Welcome to
The Write to be Heard
A one-act playwriting competition for grade 8-12 students Within a 60-mile radius of Buffalo, NY
Click below to learn more
Competition guidelines and prizes flyer
Frequently asked questions
Letter to educators
Suggested morning announcement and newsletter article
How do I start?
Physical Layout of a Script
Past winners
How winners are chosen
Getting involved in choosing and performing
Contact
Updates
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Competition, guidelines, and flyer
The Write to Be Heard
A one-act playwriting competition for grade 8-12 students
within a 60-mile radius of Buffalo, NY
(Canadian entries are most welcome.)
$1,000Scholarship for the Winning Playwright!
Plus your play performed at a public theatre, and a staged reading at Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Amherst. You will also receive gifts, recognition, and involvement in the rehearsal process.
COMPETITION GUIDELINES:
- Submit it yourself; no counselors, teachers, parents. No collaborations.
- Not previously produced.
- Must be an original one act. No screenplays, adaptations or musicals.
- Must be received by the annual January 7 deadline.
- Typed 12 pt., double-spaced, single sided.
- Number all pages and staple.
- Title page must have your name, complete home mailing address & phone number, e-mail address (if you have one) Sponsoring Teacher's name & title, school mailing address & phone number.
- Include a character list at the beginning of the play.
- 4 copies of each play. Sorry, no returns!
- Submit as many original scripts as you want.
- 25 minutes or shorter preferred.
- The winning play becomes the property of The Write to Be Heard.
SUBMISSIONS THAT DO NOT COMPLY WITH THE INSTRUCTIONS ABOVE WILL BE DISQUALIFIED.
Send to:
The Write to Be Heard
3842 Harlem Road
Suite 400- # 204
Cheektowaga, NY14215
Visit www.margodavis.com
and click on W2BH
email w2bh@margodavis.com
|
For more information contact Margo Davis at W2BH@margodavis.com
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Frequently asked questions
The Write to Be Heard
STUDENT PLAYWRITING COMPETITION
FAQ'S
Can I write it with someone else?
Sorry. Only single author scripts.
Can I submit more than one play?
Of course. Submit as many unpresented plays as you like, as long as they have been written after January 7, 2007.
When will I know if I won?
You should know by March.
Who decides the winner?
Students nominated from throughout the region volunteer as dramaturges to read all of the plays aloud as a group, discuss them, individually rank them and choose a winner to be performed.
If I don't win, will I receive feedback on my play?
Because the competition is growing, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to provide individual feedback. However, if you do request it at the time of your submission and provide a stamped, self-addressed envelope, we'll make every effort to do so.
Is there a 2nd and 3rd prize?
Yes. Barnes and Noble Booksellers generously donates items, and you receive free tickets to the premiere of the grand prize winning play, where a portion of your play may be presented as a staged reading. You may also be eligible for a scholarship and a production of your play.
What makes a good play?
Many things. The Web will be able to help. Ensemble pieces have historically been highly successful. Winners have included comedy, drama, absurd, fantasy, science fiction, etc. Other elements include interesting, well-developed characters with something that makes you want to understand them; worthwhile topic and theme; cleverness and originality. Visit www.margodavis.com and click on W2BH for more information.
If I entered last year, may I enter again?
Of course you can. Just be sure your script was written within 365 dys of the deadline.
How much do I pay to enter?
Entry is free.
When can I enter?
You may send in your script any time before January 7th.
How do I get more information?
See the flyers posted at your school, contact Margo Davis, at W2BH@margodavis.com
Or visit www.margodavis.com and click on W2BH.
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Letter to educators
The Write to Be Heard
STUDENT PLAYWRITING COMPETITION
Dear Educator,
Now in its tenth year The Write To Be Heard Student Playwriting Competition offers all students in grades 8 through 12 within a 60-mile radius of Buffalo the opportunity to write a one-act play and have a public performance at Shea's Smith Theatre.
