Hear Ye, Hear Ye!
It's that time again... Our...
2022/2023 13th Biennial Contest is open!
We're looking for the best, new and fresh One-Act plays never before performed or published. (Plays can be previously workshopped). We particularly look forward to plays submitted on themes of cultural/social diversity!
The Winners Will Receive:
• First Choice: A $500 cash prize. At least one dramatic reading or staging of the play at a Theatre In the Raw cafe/venue or as part of a mini-tour program for the One-Act Play Series Nights.
• Second Choice: A $300 cash prize. 
• Third Choice: A $200 cash prize.
• Honorable Mentions, Social Issue Recognition & Youth Issue Recognition:
No cash prize, but constructive critique returned with note of appreciation.
Deadline for submission: December 31st, 2023
• Printable flier with all guidelines and details (pdf) >>
*Winners will be announced by June 30, 2024

Philomena by Patrick Foley |
Guidelines, Entry Rules and Fee:
Note: Plays not submitted via ALL Guideline/Entry Rules and/or without the entry fee(s) will be returned - not read. All One-Act Play Submissions must be:
• An original One-Act play (comedy, tragedy, drama or radio play), unpublished and unproduced. (Plays can be previously workshopped). PLEASE DO NOT SEND US 2-ACT PLAYS - This is a One-Act Play Contest.
• No longer than 30 double-spaced typed pages equal to 30 minutes, with no more than 6 characters, presented in proper stage-play format, and scripts MUST have page numbers. (Please include a SASE (with your present/current contact address) for return of script. Send copies only of script. NO original manuscripts.)
• There is an entry fee of $25 for each one-act submitted to Theatre In the Raw. (For two plays: $45 - For three plays: $70) (FEES ARE IN CANADIAN FUNDS, FOR U.S. & FOREIGN ENTRIES, PLEASE SEND A USD CHEQUES OR INTERNATIONAL MONEY ORDER) • Please make cheques/money orders payable to "Theatre In the Raw", bearing the submission date and NAME OF PLAY ENTRY and AUTHOR on cheque memo line.(Note: Plays without the entry fee cheque or funds will be returned unread.)(Sorry, NO EMAIL SUBMISSIONS will be accepted! - Plays must be submitted in hard copy and pages numbered.)
Mail Submissions to:
(Sorry, NO EMAIL SUBMISSIONS will be accepted!)
Theatre In the Raw Society
Artistic Director/One Act Play Contest
3521 Marshall Street
Vancouver, BC V5N 4S2 Canada
(Please make entry fee cheques/money order payable to "Theatre In the Raw Society")
Questions? Tel: 604-708-5448
Deadline for Entries:
All Entries must be mailed and postmarked no later than December 31, 2023.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
*Theatre In the Raw reserves the right to suggest changes, workshop and play-edit scripts, pending approval of the playwright, before production, reading, or presentation. The author agrees to consider these changes and no changes will be made without explicit prior approval of the author and mutual agreement with TITR. Any such changes become the sole and exclusive property of the Author without lien, claim, or encumbrance.
*No plays will be considered where there has been any fees previously paid for performance(s) and... please no more than 3-4 plays submitted per playwright. This will be strictly adhered to.
*Contest entry fees and winning prizes in Canadian Funds. Sorry, NO EMAIL SUBMISSIONS will be accepted!
*If a winning One-Act is staged by Theatre In the Raw, we would very much appreciate being mentioned for the production in future play programs.
*Over the years we've had a number of questions, concerns, and criticisms of the theatre's decision to include the $25.00 entry fee. Some have called it a predatory cash grab or worse. I will explain the rationale here for those who would discard this contest. First, the fee helps to cover the promotional and administrative expenses associated with a contest of this size. We place advertisements in local papers and writers magazines for this contest. We even do a mass paper mail out to libraries, writers groups, theatre companies etc. in Canada and internationally. The entry fee rarely covers all of these expenses but TITR pays those expenses anyway to fulfill its mandate of provide opportunity to untested writers. The second reason is because the fee creates a barrier of entry where only writers who believe in the script that they are writing and believe it has been sufficiently workshopped are likely to enter. Ultimately those scripts that the writer feels are strong are more likely to be those others think are strong and those that will lend themselves to the sort of theatre we aim to produce.
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Final Deadline for Entries:
- All Entries must be mailed and postmarked
no later than December 31, 2023.
Theatre In the Raw's 12th Biennial Play Writing Contest Results:
June 30, 2022 - Finalists Announced
CATEGORIES |
PRIZE |
ONE-ACT PLAYS |
First Choice |
$500
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• An Evening with Oscar and Noel by Craig Mason & Thomas Mason |
Second Choices: |
$300
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• Firewater by Seanan Palmero Waugh
• The Cave of Salamanca by Angela J. Davis |
Third Choices: |
$200
|
• Act of Love by Ron Davies
• Jupiter by Marsha Roberts |
Honourable
Mention: |
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• B-17 by James Hebert
• Holding on to Harry by Geoff Hewitson
• Kenny and the Kachina Man by Norman A. Bert
• Virtual Reality by Dante Ambriel
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Social Issues
Play Recognition: |
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• A Picnic to Remember by Teri Hegarty
• Climbing Kilimanjaro by Marc Littman
• Grind City by Rosemary Parrillo
• The Rent by Marsha Roberts
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Youth Theatre: |
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• Reminisce by Robert Francis Flor
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Thank you to all that participated! There were a large number of entries to the 12th Biennial Play Writing Contest and we were very pleased to have such a great number of very polished and original scripts submitted over the past couple of years. Feedback and prizes will be distributed in the coming weeks. There was a higher volume of plays submitted than usual. We ask for your patience as it might take longer getting all the evaluations and constructive critiques returned with notes of appreciation to each of the playwrights. Thank you.
- Theatre In the Raw
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Theatre In the Raw's 11th Biennial Playwriting Contest Winners:
CATEGORIES |
PRIZE |
ONE-ACT PLAYS |
First Choice |
$300
|
• Agathe by Angela J. Davis |
Second Choices: |
$200
|
• Chasin’ Rainbows by Norma Guttormsson
• Lonny by John Wolfson |
Third Choices: |
$100
|
• Love Trumps Horror by Marc Littman
• New Eden by Mark Vulliamy |
Honourable
Mention: |
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• Mama Bear, Papa Bear and Baby Bear by Dante Ambriel
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Social Issues
Play Recognition: |
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• What We Cast Off, What We Keep by Judy Klass
• Open House by Jane M. Lee
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Youth Theatre: |
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• Mopalot by Ernest Paul Murray
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See Some Live Theatre Today!
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