Call for Submissions: Musical Works in Concert, SummerWorks Festival

The Summerworks Theatre Festival in Toronto also has a series called Musical Works In Concert which showcases new works by artists working with musical theatre models but in a more simplified concert format. The selected works will be performed over two evenings on Sunday, August 7th, and Monday, August 8th, 2011.

They are now seeking applications from artists working in conventional and unconventional musical models. The work must have both live musical and dramatic elements, and be unproduced. They encourage all manner of artists to apply, nut just theatre artists, but also indie musicians, dancers, video artists, etc. The minimum length of the work is forty-five minutes. It may be a complete work, or an complete first act of an unfinished work.

The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, February 1st, 2011 (postmarked).
---

Musical Works In Concert

Musical Works Application Form 2011 Musical Works Application Form 2011
FESTIVAL INFORMATION

SummerWorks 2011 is a juried theatre festival of approximately 35 one-act plays that runs for eleven days from August 4-14, 2011 in Toronto. We feature primarily new Canadian work, complemented by international premieres, new visions of contemporary Canadian plays and interpretations of classics. SummerWorks is a developmental festival, supporting new work that has a clear artistic vision and/or explores a specific theatrical aesthetic. We encourage risk, questions, and creative exploration while insisting on accessibility, integrity and professionalism. SummerWorks is the place where dedicated, professional artists are free to explore new territory and take artistic risks. We look to introduce professional artists from diverse communities and be inspired by our similarities and differences.

Now in our 21st year, SummerWorks continues to support the artistic visions of the participants in the festival by providing them with the best possible production resources at the lowest cost, attracting the largest possible audience, and facilitating artistic and professional career assistance. The Festival provides a complete framework, which includes the renting of professional venues, hiring of technical staff, lighting designers, festival publicity and marketing, ticket sales, technical and performance scheduling, and front of house management.

MUSICAL WORKS IN CONCERT (Part of the MUSIC SERIES)
Last year was the inaugural year of the Musical Works in Concert series, which featured three new full-length works of music theatre.

The focus of these evenings is to showcase new pieces by artists working with musical theatre models. The series offers artists a space to have their work presented in a stripped-down concert format in front of an audience.

Participating companies do not pay any Entrance Fee (other than the reading fee) and receive 100% of their box office revenue after technical expenses. Additional production support with casting and development will be available to participating companies if so desired.

The Music Series runs the duration of the SummerWorks Festival, from August 4-14th. The dates for this year’s Musical Works in Concert will be scheduled on two consecutive nights during the Festival’s duration.
FEES
There is a $25.00 non-refundable reading fee that must be included with the application form.

SELECTION AND SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

• Original works that have been previously unproduced
• Work from both conventional and unconventional models of the traditional musical theatre is accepted.
• Work must contain both live musical and dramatic elements
• Minimum running time is 45 minutes. We are accepting full-length shows (one or two acts) or completed first acts of unfinished musicals. Participating companies are responsible for obtaining the relevant production rights for their shows and engaging performers.

* Applications from diverse artistic practices are strongly encouraged to apply
(i.e. theatre artists, musicians, dancers, video artists, etc.).

The jury will be made up of prominent music and theatre professionals.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

ALL APPLICATIONS MUST INCLUDE 2 COPIES OF THE FOLLOWING:

• Letter of intent, no more than two pages.Include an overview of the project, the stage of its development, artists involved (confirmed or potential), and any plans for further development.
• Complete script.

As this is a program for works in development, we understand, and even expect, that the script will undergo changes from the date of submission to the date of presentation. If the script is not quite finished, please include what you’ve written, and be clear in the synopsis filling in any blanks that may exist in the script.

• 2-3 page synopsis, noting the placement of songs included on the demo recording
• Demo recording* on CD including at least 50% of the songs in the show
• Author and artist bios
• ONE $25 reading fee (cheques addressed to SummerWorks)

*please note: the demo recording does not have to be professionally produced and can be homemade, but the sound should be clear and accurately convey the style of the score.

In addition to these copies, please include the SummerWorks application form, included at the bottom of this information.

Applications will be assessed based on artistic merit, clarity of vision, and balance with the other pieces that are chosen.

DEADLINE

The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, February 1st, 2011. All submissions must be postmarked by this date.

Applications (including the reading fee) should be mailed to:

MUSICAL WORKS IN CONCERT
c/o SummerWorks Theatre Festival
P.O. Box 12, Station C
Toronto, ON
M6J 3M7

*Please be sure to clearly mark your package to the attention of the Musical Works in Concert team

The successful applicants will be contacted by April 1st, 2011.

If you have any further questions with regards to your application or about the Festival in general, please send an email to music.theatre@summerworks.ca. We’d be happy to help.

Best of luck and we look forward to reading your submissions.

http://www.summerworks.ca/2010/festival-musicworks.php