Eugene O'Neill Theater Center Announces Start of Open Submissions For 2008 Summer Conferences

The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, 305 Great Neck Road, Waterford, Connecticut, announces the start of its Open Submissions process for projects to be included in its July Ð August 2008 national new works Conferences. Applicants are invited to submit projects for the O'Neill's National Playwrights Conference and National Music Theater Conference. National Playwrights Conference submissions will be accepted from September 17, 2007 through October 15, 2007. National Music Theatre Conference submissions will be accepted from September 1, 2007 through December 1, 2007.

The O'Neill's Open Submission Process is unique in the field of developing worksfor the stage. It is a key element in its Conference mission to encourage creativity and develop diverse voices and new works for the American stage. Applicants may submit work for consideration through a multi-tiered selection process involving multiple readers and a panel of theater professionals who consider projects based on each writer's voice as presented in the script and not on a recognizable name or previous Accomplishments. This anonymity is what enables the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center to continue to seek and develop new voices for the stage. Selected artists receive a developmental residency at the O'Neill during the summer of 2008.

The O'Neill also continues to build its endowment to support the Open Submissions process, begun in 2006 and named in honor of O'Neill playwright Wendy Wasserstein. Income from this permanent endowment will be used to defray costs associated with the Submissions and selection process. Please call 860-443-5378 x217 for more information about making a gift to the Wendy Wasserstein Fund.

Wendy C. Goldberg, Artistic Director of the National Playwrights Conference, noted, "This Conference belongs to the playwrights, and I believe that it is imperative to allow the playwrights who submit their Work the opportunity to have their plays read and considered seriously for the conference. I remain committed to the open submission process and it is a priority for the Playwright's Conference to seek out the best writers through this endeavor."

Paulette Haupt, co-founder and Artistic Director of the National Music Theater Conference describes the open submission policy as "the heart of our mission since the inception of the Conference in 1978. We look forward to hearing from the next generation of writers and composers who enter the wilderness of intuition and explore the form in new and innovative directions."

Submissions for the National Playwrights Conference must be postmarked from September 17, 2007 through October 16, 2007. Details of submission requirements for the National Playwrights Conference are available at the O'Neill's website: www.theoneill.org/prog/plays/playapp.htm. Submissions for the Music Theater Conference must be postmarked from September 1, 2007 through December 1, 2007. Details of submission requirements for the Music Theater Conference are available at the O'Neill's website: www.theoneill.org/prog/music/submit.htm. For further information about either conference, please contact Martin Kettling, Literary Manager, at 860-443-5378 , x227 or via e-mail at: litoffice@theoneill.org.