Script Submissions For the 2026 Festivals Due Nov. 5, 2025
We accept full-length plays and musicals during our open submissions period for our Summer Theater Festivals. In order to apply, you must be a playwright or composer of a gender marginalized group (including cis women, trans people, and non-binary people), or a writing team that is made up of at least 50% people from a gender-marginalized group.
Script Submissions for our 2026 SheNYC, SheATL, SheLA, and SheDFW Festivals will open September 30, and be due on November 5th at 11:59pm PST.
Note that we only accept script submissions during our submission window. If you would like to be considered for our summer festivals, you must submit your work during that time period. Read on below for more details on what you’ll need to submit and for the application link.
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READING/PERFORMANCE INVITATIONS
Unfortunately, we do not have the staff capacity to see readings or performances, so do not accept invitations. However, the only way we would choose to produce your show is through the open submissions process listed above – so, send us your materials that way if you’d like to be considered for a production!
What You Will Need To Submit
1. The full script to your show, in PDF form. It must be at least 75% finished. If the rest is not finished, you need to provide a “treatment” (a detailed outline of the scenes that remain to be written, in order) along with the script. Bear in mind that you will have to send us completed script if you’re selected as a finalist.
IMPORTANT: Your script PDF must not have your name on it!
Why do we ask this?
Our model is based on giving writers an opportunity based on the quality of their writing, free from the types of bias that the entertainment industry normally considers, such as connections, having an agent, etc. Having your script anonymized to our readers ensures we can fulfill our mission of evaluating scripts without bias.
2. A completed application form with some basic information (see below for FAQs).
3. If your show is a musical, recordings of at least 3 full songs from the show, in mp3 or m4a form. The more you have, the better! A simple recording with just you and your piano is fine, though obviously you want to make your music sound the best it can. Please do not submit Finale or Sibelius files (or any other automated vocals).
4. If your show is a solo show, a video of at least 5 minutes of your solo performer performing a cut from the show. This can be a video from a prior production or staged reading, or it can be a self-tape of your actor recording themselves at home.
Why do we ask this?
We’ve found that it’s incredibly hard to evaluate the quality of a solo show without knowing the performer who will be carrying it.
2026 Submissions Timeline
September 30, 2025: Submissions open for NYC, DFW, ATL, and LA Festivals.
November 5th: Deadline for all submissions. Submit your show before 11/5 at 11:59pm PST!
February 2026: If you’re a semi-finalist, we’ll notify you in February.
March 2026: Finalists for NYC & LA are chosen. DFW & ATL finalist notifications may come a bit later.
April: Our festival participants are notified, and you’ll be given a deadline to accept your slot in the festival! We will also notify you if you are not selected. *This is SUBJECT TO CHANGE based on the Festival dates given to us by our venues.*
May: All the fun stuff starts! We’ll have a meet and greet and info sessions to make sure you feel 100% ready to produce your show in the Festival.
June/July: Start rehearsals for your show!
July/August/September: The Festivals run! Each show will get two set performances during these two weeks, as well as a tech and dress rehearsal slot. We will also leave a few empty performance slots in the schedule so that any show that sells out its first two performances can add extra performances.
Tentative dates for the festivals are:
- SheLA: Early July 2026
- SheNYC: Mid-July 2026
- SheATL: Mid-August 2026
- SheDFW: Early September 2026
Before You Submit Your Script
It’s important to make sure your show is ready for a festival production. Our Festivals differ from city to city, so please read the pages for whichever Festival you plan to apply to — this page outlines exactly what it means to be a part of the Festival!
All Festivals use the same application – on that application, you’ll be able to select which cities you’d like to be considered for and indicate your first choice preference.
WHICH CITY SHOULD I APPLY FOR?
First and foremost, we always like our festivals to feel like local events that engage the local community & artists. Therefore, we prioritize matching shows with the city their writer is based in (or whichever city is closest to the writer’s location). However, some other considerations you might have:
- If you’re submitting a musical and are looking for extra developmental support, you may want to apply to SheDFW. Through our partnership with MusicalWriters.com, they provide a director, music director, and local cast for your show, as well as a more intensive dramaturgy/development process.
- The SheATL Festival has a partnership with Atlanta-based new play incubator Working Title Playwrights to provide an intensive dramaturgy process in the leadup to the Festival. If you’re interested in having a dramaturg to work with, consider SheATL!
- We also like shows that reflect the community in terms of subject matter: so, if you’re based in NYC right now, but your show is about a community in Georgia, consider checking SheATL as one of your cities you’d like to be considered for.
- The NYC Festival has the most intensive process, highest expectations in terms of production value, and widest reach in terms of audience & industry visibility. So if your show is at an earlier stage in development, you might consider selecting one of the other cities as an option.
If any of the above reasons impacts your decision, let us know in the “Anything else we should know?” section of the application.
BEFORE YOU APPLY, CLICK THE ICON TO READ ABOUT EACH CITY’S FESTIVAL:
Ready to apply?
Need help with the form? Email info@shenycarts.org if you’re experiencing any glitches.
You can also click here for a video of tips and best practices for your application!