AS OF MARCH 15, WE ARE CLOSED TO SCRIPT SUBMISSIONS FOR OUR SPRING 2024 SESSION.
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO SUBMITTED A PLAY!
(THE NEXT CALL FOR MINI-SCRIPTS WILL BE ANNOUNCED JUNE 10, WITH A JULY 19 DEADLINE.)
THE WINNING PLAYS for Spring/Summer 2024 Semester:
Credits by Joe Strupek
Ghost Story by Bruce Boeck
The Grill by Risa Lewak
He Said: She Said by Bob Weldon
Salty Dog by Devon Lovell
Taxi Driver by Bruce Boeck
Where Are We? by Risa Lewak
Young at Heartland, our senior (55+) acting troupe, is always looking for new mini-scripts (really, really short – about 5 minutes) for their showcase performances and touring troupe in the community. There is a Spring and a Fall semester, where scripts will be called for. The best scripts deal with a senior moment, conflict or situation. Currently we are collecting scripts for Spring 2024 with a deadline of March 15, 2024.
We take into consideration the following when selecting scripts:
Script Details
This helps keep things uniform so we can see lines and pages at a glance:
3-5 page scripts
Courier font, 12 point
1-inch margins
Character name centered above the line
We try to keep each performance piece around 4-5 minutes.
Three pages isn’t too short. The average scene is taking at
least 1½ minutes per page.
Short Lines and Sentences
It works well when dialogue between characters is 1 or 2
sentences. Longer responses tend to slow down the
performance. An occasionally longer response is OK. Just
use sparingly.
Conflict
Every script needs some sort of conflict. It can be between
people, between people and a situation, or even people and
the world at large. It’s the conflict and its possible
resolution that keeps it interesting!
Humor
Humor is another essential in most of our scripts. We do
have the occasional drama, but mostly we do comedies.
Keeping it light-hearted, with banter and humor helps.
Topics that need a cautious approach
Our group enjoys a variety of topics and mayhems, however,
we have found our audiences have some sensitivity when
hearing certain conversations. In some instances, the
following topics work well in the script, but please use
caution with the following:
- Innocent, flirtations, or romantic gestures work well, but please refrain from sexual innuendos.
- We love animals! Please avoid conversation surrounding hunting or even pest extermination, unless the critters end up outsmarting the humans!
Scripts with Women and some with Men
If your inspired piece calls for a male, that is fine. We have a few of those. but only a few! In the past, if we don’t have enough parts for women, we have asked a playwright if they would consider altering a part to accommodate the female role.
How to Submit Your Script
Send your script to [email protected] in an email with your name and with your script attached in PDF format.
Be sure to put your full name and title of the play in the Subject Line. Once all scripts are reviewed, selections will be made and you will be notified if your script is a good fit and if we can use your script. Those scripts selected will be announced at the top of this webpage.
YOU will be notified if your script is selected for performance, or if we are going to hold it for the next semester. Selected scripts will be posted on this web page, but the playwrights of those scripts not selected will not be notified. We appreciate the efforts of all playwrights who submit their scripts.