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Kaplan Playwright Competition

WE HAVE A WINNER!

Eventide Theatre Company Artistic Director, Donna Wresinski with the ETC/Kaplan Playwriting winner, Peter Snoad

We are thrilled to announce the 2024 winners for the Kaplan New Playwrights/New Plays Competition: 

1st place Now What? by Peter Snoad, $1000

2nd place, Inappropriate Pants by Gwyn McAllister, $500

3rd Place, Woodhull/Beecher by Leslie Gabel-Brett, $250

Prize monies will be distributed to the playwrights and a reading of the winning play, Now What?, will be presented by Eventide Theatre Company this December. 

Congratulations to all participants this year — gifted playwrights and generous readers, both. We deeply appreciate your talent and input. I look forward to opening the 2025 contest next spring!

Christine Ernst
Kaplan Playwrights Competition Administrator, 2024 

Special thanks to Dennis Arts and Culture for the generous support of our Fosse Dance and Play reading event at Dennis Center for Active Living

stay tuned for information on our 2025 competition


KAPLAN PRIZE 2024

Competition open to Cape Cod playwrights

Eventide Theatre Company is happy to open its annual full-length playwriting competition for Cape Cod playwrights. The Kaplan New Playwrights/New Plays Competition invites Cape playwrights to submit their full-length work, with a cash prize of $1000 awarded to the winning play. Second and third prize runners-up will receive $500 and $250, respectively. The deadline for submissions is April 15. The registration fee is $25, with scholarships available as needed. The deadline for submitting the completed play, with fee, is April 15. Up to twelve finalists will be selected to move to the second round of judging. They will have an opportunity to present a table reading of their plays, and to make revisions if desired. Finalists will submit their revised plays by August 1, and the winner will be announced by September 15.
In December, a staged reading production of the winning play will be held.

Questions can be directed to Christine Ernst, Kaplan Playwrights Competition Administrator, at [email protected].


KAPLAN 2024  GUIDELINES

Qualification Guidelines

We accept full-length play manuscripts (musicals may be considered IF a recording of the songs is also provided) for consideration as a qualified submission. Plays that have been previously produced will not be considered for this competition. Prior readings of the work are allowed. 

Qualified Submissions MUST have a direct connection to Cape Cod & the Islands.  An example of a direct connection may include:

  • A play written by an author with a Cape Cod & the Islands connection (resident, previous resident, summer resident, artist in residence, performer, etc.)
  • A play with Cape Cod & the Islands settings, major characters, and/or occurrence which impacts the narrative.

These rules ARE subjective and are subject to the interpretation of the Competition Administrators. A $25 administrative fee will apply to all submissions. Scholarship opportunities are available and are based on need.

Adjudication

All plays will receive blind readings by a team of theater professionals. Up to 12 plays will be selected to advance as finalists. Readers’ scoring sheets will be available upon request.

Finalists will have the opportunity to produce a table read of their plays before the completed play is due for submission. They are also encouraged to make any rewrites if they so desire. The final submissions will be read and judged by an advanced theater team, and first, second, and third prize winners will be selected.

The playwright chosen as having submitted the best script will receive a $1,000.00 cash prize and a staged reading production.
The prize for 2nd place is $500, and for third place, $250.

File Upload Specifications

  • PDF file format
  • 10pt font or larger
  • 1 inch margins
  • Your name should not appear anywhere within the document, including cover sheet, title sheet, headers, and footers
  • Uploaded file title should be the name of your play only

“Click here to view the 2024 judging rubric.” 

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Previous Winners

The 2007 winner ~ Meridian Summer by Candace Perry

The 2008 winner ~ Sequel by David Kucher

The 2009 winner ~ Eucatastrophe by Andy Reynolds

The 2010 winner ~ This Verse Business by A.M. Dolan

The 2011 winner ~ To Be in the Game by Tom Gotsill

The 2013 winner ~ A Talented Woman by James Dalglish and Lynda Sturner

The 2014 winner ~ Fifteen Men in a Smoke Filled Room by Colin Crowley

The 2015 winner ~ The Final Say by Meryl Cohn

The 2016 winner ~ Bruno by Raymond van Over

The 2017 winner ~ Colonel of Reason by Tom Gotsill

The 2018 winner ~ Office Noise by Bob Dutton

The 2020 winner ~ Touched By War by James Marlow

2022 winner – The Tempest-Tost Theater by Jonathon Ward

2023 winner – Just Walking by Kristin Stewart

2024 winner – Now What? by Peter Snoad

New Playwrights/New Plays: the Jeremiah Kaplan Playwriting Competition would like to thank the following for their support:

The Jeremiah Kaplan Foundation

What a marvelous production! Every voice is perfectly cast. Great direction, many little nuances in their interactions, and fabulous costumes. A great show!

Dennis O

Cape Cod 5
The Cape Cod Foundation
Kelley Foundation Inc

Eventide Theatre Company is a 501(c)3 independent theatre located in the heart of Dennis Village.  At Eventide Theatre Company, our mission is to inspire, engage, and enrich our community through the transformative power of live theater. We are dedicated to providing a welcoming and inclusive space where diverse voices and stories can be shared and celebrated. We believe in the power of the arts to connect people, ignite conversations, and build a vibrant, culturally rich community for all. Annually Eventide hosts the Kaplan Playwriting/New Plays competition.