NY SPRING/SUMMER FESTIVAL INTRODUCTION

NY Spring/Summeer Festival is not only a festival, it is a competition as well. That means that there are prizes!

Best Play or Musical
will receive a prize of $4,500.

Best Short and Best Musical Score
will each receive a prize of $300.

Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director and Best Singer
will each receive a prize of $500.

Best Musical Score
will receive a prize of $300

Most Creative Play, Stage Manager,
Set Design, Choreography, and Lighting Design
will each receive $200

PAST PRODUCTIONS IN OUR FESTIVALS

There is no question why the New York Theater Festival  has taken the world of playwriting and musical festivals by storm, becoming one of the largest festival in the country .

Our participants enjoy staging their plays with us! We are a group of playwrights who, after years of staging our own plays in NYC festivals, said: “Why don’t we create a festival that includes everything we dreamt of having — for others?”

The result is beyond our wildest expectations. The New York Theater Festival  has caught fire as the number of submissions we receive continues to grow every year.

Is this sheer luck or an acknowledgment of what we offer?  Let’s find out:

Our participating playwrights receive:

1. Acknowledgement
   In the form of excellent prizes, that are greater in value than any other U.S. festival that we know.  You will not find a larger festival prize!  Additionally, you are treated with the respect and support that you deserve as an artist.
2. Prime Performance Hours
   Because who wants their show at 9AM on a Monday? We give you ideal time slots, 45 minutes of ample set-up time before performances, and since the festival runs for 3 months each production has time to breathe.
3. Free Tickets
   To all shows for the cast and crew of every production. Participants have the opportunity to learn from the work of their artistic colleagues.
4. Longest Tech Hours
   Our tech hours are the longest offered by any festival, adding up to nearly double your show’s run time.  You will have time to prepare, instead of feeling rushed and sacrificing your vision. We want you to feel confident with the look and feel of your show.
5. Let There Be Light!
   A large lighting plot on our grid, including colored gels and LED lights in order to let you paint the moods and atmospheres of your scenes.  Our light board is easy-to-use, even if you are not technologically inclined.  We will even offer a free tutorial on how to use the manual light, sound, and projection systems, as well as expert guidance for the slightly more advanced operators.  Still not confident running the board?
   
6. Projectors
   A projector that covers a 21×12′
7. Piano
   An 88 key electric piano that all productions can use.
8. We Even Have Prop Sets!
   85 prop sets, including varied pieces of real furniture, that every production can use for free. Most of our past participants have created their sets almost entirely with our props. No more double parking rental vans, risking parking tickets and trying to outsmart meters while you rush to unload props! View the props here.
   Using our props saves you searching-time and money.  Many other festivals only give you a few rehearsal blocks and black folding chairs (which we do provide) but we do not need all the plays to look alike.  Have fun selecting from our extensive collection!
   
9. Storage Space
   Enough storage space to allow you to leave your costumes and props in the theater during your run. This is an enormous time saver, as well as money saver.
10. It’s Not Some “Popularity Contest.”
    Winners are selected by the festival’s team. We do not have “popularity prizes” for bringing the largest audience. In our festival, sometimes the barest “non-glitzy” production with the smallest audience attendance wins first prize simply because it was excellent. We love sincere, heart-felt performances, and honest writing.
11. A Large Dressing Room
    With mirrors on 2 walls.
12. No seasonal volunteers.
    One of our principle founding members is always at the theater to support you during your tech, box office times and performances. You will always see a familiar face!  Feel free to ask for help or special guidance to make your performance a success.  Your questions will be answered in a matter of hours from the festival’s team.  You will never have to wait days for a response.  Our staff is knowledgeable and experiences, providing you with real answers and a personal touch.
    
13. Free Website
    We list all of the shows by date as well as alphabetical order.  We will request an image and blurb for your show, and will create a page for you.  See an example here: Soul Of A Blue Butterfly.
14. Free Box Office Management
    We will send you a link for purchasing tickets, which is easy to share with your friends, family, community.
    
15. Award Ceremony
    An unforgettable award ceremony at the end of the festival to honor your talent in front of your artistic colleagues, similar to that of an Oscar’s Night!
    

The New York Theater Festival is our dream festival created for you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are happy to welcome you into our community of playwrights and theater innovators!

I have worked in a variety of NYC festivals and I have never worked with a more accommodating venue. The management made my cast and crew feel instantaneously comfortable. As artists we were given the support we needed to put on a well-polished production. I would highly recommend the Spring/Summer Festival to artists of all ages.

Madeleine Rose Parsigiam –
Director of Cal and Grey

 

The Spring/Summer Festival was an amazing opportunity for my cast and creative team to showcase our work at the professional level. As young artists, it can be difficult to find affordable space and supportive people to sponsor us as we work towards polishing our aesthetic. The festival team was an invaluable resource to us, being warm, friendly and full of good advice as we went through the festival process. As this was my very first time participating in a festival, I feel very lucky to have had the wonderful folks at the festival to teach me the ropes. Moreover, the opportunity to extend our show into the Finals portion of the competition was incredibly exciting and made the entire team feel as if they had accomplished something at a much higher level. The Festival has been an incredible experience – bringing together many artists into one collaborative atmosphere. Thank you!

Lily Raabe –
Director of Eaten Voices

 

 

I have been investing and producing in NYC theatre for over ten years – I have participated in financing two off Broadway productions of plays that I have written. I have produced numerous showcases, stage and table readings of over seven different plays. The experience was the same for each; frustration, disappointment and great financial loss. In absolute contrast, the Spring/Summer Festival was a joy to participate in on every level. The group made everything easy to accomplish and bent over backwards to be certain that our production would have every chance of success, both artistically and financially. Several of the members of my creative team had participated in other well known festivals in NYC and agreed that the festival was several notches above the rest. I can only hope that in the future I can write other plays that will be accepted into this wonderfully nurturing home for a playwright and creative team.

John Anastasi –
Transition