Flashback Theater Co. (FbTC) will be offering an online series of play productions throughout the upcoming season, and seeks to include submissions from local playwrights of short plays in this series. The short plays will be produced and filmed for exclusive release to subscribers online. Playwrights who wish to submit are invited to do so by Friday, July 31. 

For this opportunity, FbTC is looking for original short plays that are up to 10-minutes in length. For most playwrights, that means 6-8 pages of scripted dialogue. Online installments will be performed and recorded in our versatile Black Box theater before being uploaded to a virtual platform, so limited set and prop requirements are ideal. Performance space may be limited and cast size should be kept at 1-3 actors per short (solo shows are permitted). 

In addition to stand alone pieces, playwrights who have a series of short works that fit the above requirements individually, while telling a longer story may submit an outline of the concept along with the first script in the installment. If a series is accepted, the playwright will be given a few weeks to complete and submit the remaining scripts. In this case, a series of 3-4 short installments would be ideal, for a total of up to 30-40 minutes of content (18-32 pages, total). 

Accepted submissions will receive a $50 royalty payment for use of the playwright’s work, which will of course remain licensable by the playwright for future submissions to other theaters. The playwright will also be provided with access to the published recording for their own reference and archive. 

Flashback Theater remains dedicated to providing the community with passionate theater which seeks to amplify local and regional voices and to speak to the soul. When preparing shorts and series for submission to the online installments, please keep Flashback’s values in mind. We are a theater devoted to recognizing Kentucky voices in ways that best reflect our past, present, and future. 

Requirements for Submission

  • Plays must be original work of the submitting playwright 
  • Plays should be no more than about 10 minutes in length (no more than 8 pages long)
  • Plays may come in up to 4 installments, if part of a series (see submission instructions for series)
  • Plays should be free of overly explicit content 
  • Plays must be the work of a local author from Somerset, Kentucky, or one of the surrounding counties. 
  • Plays should be written in a neat, standard play format
  • Dramas and Comedies accepted
  • Consider that performance space is limited
  • Deadline for submission is Friday, July 31.

Judges Will Be Looking For

  • Neatness and Organization of Format
  • Compelling Story 
  • Original Message
  • Character Development 
  • Somerset Voice (local story, values, or voice of local playwright)

How to Submit

Send a copy of your play (pdf preferred) along with a cover page consisting of the title of your work and all your contact information (Name, Physical Address, Email, Phone Number), any agent or licensing information, and previous production history to [email protected].  To submit a series, please include an outline detailing the plot and character breakdowns of each proposed script, in addition to the complete script of the first installment.

Submission Information

  • Submissions will be reviewed and considered by Flashback’s panel of readers
  • No written feedback will be provided
  • Early submissions are strongly encouraged
  • No fee for submission

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Ashton Todd, the New Play Coordinator at [email protected].