First, get a copy of the Dramatists Sourcebook. It lists hundreds of festivals, contests, theaters that seek new works and theaters that specialize in specific types of plays. It is expensive but you can get one that is a couple of years old a lot cheaper and the material is still relevant.
Given that let me put on my producer hat.
I am Artistic Director of a small (60 seat) theater in a town of 3,500 in the Pacific Northwest. Our theater puts on 4 or 5 productions a year. We try to do one unpublished play a year. I prefer second productions. We don't need the "World Premier" cachet. Past experience has shown me that first productions of plays by new playwrights need a lot of work to get them ready for the stage. More time than we can spend.
I get about 100 queries a year from playwrights looking for a theater to produce their play. Here is what I need to know: Cast requirements: Number of actors: ages, ethnicity, special requirements. Type of play: Presentational, representational, musical, comedy, drama, romantic comedy. Staging considerations, language, nudity, costumes, music (live?), number sets, running time and special effects. A brief synopsis of the play.
Some people include a short (10 page) piece of the script, most don't. If you do, I prefer the first 10 pages (your play needs to get going right away and not be bogged down with exposition and I can understand the context of what is happening).
I will respond to every query that is coherent and gives me the information I need to decide whether I want to read the script. I will ask for the full script about 25% of the time.
It will usually take me a couple of months to read your script. My slush pile is usually pretty full. The fuller my slush pile is, the fewer times I will ask for the full script. That said I usually read 30 to 50 unpublished scripts a year. (Remember I am looking for just one. When/if I find it, the pressure is off and I spend less time reading).
When your script has percolated to the top of my slush pile (or has something about it that makes me want to read it out of order), I print out the first 25 pages. If, at the end of the 25 pages I'm still interested, I print out another 25 and so on until I'm no longer interested or (rarely) I get to the end of the play. Remember: I'm looking for one play a year. I have to be selective. I will frequently pass the printed script around to others to get their opinion.
This summer is a little different in that we have two public readings (not productions) of unpublished plays, both by playwrights I have been "watching" for several years, who have now progressed to the point where their work deserves a reading.
I'd start sending query letters to nearby theaters and colleges with a theater program. Being local is BIG plus when it comes to picking a play to present.
The other route is to get it published (most likely on-line). Places like Stageplays.Com (can't remember any others right now. If I think of them I'll edit this). There aren't many places that will accept your play for their inventory without some award or production. This site (AW) has a play writing sub-forum I visit every day.
My only rule about scams is don't pay anything. We'll pay you if we like your play.
Doug
