It’s time for the second-annual SheDFW Theater Festival!
AUGUST 2-10, 2025
THE STUDIO THEATRE
at the university of texas, arlington
We can’t wait to see what women, trans, & non-binary voices of Texas bring to the stage. Read on below to meet the 2025 Festival shows!
MEET THE SHOWS
bl!nk
A New Musical by Grace Ward and Elke Myers
BL!NK is a fast-paced, femme-powered musical about two brilliant best friends who create a revolutionary dating app. Sadie, shy and uncertain about the future, contrasts with Natalie, bold and determined to change the world. When their app goes viral, they’re catapulted into unexpected fame—and conflict. With hot-pink flair, edgy lyrics, and a big heart, BL!NK celebrates the brains and bonds of women in STEM. It’s a story of ambition, friendship, and the wild ride of seeing your dreams come true. Packed with laughter, heartache, and post-show rosé vibes, BL!NK is for every woman who’s ever wanted more.
camp contrition
By Hadley Shipley
Four campers attend Camp Contrition for Girls as part of a special focus cabin struggling with ‘godly womanhood and sexuality,’ only to discover eggs that don’t hatch, cocoons that don’t open, and an odd form of flower-based vomit that all point to something more concerning under the carefully curated image of this Christian summer camp. If their two cagey camp counselors aren’t giving straight answers, achieving the coveted rank of Violet Camper seems to be the only option for these four queer outsiders to uncover the truth.
first
By Joey Banks and Vee Council
The student government of a Christian university in the South is thrown into chaos when, for the first time, a queer student appears to be winning the election for Student Council President. While the candidate in question, Emily Bren, is grappling with her first queer relationship, the election committee must grapple with the implications of her win. They must battle institutional bigotry, personal biases, and a ticking clock to decide if they’ll uphold the vote or bow to pressure.
omen, a new musical
Book, Music, & Lyrics by Jocelyn Moen
On the magical desert island of Vol, the fairy Ariel finds a book with Shakespeare written on its cover. As she opens it, The Book ejects 5 of its heroines––Lady Macbeth, Juliet, Viola, Portia and Paulina––each poised at a critical moment in her play. Free for just one day, each woman must choose whether to return home into the story Shakespeare wrote for her or stay out and explore the unknown. Omen is a musical about the power of the imagination and its limits, asking if Shakespeare’s heroines must be bound by the vision of their creator.
TICKETS ON SALE IN JUNE!
Check back at that time for ticket information.
The SheDFW Festival is proud to partner with MusicalWriters.com to produce this year’s musical productions!
About the SheDFW Theater Festival
what’s the festival timeline?
Script submissions are now closed as of November 11. Submissions for the 2026 Festival will open in September 2025. Read on to learn more about the Festival process!
what is a theater festival?
The typical theater festival is an opportunity for playwrights to self-produce their work in full onstage, for a paying audience. Festivals have multiple shows which all share resources (like the theater itself, front-of-house staff and supplies, and technical equipment), making the process far less expensive for everyone than producing your show in full on your own. If you’ve done readings already and feel like you’re ready to take the next step of seeing your piece fully staged, a festival is probably the right fit for you!
how is sheDFW different?
We pride ourselves on providing more for less. As a non-profit, we’re able to charge no participation fee, and you get the full SheDFW staff on your team to help produce your show with you!
We take care of most of the logistics, so you can focus on the creative parts of producing your show.
what do you get as a part of the festival?
SheDFW provides to its selected playwrights:
- Theater rental for tech/performances and all of the technical equipment and insurance that goes along with it
- A director
- Free rehearsal space
- Some basic shared set pieces
- A $200 stipend for the writer + 12% of your show’s ticket sales
- $250 to use toward costumes and props
- A sound designer and lighting designer who will design all the shows in the Festival
- A Production Manager for your time in the theater who will run tech & performances
- A marketing & advertising strategy for the festival as a whole
- Production photography & videography
- The Festival producing team to help guide you through the process
- Front of house and box office staff; we manage the ticketing system
- A lifelong community of artists to support you going forward!
Additionally, of the 3-4 shows we select to be a part of the Festival, we plan to select one musical. That musical will be sponsored by MusicalWriters.com, enabling us to provide:
- A music director and performance pianist, potentially including a band depending on the musical style of the show accepted
- A choreographer, if needed
- The support of the team behind MusicalWriters.com!
what do you need to provide as a part of the festival?
You’re the lead producer on your own show, so you pull together your team and everything that the festival doesn’t provide. This includes:
- Any rehearsal space you may need outside of what we provide
- Any set, props, or costume pieces outside of what we provide
- You make your own casting decisions and hire your actors (though we’ll help with this by setting up a group audition day)
- “Elbow grease” marketing – while we advertise the festival as a whole, you should promote your individual show and make sure your networks know about it
- A stage manager for your rehearsal process, if you feel you need one
who can apply?
Anyone in the U.S. can apply, but preference will be given to Texas-based artists. Your show must be written by someone of a marginalized gender (including cis women, trans, and non-binary people), or a writing team that’s at least 50% people of marginalized genders.
What kind of shows we accept:
- Full-lengths only (running time between 1 and 2 hours)
- Plays, musicals, or adaptations
- The writing team must be at least 50% marginalized genders (cis women, trans men and women, and non-binary people)
- You must own all the rights to the material within your script
What kind of shows we do not accept:
- Short plays or short musicals (less than one hour)
- Pieces that are adapted from works that are not public domain or that you can’t prove you have the rights to produce
Help Launch the SheDFW Festival
We can’t do this without your help. Donate to SheDFW and become one of our inaugural supporters!
Get Involved
Want to be involved in the inaugural SheDFW Theater Festival? We’d love to hear from you! We hope to make this a truly community event, so encourage DFW-based artists, arts adminstrators, and organizations to reach out by signing up below, or emailing DFW@shenycarts.org.
Keep in touch
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The SheDFW Summer Theater Festival is funded in part by a generous grant from The National Endowment for the Arts.
