2025 Premiere Play Festival Submissions

Through the Premiere Play Festival, Premiere Stages has developed many plays that have gone on to have successful productions in New York and at regional theaters throughout the country. We strive to facilitate relationships between writers and theater professionals who we think will respond to their work, in hopes that plays developed at Premiere will go on to subsequent productions. We offer Play Festival writers we produce the option to retain the coveted “World Premiere” brand on their plays. Additionally, Premiere’s productions are consistently reviewed, scouted by major publishing houses, and honored by the American Theatre Critics Association.


From September 1, 2024 through November 1, 2024, Premiere Stages will accept submissions of unproduced plays written by playwrights affiliated with the greater metropolitan area.  We accept 10 page script samples and synopses from playwrights without professional representation.  Every sample is read and considered, and Premiere Stages will request the full script to read if the play seems viable for the 2026 season. The winners of the 2022 and 2023 Play Festival were both first received as samples.  All plays submitted to the festival are evaluated by a panel of professional theater producers, directors, dramaturgs, playwrights, and publishers.  Four finalists are subsequently selected for public Equity readings in the Spring of 2025.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: 

• Plays must be full-length and have a cast size of no more than eight.  Playwrights without professional representation are invited to submit a 10 page sample, synopsis, development history (if any), and a bio and/or resume.  Every sample is read and considered, and Premiere Stages will request the full script to read if the play seems viable for the 2025 season. 
• Plays must be unpublished and unproduced (readings and workshops are okay), with no productions or publication currently scheduled.
• Playwrights must have strong affiliations with the greater metropolitan area (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Delaware).
• Musicals, adaptations (of existing plays or other sources), and solo shows are not eligible.
• Submissions are limited to one script per playwright.
• Please contact Premiere Stages to inquire about submitting a script that has been previously submitted.  Generally we do not accept resubmissions unless there have been significant changes to the script. 
• Playwrights must be available for the development of their script (see 2025 schedule on our website).
• Submissions are accepted September 1, 2024 through 11:59 p.m. on November 1, 2024. Submissions sent early in the submission window are strongly encouraged.