The winning playwright will:
- Receive a $1,000 scholarship from the Laura L. Adams Foundation
- Have his/her play performed at Shea's Smith Theatre
- Receive a staged reading of his/her play at Barnes and Noble Booksellers, Amherst
- Be actively involved in the production and rehearsal process
Additional awards, recognition and involvement are granted to finalists as well.
Please spread the word to your students and share the information with interested faculty. Enclosed you will find:
- a flyer for duplication, posting and distribution to interested students (may also be included in your school's show playbill)
- A list of Frequently Asked Questions
- suggestions for a morning announcement and a student newspaper article
For more information contact Margo Davis at W2BH@margodavis.com
or visit www.margodavis.com and click on W2BH.
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Suggested morning announcements and newsletter article
The Write to Be Heard
STUDENT PLAYWRITING COMPETITION
Suggested Morning Announcement:
Can you write? Do you have something to say? Do you want a $1,000 scholarship? Any student in grades 8 through 12 interested in writing a one-act play and submitting it to The Write To Be Heard Playwriting Competition has a chance to win a $1,000 scholarship and a production of their play presented at Shea's Smith Theatre. Please see (insert school contact name) for details.
Suggested Short Newsletter Article:
WRITE TO BE HEARD
WIN BIG MONEY
If you have written a play recently or have wanted to, you can enter it for a chance to win a $1,000 scholarship. In addition to receiving the scholarship, your play will be produced and performed by area students at your school, and at Shea's Smith Theatre in the spring. Your play will also receive a staged reading at Barnes and Noble Booksellers, Amherst and you will also be a part of the entire rehearsal process.
The second and third place winners will also receive awards, recognition and involvement.
For a chance to win a $1,000 scholarship, just get your play mailed before January 7th and be sure to follow the guidelines. For more information, please see (insert school contact name), visit www.margodavis.com and click on W2BH,
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How to I start?
The Write to Be Heard
Do you have a gem of an idea?
Get a cup of something, sit, and let your mind wander.
Who is it about? Where does it happen? What causes it?
Jot down your ideas. Rome wasn't built in a day. If you have lots of ideas, write all of them down. One will float higher than the others.
Wrote a poem or a monologue or a stream of consciousness.
A poem is often an internal voice at a crossroads.
Include/imagine a character saying it. What makes the character say it?
Reread your poem to dig into the thoughts, feelings, or issue without worrying about "the poetry"
What happened just before it was said? What happened just before that? Others involved? Allow yourself to "write all over the place" You can pare down later. (The poem or monologue usually becomes the scaffold for the climax of the play.
Is there a photograph or painting that moves you?
Why? Write about it. What brings the people in the photo to where they are? What are they saying, feeling, not saying? What happened the moment before?
What makes a play a play?
Someone (or something) can't get something, tries; either does or does not succeed. That "something" need not be tangible. A wants something. B wants something. Push comes to shove. Result is either win/win, win/lose, or win/lose.
Hints
Single locations work best.
Be sure that all the characters don't sound the same.
Keep your main focus/theme idea in sight.
Make it happen in the now, rather than people talking about what happened last week, year, century.
Write on a computer and save everything. Labeling each as draft 1, 2, 9, etc.
When printing drafts and reading them, print one and a half or double space and write all over them
Always adhere to guidelines and deadlines or you risk disqualification. Sad after such hard work.
Final Words
It's not about the destination; it's about the ride. So hop on and enjoy. Nobody's watching. If you come to a standstill, just get off, take in other scenery, when you're ready, get back on. You may find yourself going in an entirely new direction and that's fine. Jus go.
Margo Davis
Executive Director
The Write To Be Heard
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Physical Layout of a Script
The Write to Be Heard
Sam: I don't know how to actually format a script of a play I want to write and I don't know where to find out.
Pam: Well, for one thing, the name of person who is speaking is on the left, (or sometimes centered above) the words they say. But it takes more paper the second way.
Sam: O.K.
Pam: There's usually a colon after their names too.
Sam: (opening up a note book) What else?
Pam: When the playwrite wants to add a stage direction, he or she puts the stage direction in parentheses and italics.
Sam: Is there more?
