. Coming up on October 1, I have made a full 100 submissions fewer than last year and even of those I’ve made, a whole slew of them were isolated cold queries about specific plays for specific reasons, i.e. not responses to general calls for plays. Without those targeted queries, I’m guessing I’m at about […]

Ever since the theater-sponsored workshop I belonged to disbanded in 2014, I have felt lost. I tried unsuccessfully to start groups in-person and online, created Playwrights Offering Free Feedback (#POFF), and made use of my own contacts to solicit feedback—but I missed the camaraderie of a group, as well as having a place where I […]

  People have asked my opinion on fees a lot over the years, so here it is, for better or worse, for agreeing or disagreeing.   Play submission fees are on the rise.   Worse–whether it’s the result of economy, copycatting, or emulating the film/fiction/poetry industries–they aren’t going away.   In the wake of my […]

    I am swamped right now but so vexed by this latest bit of what–duplicity? disingenuousness? BS?–that I have to post. My apologies that there won’t even be photos. In return, I’ll keep it short.   Organizers of ten-minute play festivals are using “growth” as an excuse to add a fee. This makes ZERO […]

Once again, I offer up the year’s facts and figures in an attempt to inspire you to keep up your submission game.  As with 2014’s Recap: You Can’t Argue With Numbers, 2015’s Review in Numbers, 2016’s Year in Review, and 2017 Year in Review, the goal is to share stats and results of submission, the hows of productions, […]

  “How do you make so many submissions?” I hear that constantly from fellow playwrights who say they comb all the sites and don’t find anything, or anything appropriate, and feel like they must be missing something. They are: the idea that you have to create your own submission opportunities and there’s no other way to […]

  A quintessential #PLONY, Rachel Lynett has all the makings of stellar career. She’s racked up an impressive list of finalist and semifinalists notices; been part of the Orlando Shakespeare New Play Festival, American Stages 21st Century New Voices, Jackalope Theatre’s CIRCLE UP, and Capital Fringe; and was selected for Downstage Left Residency at Stage Left […]

  I started this blog post about BRILLIANT WORKS OF ART a couple of years ago not knowing how it would end, but hoping it would be as we hope all play journeys end: with production. Writing this post, and anticipating finishing it someday with a great production success, was coping therapy after learning that this play […]

  Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway. This is my actress daughter’s favorite quote, one that’s been adopted by her twin sister—a computer coder/YouTuber—who has it as her computer wallpaper. It’s my favorite now, too.   Never let up […]

  I’ve “known” Jonathan Dorf online for years as a playwright and co-founder of YouthPLAYS, but it wasn’t until I heard him on George Sapio’s Onstage/Offstage podcast that I realized what a marketing guru he is. Naturally, I asked if I could pick his brain about his work and business,  and ask him to share […]