The Blank Theatre Is Currently Accepting Scripts

The Blank Theatre in Hollywood is now accepting script submissions through July 30 for its 2018–2019 Living Room Series, which will begin in September.

The Living Room Series (LRS) is a New Play Development program which embodies The Blank’s commitment to developing new work by both established and emerging writers. Submissions by women, playwrights of color, and other under-represented voices are strongly encouraged. The Blank is firmly committed to supporting gender parity and diversity. The LRS takes place on Monday evenings between Labor Day and Memorial Day at The Blank’s 2nd Stage Theatre. This program offers a week-long collaborative rehearsal process during which the playwright, director, and actors can explore and refine the play before presenting it to an audience. The performances are minimally staged with actors carrying scripts and are a wonderful opportunity for the playwright to get a sense of the play’s full potential. Guidelines and submission requirements are available at http://www.theblank.com/livingroomseries/. 

The LRS has developed over 600 new plays. Many have later received productions at venues including Manhattan Theatre Club, Transport Group, Laguna Playhouse, Malibu Playhouse, The Colony Theatre, Primary Stages, Vineyard Theatre, LaMaMa ETC, and Brideswell Theatre in London. In 2014 The Explorer’s Club by Nell Benjamin (twice developed in the LRS) was produced by Manhattan Theatre Club where it won the NY Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play.

Fifteen plays from the Living Room Series have received mainstage productions at The Blank, including Heads by EM Lewis which won the 2008 Francesca Primus Prize and has had subsequent productions at Theater For A New City and other regional venues. The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle (LADCC) recently awarded Aliza Goldstein its 2016 Ted Schmitt Award for World Premiere of an Outstanding New Play to A Singular They, which was first developed in The Blank’s LRS and received its world premiere on the main stage in the spring of 2016. The production was nominated for seven StageRaw awards, including Outstanding Playwriting.