ETC is excited to be making our official CALL FOR PROJECT PROPOSALS for independently produced work to be presented November 2024 at the 11th Annual Last Chance New Play Fest in Helena, Montana. Email playsnow@heartlandplays.com to request a proposal form.

 

What is the Fest?

The Last Chance New Play Fest is a cooperative venture providing an opportunity for creative artists to develop, share, and celebrate their work in front of an audience, perhaps as a springboard to greater ventures. For example, Steve Palmer's full length one-man comedy, Boxed (LCNPF 2015), went on to be accepted into the United Solo Festival in New York City two years later.  Body Paint, by Rebecca Ryland (LCNPF 2020) was performed this past spring at Murray State University in Kentucky. In 2019, Ross Peter Nelson's Becoming Number Six (LCNPF 2018) took second place in the new play competition at the Las Vegas Little Theatre in Nevada.

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Who should submit?

Any playwrights and performance artists with a project to share with a local audience. Projects may include performances of anything from monologues, 10-minute plays, one-acts, and full-length comedies and dramas to puppetry, improv, clowning, dance theatre, or whatever your special magic is. Scripted material must have been written by a Montana-connected author. If your project is not a solo endeavor, one person should be designated as the producer to be the contact point with the Fest. Submitting a project does not commit you to a performance at this time. It is a notification of your intent to participate, and a means for us to evaluate which projects are suitable for the Fest. Suitability criteria include staging requirements, fitting audience of the Fest, etc.

 

When is the information due?

Your proposals are due on August 15, 2024. If selected for the Fest, you will be asked to make a firm commitment to the Fest by September 15, 2024. We will provide the performance venue, standard light plot, and sound, and include your project in advertising and marketing.  We will also include your scheduled performances and a description of your project in our Fest Guide which is distributed at various locations around town. However, each project is intended to be “self-produced” i.e., rehearsed, cast, and ready for performance in front of an audience by November. Projects will be performed one to four times during the Fest based on available slots and on the dates listed on your Finalized Project Form.

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Where do I submit a proposal?

Submit your proposal to playsnow@heartlandplays.com.

 

Are there other opportunities for me in the Fest?

Please help us spread the word by sharing this email with other Montana performance artists. If you don't want to produce a project, but are interested in participating as an actor, director, stage manager, production assistant, or volunteer of any kind, please email us at experimental.theatre.coop@gmail.com. We welcome your talents, time, and support. We are also looking for ten-minute play scripts for Montana Short Cuts which is produced by the Fest. For more details submitting scripts, go to https://www.experimentaltheatrecoop.org/call-for-submissions.