Does your company accept unsolicited scripts? What is your preferred method of script submission (e.g. full scripts, 10-page extracts, synopses)? Do you prefer hard copy (if so, to what address) or electronic submission (if so, to what email)?
Theatre Upstairs accepts unsolicited scripts from writers of any and all levels of experience. We ask that you send a full script, in hard copy format to: Theatre Upstairs, c/o Lanigan's Bar, Eden Quay, Dublin 1. What should writers expect if they send a script to you? (E.g. written acknowledgement, length of time between submission and response, feedback, etc.)
Theatre Upstairs will contact writers via email once scripts have been received and given a basic review by our literary managers. Due to the large volume of scripts received, this can take up to two months. Is there a designated point of contact in your company for new writing (e.g. a resident dramaturg or literary manager)?
Theatre Upstairs Literary Manager - Gerard Adlum Theatre Upstairs Literary Manager - Sarah Finlay What structures does your company generally employ when working on new writing (commissions, workshops, readings, work-in-progress presentations, one-on-one dramaturgical meetings, etc.)?
Each and every submitted script is read and considered at Theatre Upstairs. We try to put as many scripts as possible through to a table read, to which the writer is invited. Professional actors receive the script in advance of the reading, there are no cold reads and there is no public admittance. Afterwards, the writer has the option to hear feedback from the actors and the Theatre Upstairs team.
If we do not proceed to a table read with your script, we can provide a brief set of comments on the work, if requested.
What kind of new writing is your company interested in?
Theatre Upstairs is a new writing venue, therefore we can only accept new plays that have not been produced in their finished state, eg. pieces that have been performed as (clearly advertised) “works in progress” are acceptable.
Before you submit a script to Theatre Upstairs, we suggest that you familiarise yourself with our space; come and see the plays being produced here and take a look through some of our previous productions. This should give you a better feel for what we are looking for and help you to submit work that is appropriate for the space. Unfortunately, Theatre Upstairs cannot consider resubmissions or new drafts of plays we have read and responded to, unless we have specifically requested a new draft. Unfortunately, we cannot accept multiple annual submissions.