Call For Plays

New Voices, New Works Play Festival

Playwrights! Anacostia Playhouse is seeking new and non-produced 10-minute and one-act plays for the 2022-2023 New Voices, New Works Festival: Love: Make Ya Do Right / Make Ya Do Wrong.  Selected playwrights will have the opportunity to work with a professional director and actors to prepare for a final staged reading performance. 

Definitions to think about:

• Love. (Webster) an intense feeling of deep affection; a great interest and pleasure in something; to fondle amorously; to copulate with.

• Love: Make Ya Do Right is the act or the process of being motivated by; present your best self; never giving up on something or someone; jump through hoops; like you’re on cloud nine; God is love and Love is for everyone; make you marry that man/woman. 

• Love: Make Ya Do Wrong: a complete change in character, like “staying out all night long”; cheating on your spouse; picking your kids up late; drinking the whole bottle of liquor; making you spend all your money! 

Play submissions should address the theme of Love, whether physically, spiritually, and/or socially. The play should be set in an East of the River community.

Consider the many phases of Love that we survive and what the results have meant or will mean in the future. Another approach would be to consider the current controversies regarding loving our transgender community, church parishioners, or political opponents, just as examples. Also, consider negative transformations when things fall apart. What kind of Love transitions has COVID brought about in our lives? 

This New Works Festival will be held in April and May 2023 at the Anacostia Playhouse located in historic Anacostia in Washington DC. 

The festival is an opportunity to introduce new and seasoned playwrights to Washington’s theater community; as well as, and establish relationships among writers, producers, and directors. All chosen plays will have staged reading directed by a local Washington director.

Please note that, due to the high volume of submissions we receive, we are unable to respond individually to each work sample that is submitted. You will hear from us by February 15, 2023, if your work has been accepted into the festival.

Submissions will be accepted now through January 15, 2023. Submissions must be submitted to the Anacostia Playhouse by email at info@anacostiaplayhouse.com.

Please submit only new non-produced works.  All plays should have a maximum of four characters.