The Sheffield Local Theatre is a new studio theatre in the city centre, showcasing new work by emerging theatre creatives from Sheffield and the North. Our in-house company is seeking new scripts* to put on once per season.
- Payment: profitshare
- For writers based in the North
- Run: 4 performances
- Scale: small
- Length: 60 minutes+
- Cast size: up to 4
The deal:
You send us your script. We do everything else.
You get a share of the profits from the show’s run. (To be clear, this is not likely to be a large amount of money.)
If you’d like some involvement in the process of going from page to stage, we can work that out.
*If you’re a devising person/company with an idea, please get in touch. We’ll need to figure out exactly how we’ll work together to put the show on.
DEADLINE: MONDAY 20TH MAY
What kind of show are we looking for?
We love theatre that’s entertaining, compelling, or otherwise pulls us in; that says something important about the world, society, or human nature; and (let’s be honest here) that sells tickets.
We’re not looking for musicals.
If you’re adapting an existing work, you’ll need to sort out the rights to do so yourself. (Please do so before you start to write your adaptation. The thought of getting a “no” once you’ve finished a three-act is heartbreaking.)
How to apply:
DEADLINE: MONDAY 20TH MAY
Email programming@thelocaltheatre.com with the following:
The subject line should read: Script Submission – Name of Script – Name of Writer
For example: Script Submission – Cleansed – Sarah Kane
Please attach your script in both a .pdf and one of the .doc or .docx formats.
Please attach a synopsis of your script in both the .pdf and one of the .doc or .docx formats. The synopsis should tell us something about what happens in the show. Once we’ve read the synopsis, we should understand what it is about your script that excites, enrages, or otherwise interests you.
Please include this information in your email:
- Where you’re based, and how many (if any) of your shows have been put on (by you or other people).
- Any important information we need to know about your script/show that isn’t immediately clear (such as special effects, or if it’s anachronistically set in 1550).
Selection criteria:
We’re keen to put on work from Sheffield and the North. If you’re not based in Sheffield or the North, please save your script/show for someone else – we’re sure it’s excellent, but part of our mission statement is addressing a lack of opportunities up here.
Your script doesn’t need to be set in or be about Sheffield or the North.
Scale: Small. Our space will be a 90-seater black box with basic sound and lighting. Large sets and elaborate costumes are not things we can currently accomplish.
Length: 60 minutes or longer (slightly less is fine too)
Cast size: up to 4
Selection process:
We’re a team of two. Both of us will read your synopsis. If one of us likes the sound of it, they’ll read the script. If they love it they’ll pass it to the other to read. If we both love it, it goes on the shortlist. Then we debate the shortlist and choose the script we’ll do.
We can’t guarantee that we’ll finish reading every script. We might realise that a script isn’t for us before we reach the end.
Feedback:
We’ll aim to give brief feedback on why we didn’t choose scripts. Be warned: it may be as boring as “the central issue doesn’t grab us” or “too difficult to market to our audience”.