The submission window for the 2010 National Playwrights Conference is now closed. We thank all of those who applied this year for your interest in the conference. Notification on the first round of the selection process will take place in early February, with final decisions to occur in April. Though the dates of the conference have not been decided, playwrights selected should expect to be in residency for the entire month of July.

We will post application guidelines for the 2011 conference in August 2010 - with the submission window to take place over September and October. If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to familiarize yourself with the process description and application below. While the guidelines for applying to the 2011 conference are likely to change, it will be useful to familiarize yourself with the guidelines for the 2010 conference.

Thank you for your interest, and please don't hesitate to contact the literary office with any questions.

Open Submissions Process Description

Each year, NPC solicits scripts from the field for consideration in its summer landmark event, and takes this solicitation and selection process very seriously. The O'Neill typically receives 800 scripts during this month-long window. The plays are then sent to readers across the country-the work is read blindly and narrowed down into a semi finalist pool and then a finalist pool. This process is maintained by our on-site literary office and is monitored carefully.

The majority of selected plays come from this Open Submission process. Each year, there might be one or two invitations for a prominent playwright to participate, and this policy has been in place since the inception of the Conference, under Lloyd Richards. For example, in 2009, seven plays were developed, five of which came directly from the Open Submissions process, one from our international Irish project, and one from an invitation. In 2007 and 2008, eight plays were developed, five from Open Submissions, one from the Irish Project, one from a collaboration with the Goodman Theatre, and one an invitation.

The O'Neill takes its mission for the discovery of new work and artists to heart. The leadership team at the O'Neill and the National Playwrights Conference is committed to the Open Submissions policy. This means that the majority of plays developed will be drawn from this pool each summer. Any other characterizations are false. Invitations or collaborations will be in the minority, but will always be a part of the mix, as they help launch conversations with a larger national field.

The submission fee is $35 dollars. This covers the costs of the process itself. The O'Neill is making active efforts to reduce this fee, including the establishment of the Wendy Wasserstein Endowment Fund. This Endowment, as funds continue to grow, will eventually reduce and eliminate the fee, and will guarantee the process remains open in perpetuity, a process dear to Wendy's heart.

The National Playwrights Conference dedicates itself to the writer. They are placed first in everything we do, and are our priority. This team advocates for each developed play to move into full production, the success of which is borne out over the last five seasons, as the majority of works have moved to significant world premiere productions at theaters of all sizes around the country.

Open Submissions Application

The submissions window for the 2010 National Playwrights Conference closed on October 23rd, 2009. We will not be accepting further applications until the fall of 2010.

Please follow the link below to review the 2010 NPC Application and to read the Eligibility and Guidelines page. (NOTE: These are simply sample documents, be sure to check back in August for the proper 2011 National Playwrights Conference Application.)

If you are unable to open the link, please send a SASE to:

National Playwrights Conference
Eugene O'Neill Theater Center
305 Great Neck Road
Waterford, CT 06385

Attn: Application & Guidelines

If you have any further questions, please contact the Literary Office at litoffice@theoneill.org.

We appreciate your interest!