OVERVIEW

Red Bull Theater’s Short New Play Festival returns on Monday, June 23, 2025. Six brand new short plays will be selected from an open-submission process and presented in live in-person staged readings alongside two new short plays by commissioned writers, Will Eno (The Realistic Joneses, Thom Pain (Based on Nothing)) and Anna Ziegler (The Last Match, Actually). The plays will be directed by Evan Yionoulis and Zoë Adams.

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INSPIRATION

We are looking for work with classical inspiration. The word “DEFIANCE” is just a jumping off point for creative thematic juices. Review our Mission, take a look through our history of Readings and Productions to see the kind of work we have done. Respond to a play we’ve produced or choose a classic of your own to adapt. You might riff on a classical character, borrow a classical setting, or be inspired to create a brand new style of dramatic verse. Finding inspiration from classics beyond the traditional Western canon is welcome. We hope you will be in dialogue with classical theater in a multitude of creative and surprising ways.

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GUIDELINES

Using the theme DEFIANCE, write a short play that:

• makes use of heightened language, and/or is in conversation with a classical theme, style, or story from any cultural tradition.

• is no more than 10 minutes in length.

• is self-contained with a beginning, middle, and end.

• is an original, unpublished, and never previously produced new work.

 

SELECTION CRITERIA

Plays will be selected based on:

• Excellence of the work.

• Relevance to Red Bull Theater’s Mission.

• Incorporation of the theme DEFIANCE.

• Utilization of the classical conversation/heightened language guideline above.

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SUBMISSION FEE

There is a $10 submission fee.

Submission fees partially offset open submission processing costs, commissioning fees, and other expenses.

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DEADLINE

SUBMISSIONS CLOSE 12 NOON ET on MONDAY, MARCH 24, 2025. NO EXCEPTIONS

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SELECTED PLAYWRIGHTS...​

• will receive a staged reading of their submission as part of the festival on Monday, June 23, 2025, performed by an ensemble company of some of New York City's finest actors. 

• will receive a commissioning fee of $400.

• will receive a travel reimbursement of up to $400 to attend the festival rehearsal and performance on Monday, June 23 in New York City.

• will be consulted on choices for the shared ensemble cast.

• will have final script approval.

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​FINE PRINT

• Scripts may not exceed 8 pages (excluding the title page and character page) with 1-inch margins all around in Times New Roman font size 12pt. When read out loud - including stage directions - the play must not exceed 10 minutes in length.

• Scripts will only be accepted via electronic submissions in PDF format only. Please use the exact title of the play as the name of your PDF file.

• Playwright's name and contact information must be on the title page ONLY. The title page will be removed for adjudication to “blind” the selection process.

• No exceptions will be made to the submission deadline. 

• Due to the volume of scripts, we are unable to comment on any submissions.

• If you have been selected for 3 previous Red Bull festivals, bravo! However, to make room for new voices, you are no longer eligible to submit.

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CREATE THE CLASSICS OF TOMORROW

Questions? Contact Nathan Winkelstein at nathan@redbulltheater.com.