Pam: Not that I can think of…..except that pages should be numbered, typed on only one side, and a cast list should have its own page at the beginning of the play after the title page.
Sam: Hmm…..that doesn't sound so difficult.
Pam: NOPE! Oh, wait. It should be at least one and a half spaced between lines.
Sam: Got it.
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Past winners
The Write to Be Heard
Past The Write To Be HeardGrand Prize Winners:
BEING WHAT WE ARE by Meredith Jones
Hamburg High School
2008
HOW DID WE GET HERE by Kate Boswell
Kenmore East High School
2007
THEN AND NOW by Fredrica Germany
Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts
2006
A TIME FOR MERCY, by Elizabeth Norwich
Niagara Falls High School
2005
HE SAYS, SHE SAYS, by Claire Armstrong
Welland Centennial Secondary School, Ontario
2004
MIA, by Tearra Rhodes
Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart
2003
PROCEED WITH CAUTION, by Jennifer Graham
Niagara Falls High School
2002
AN ACT IN ONE PLAY, by Paul Gradowski
Niagara Falls High School
2001
A QUARTER, by Gretchen Graham
Buffalo Seminary
2000
POST, by Rachael Brody
Williamsville South High School
1999
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How winners are chosen...
The Write to Be Heard
Students in grades 8 through 12 from schools who have teachers who are members in good standing of the New York State Theatre Education Association are eligible to take part in the selection process.
For information about how to get involved, see Getting involved in choosing and performing
Students meet for one day, read all plays aloud together, taking character roles, comment both in writing and through discussion, pick the few best, reread, and decide on winners. Playwright's identities are anonymous.
Whenever possible, all entrants are sent written response to their submissions based on student dramaturge reaction.
Dramaturges consider these main ideas:
Stage worthiness
Concept - is the idea worth putting on stage..
logistics(dramaturgs usually perceive multi-scene pieces as film, not theatre)
Theme relevance
Pace
Characterization Clarity
Mechanics, following the rules , readability
Dialogue
Effectiveness
Audience/stage appropriate
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Getting involved in choosing and performing
The Write to Be Heard
Choosing the winner - Dramaturgy
A NYSTEA teacher nominates a student who completes an interest form. The Dramaturgy committee is usually limited to 20 participants.
A student at a NYSTEA school can ask for nomination from a teacher.
Performing - Becoming a member of THE WRITE TO BE HEARD company
NYSTEA teachers receive information regarding audition location, date, and requirements in February or March. NYSTEA teachers post and otherwise share the information with students from their school.
If a student is interested in becoming involved in the play selection process or auditioning to perform in a winning play, and the school is not affiliated with NYSTEA, teachers may join by contacting NYSTEA.org or emailing this website. Directors usually handle casting directly.
On some occasions students not affiliated with NYSTEA schools can become involved, depending on need. Students are welcome to contact w2bh@ margodavis.com to communicate their interest.
Annual play submission deadline is January 7.
If you do not receive information by mid-October, contact W2BH@margodavis.com
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Contact
The Write to Be Heard
Mail play submissions to:
THE WRITE TO BE HEARD
3842 Harlem Road
Suite 400-204
Cheektowaga, NY 14215
Plays accepted in hard copy only.
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Updates
The Write to Be Heard
2008 Winners AnnouncedCongratulations to this year's winner, Meredith Jones of Hamburg High School for her play, Being What We Are. Her play was premiered on May 4, 2008 along with three honorable mentions to over 100 audience members.
Honorable mentions go to Alex Fultz of Hoover Middle School for his play, PARANOID...OR JUST NUTS and Carlene Miller of Alcen Central School for her play, TKE NOT IN VAIN
Ten Years of Winning Writing Celebrated at Park School
A ten year anniversary celebration performance of three past winners will be performed atTHE PARK SCHOOL May 15, 16, and 17. Past winning plays of Claire Armstron of Welland centennial Secondary School, Ontario, (2004), Paul Gradowski of Niagara Falls High School (2001), and Gretchen Graham of the Buffalo Deminary (2000) will be featured and performed by Park School students.
You have THE WRITE TO BE HEARD