Zoetic Open For Entries In Finstrom New Play Festival

The Finstrom Festival of New Work, a new national playwriting contest, has just opened for entries – a competition whose finalists will undergo workshops, staged readings and possibly a full production at Zoetic Stage in Miami.

Submissions will be accepted through Feb. 1 for the three-week festival tentatively slated for the late spring or early summer either inside the company’s home at the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts or online, depending on COVID conditions.

Each of three finalists will have a week-long workshop period and then be presented as a staged reading with South Florida directors, actors and dramaturgs. The winner may be considered for future full production in the regular season.

The in-depth paradigm is similar to the one championed at the Jan McArt new play program by Tony Finstrom, the playwright, Carbonell Awards judge and co-founder of the Silver Palm Award who died in December 2018.

The project will be overseen by Zoetic Stage Artistic Director Stuart Meltzer and Festival Coordinator Kent Chambers-Wilson, an actor, stage manager, assistant director, producer, sound designer, dramaturg, script doctor, playwright and board member of the Theatre League of South Florida.
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“It has always been a dream of the Zoetic Stage founders to build a new play festival. This year presented the perfect opportunity to bring this dream to fruition,” wrote Meltzer.

Playwrights are limited to one submission each. There is no submission fee. Full-time Florida resident playwrights may submit plays directly (proof of residency may be requested). Playwrights outside of Florida must be represented by an agent.

There are no restrictions on subject matter, although the contest “encourages diversity in playwriting styles, voices and perspectives” and musicals are not accepted.

In a single email to literary@zoeticstage.org, entrants may send one PDF copy of the play that includes the play title, the author’s name, address, email, phone number, and agent information if applicable. In the subject line, type “Festival Submission – Your Name.”