The Summer Play Festival (SPF) stages original new plays and musicals by emerging writers during the summer months at the legendary [ Public Theater ] in New York City. Since its inception in 2004, SPF has invested millions of dollars in emerging theatre artists, produced over 500 public performances, and has provided an opportunity for 75 writers, as well as hundreds of directors, designers, actors, stage managers, and interns to present their work in a protected environment.
SPF is the Only Festival of its Kind
- SPF presents full productions of its plays, not staged readings or workshops
- SPF provides full financial, administrative, technical and production support, at no cost to the artists
- SPF accepts unsolicited manuscripts, and does not charge application or artist participation fees
- SPF supplies guidance by established Broadway and off-Broadway professionals, including leading artistic directors to act as mentors to its productions
- SPF undertakes an extensive advertising, marketing and outreach program to introduce our plays and playwrights to audiences and industry
- SPF does not control or profit from future productions
Founded by Broadway producer [ Arielle Tepper Madover ], SPF is also committed to providing a low ticket price of only $10 to bring in new audience members. As a result, the Festival has sold out its four-week performance schedule for each of the past five years and has attracted a diverse audience of over 45,000 theatre patrons, the majority under the age of 35.
SPF playwrights have gone on to receive productions on Broadway, off-Broadway, regionally and internationally. Their work has been presented at institutions such as Lincoln Center Theater, the Roundabout Theatre Company, Manhattan Theater Club, the Atlantic Theater Company and Playwrights Horizons in New York City; the Royal National Theatre and the Donmar Warehouse in London; and dozens of acclaimed theatres across the United States and around the world.
Our History
The first Summer Play Festival was presented in 2004. In 2005, The Living Room for Artists, Inc. was formed as a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization to ensure that the Festival perpetuates its mission and whose central goal is to both fuel the growth of emerging theatre artists and encourage people to create, attend and work in the theatre.
Additional Programming
While the principal activity of The Living Room for Artists is the Summer Play Festival, the organization has developed [ other programs ] to advance its mission. These include an intensive internship program that attracts university students from across the country to work during the Festival; a program for new producers that gives them responsibility for a Festival production; a Careers in Theatre series of panels that are hosted throughout the year in conjunction with the Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting; the Donmar Warehouse Residency Program, which provides an opportunity for Festival writers to spend three weeks in residence at London's famed developmental theatre, where their plays are given a reading/workshop; and a Salon Series, moderated by Time Out New York theatre critics, which provides a forum to discuss ideas and concerns relevant to today's theatre.
In addition, The Living Room for Artists is currently expanding its relationships with theatre companies in the United States and Europe, creating opportunities for work, collaboration, and networks within New York City, around the country, and throughout the world.
Submissions
For more information about our [ submissions ] process, review our [ submission guidelines ] and [ frequently asked questions ].
Stay Updated!
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