AACT NewPlayFest: Call for Theatres
Discover the future of theatre with AACT’s NewPlayFest – where emerging voices take center stage, and winning plays are brought to life by theatres across the nation. Join us in celebrating new works that captivate audiences and inspire future productions
Become a Producing Theatre
The community theatre that premieres a brand-new play brings something extraordinary to its artists, its audience, and its entire community.
NewPlayFest gives theatres the chance to launch an award-winning script, collaborate directly with a playwright, and take part in a national program that celebrates innovation on the community theatre stage.
Producing a world premiere isn’t just exciting — it becomes part of your theatre’s legacy.
As a Producing Theatre, your company will help select the winning plays, host the world premiere on your mainstage between June 2027–December 2028, and welcome the playwright into the room for workshops and opening events. It’s a powerful way to spotlight your artists, engage audiences with fresh work, and put your theatre on the national map.
AACT NewPlayFest Roundtable Video
This recorded AACT Roundtable offers an inside look at what it’s really like for community theatres to produce a NewPlayFest world premiere. Representatives from past Producing Theatres share their experiences with selecting the script, collaborating with the playwright, navigating workshop rehearsals, and bringing a brand-new story to life for the very first time.
You’ll hear firsthand what surprised them, what inspired them, and how the process strengthened their artists, deepened community engagement, and left a lasting mark on their theatre’s legacy. If you’re curious about what the Producing Theatre journey truly entails, this conversation is a great place to start.
Guidelines
- Applications to be a Producing Theatre for AACT NewPlayFest 2028 are now CLOSED.
- AACT will select member community theatres to produce the winning plays. The Producing Theatres will read the scripts that make it to the final round and select the winning shows that will be produced. (The Adjudication Process is included in the documents at the bottom of this page.)
- Producing Community Theatres will be responsible for presenting the winning play with full production values (sets, costumes, lights, sound, props) on their mainstage between June 2027-December 2028, and for bringing in the playwright for a workshopping session and opening night.
- Producing Theatre and Production Contracts can be found at the bottom of this page as PDF files.
Producing Theatres Benefits Include
- Prestige of being selected for a national program
- Premiere a national award-winning play
- National publicity
- Excitement of working directly with the playwright
- Honor of introducing the playwright to the community
- Impact on the future of the work: the interpretations of the director and the actors may reveal insights to the playwright on what works or doesn’t work, leading to rewrites.
- Your cast and production team listed in published scripts
- A $4,000 grant from the Jack K. Ayre and Frank Ayre Lee Theatre Foundation following the premiere. Grant amount subject to change based on the wishes of the foundation.
Producing Theatres Responsibilities Include
- Provide documentation of nonprofit status
- Read and rank the 12-15 plays that reach the final round, indicating your top choices for a production at your theatre
- Provide a fully realized production on your mainstage between June 2027 - December 2028 . A full production includes casting, rehearsing, and staging (costumes, lights, set design, props) of the script.
- Present at least three (3) performances of the work
- Pay a royalty of $100 per performance to the playwright
- Bring in the playwright for a workshopping session and a performance
- Advertise the production as part of AACT NewPlayFest
- Host an opening night event or reception for AACT, Jack K. Ayre and Frank Ayre Lee Theatre Foundation, and Dramatic Publishing representatives. Format of event is at discretion of the theatre.
- Sign contract agreeing to these responsibilities
- Maintain AACT Organizational membership
AACT will:
- Select and announce producing theatres
- Conduct national new play contest, including script solicitation, recruitment of Reviewers, tabulation of scores, and announcement of winners
- Execute contracts with Producing Theatres and playwrights
- Guide theatres in working with playwrights
- Compile and publish a calendar of AACT NewPlayFest productions
- Provide national advertising via websites, e-promos, social media, and news releases
- Provide news release templates and guidance (as needed) for local promotion.
The theatre that produces a new play often contributes to the future development of the piece. It illustrates to the playwright what works or doesn't work. The interpretations of the director and the actors may reveal insights into the work that even the playwright didn't know were there. A first production allows the playwright to discover what may need to be rewritten to make it more effective.
The Jack K. Ayre and Frank Ayre Lee Theatre Foundation will provide this generous funding to fund the AACT NewPlayFest 2028 Producing Theatres.
Documents
| Item Name | File |
|---|---|
| Producing Theatre Agreement | View / Download |
| Production Contract | View / Download |
| Playwright Agreement | View / Download |
| Script Review Process | View / Download |
If you have any questions about the Producing Theatre application process, please contact Quiana Clark-Roland at [email protected].