Carrollwood Players Theatre is seeking boys and girls, 3rd through 7th grade, to write original, short 10 minute plays for Kidspeak, a youth playwriting competition now in its fourth year in The CWP Black Box theatre.

Beginning May 1, 2018, the contest is open to all students, 3rd through 7th grade. There is no cost to submit a play online. To be considered, online registration is required, with parent/guardian/educator approval, and script must be uploaded by November 16, 2018. Registration will close midnight November 16, 2018.

Eight playwrights be will notified in beginning of December 2018 that their plays were selected to be performed in the Black Box competition.

Each selected playwright will receive a complimentary ticket to see his or her show performed. First, second, and third place winner will be announced at the close of last performance, based upon audience and judges’ vote and will receive a trophy.

• Plays must be original.
  • Unless student is reimagining the concept to make his own idea, plays that copy the exact plotline of existing movies and books will not be considered.
• The script can be on any topic with a maximum of 4 characters.
• The play should tell a short story using dialogue to show opening, action, and resolution. Play needs beginning, middle, and recognizable end.
• Story must occur in no more than two locations. (The set in the CWP Black Box is extremely minimal.)
• Story should use very limited props, as the cast is holding scripts.
• Cover sheet of play should have title, student’s name, parent’s telephone number, and/or parent’s e-mail. The student’s information should not appear anywhere else in the script.
• First page should provide name of characters and brief description of personality.
  • Please do not list what the character looks like. Adult actors portraying characters will not be able to match the identities.
• Plays must be no longer than 10 minutes long, no more than 5 pages, typed, numbered, and double-spaced.
• Plays can be saved as Word doc, Word docx, rtf, txt, or PDF file and uploaded online.
  • Format required
• Registration must be submitted and scripts uploaded by November 16, 2018.

Plays that do not follow the above format requirements will be immediately disqualified from entry.

Talented adult actors will audition, rehearse and finally, perform your play as a staged reading on Friday February 8 through Sunday, February 10.