Submissions

A word to aspiring playwrights

Many people have sent us manuscripts and, sadly, they have demonstrated that they do not understand what sort of play we are looking for. Neither, in some cases, do they demonstrate any understanding of professional writing or the accepted play format.

BASIC ERRORS WE DON’T LIKE:

You don’t put your name, address and contact details on the front of the script
You don’t number the pages
You think that 12 pages of dialogue is enough for a one act play
You think that a play is written like a film script, in short scenes, with camera instructions … it’s not
You don’t understand that most amateur drama groups can’t cope with a play that has a cast of thirty people and twelve scene changes
You ignore the fact that we publish new writing for older actors and the cast of your play, apart from one elderly butler, is under the age of 25
You think that all plays about older people have to be either set in retirement homes, be about dementia or terminal illness. We don’t like depressing our customers.
If you want to write for us – read some of our plays, or any plays, really. A full length play is as difficult to write as a novel. You have to write strong characters, a good plot and devise a hook at the end of Act 1, that will stop people walking out in the interval, and a good ending that will make people applaud not boo.

If you can demonstrate those skills then, by all means, contact us.