting Classes:

In-School Workshops

While our digital playwriting classes from past years will remain available here on our website, free one-off in-school workshops are available for schools located within the City of Boston to introduce the playwriting process.  Contact Community & Artistic Programs Manager Alexandra Smith at alex_smith@lyricstage.com to schedule.

For more information or to inquire about an in-school workshop, fill out the Lyric First Page Interest Form or email alex_smith@lyricstage.com

Contact

Got questions? Email us at alex_smith@lyricstage.com!

To sign up or learn more, please email alex_smith@lyricstage.com or fill out our Interest Form

Suggestions for a Strong Script

General + -

Plays will be evaluated according to criteria reflective of the playwright’s grade-level.

6th – 8th Grade + -

CHARACTER: Do the characters exhibit individual characteristics and engage in compelling or intriguing action?
DIALOGUE: Does the dialogue seem to flow off the page and embody the characters’ motivations and objectives?
PLOT: Does the plot follow a structure? i.e. time or metaphor
CONTENT: Is there a clear theme demonstrated throughout the play?
IMPACT: How will the audience be impacted by your script?

Please write your play using one of two playwriting formats:

– Standard Playwriting Format. View the Standard Playwriting Format. Note that this format is best accomplished by using a pre-formatted playwriting template. If you do not have such a program on your computer, it is highly recommended that you write your play using the Informal “Actor’s Edition” format.
– Informal. View and example of an “Actor’s Edition” Playwriting Format
– Plays will not be judged based on which format is used.

9th – 12th Grade + -

CHARACTER: Does the play have characters that exhibit specific attributes and engage in compelling or intriguing action?
DIALOGUE: Does the dialogue seem to flow off the page and embody the characters’ motivations and objectives?
PLOT: Can the play’s story be accomplished within the page limitations? Does the plot make sense on a structural or metaphorical level?
CONTENT: Is there a strong theme demonstrated throughout the play?
IMPACT: What will your play leave the audience thinking about, understanding, feeling, and/or wondering?
Please write your play using one of two playwriting formats:
– Standard Playwriting Format. View the Standard Playwriting Format. Note that this format is best accomplished by using a pre-formatted playwriting template. If you do not have such a program on your computer, it is highly recommended that you write your play using the Informal “Actor’s Edition” format.
– Informal. View and example of an Informal Playwriting Format
Plays will not be judged based on which format is used.

Sponsors:

Lyric First Page is made possible by the generous support of our sponsor, Tiny Tiger Foundation.