Ashland New Plays Festival accepting submissions for 2024 fall festival

By Rogue Valley Times staff

Ashland New Plays Festival is accepting scripts for its 2024 Fall Festival.

ANPF’s flagship Fall Festival is an international playwright competition that culminates in a weeklong celebration of the winning plays, with two readings each of the four winning plays, followed by audience talkbacks, as well as a playwriting workshop and community receptions. This year three plays will be presented.

Now in its 31st year, the event features world-class directors and professional actors — sourced locally and nationally.

At the heart of this artist-focused company are the 50 to 60 volunteer readers who come together every year to read the submissions, with authorship unknown, over a six-month period. The works are discussed and scored until the finalists are sent, with authorship revealed, to the artistic director and associate artists.

The Fall Festival is held each year in Ashland during the third week of October. The winning playwrights each receive a $1,500 honorarium and local accommodations.

ANPF’s 2023 event will include staged readings of three of the winning works during the Fall Festival, Friday through Sunday, Oct. 20-22, at the Southern Oregon University Main Stage Theatre, 405 S. Mountain Ave., Ashland.

The new works include Isabel Estelle’s “Ashland;” Bleu Beckford-Burrell’s “Lyons Pride;” and Weston Gaylord’s “A Long Time Coming.” Katie Do’s “love you long time (already)” was also a winner in this year’s festival.

Submissions for the 2024 festival must adhere to ANPF’s guidelines, which can be found at ashlandnewplays.org/script-submission. There is a $20 submission fee.

Submissions close when 350 scripts are received or on Dec. 1, 2023, whichever comes first. A running tally of submissions will be shown on the organization’s website.

For further details about ANPF, its mission and festivals, see ashlandnewplays.org or call 541-488-7995.

This story first appeared in the Rogue Valley Times.