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Monday Night Critique Sessions
When: First and third Monday of each month at 7pm, at Horizon Theatre
Open to: All Affiliates (interested public are welcome to observe)
This is our basic play-development program. Affiliate Playwrights may bring in one or more short works, or an excerpt of a longer work. The piece(s) will be read aloud and receive a formal, written critique and, if the Affiliate wishes (and time permits), they receive on-the-spot constructive feedback.Using a blind submission process, we ensure a critique that is raw and real, not filtered through well-meaning friendships. Each playwright is allotted approximately 20 minutes per session. Though the playwright will always receive written feedback in the form of WTP's standard seven question feedback sheet, the playwright has the option of using their 20 minutes solely to have the work read, or to include moderated talkback.
WTP hires up to four professional actors for each Monday evening session. We avoid inviting actors if they won't have at least two – ideally three – good roles to read in an evening. If we don't have enough actors to cast a given piece the other playwrights in attendance – many of whom are also actors – fill in. Alternatively, playwrights with work on deck who prefer to have more actors than playwrights do their reading may hire – at their own expense – additional actors to read for them that evening.
Affiliate Playwrights are notified by e-mail on Sunday, a week before each Monday night critique session. They will have until Tuesday, 5pm to submit casting requests.
To arrange to have work read, you must:
- Notify the Moderator/Casting Coordinator that you have work to be read, including the approximate length in minutes, and the number of actors the piece needs. You must include the number of men/women/children, approximate ages, and any ethnic considerations (It's rare that any one writer will get exactly what they want, given that the actors need to be able to read diverse pieces, and availability is always a factor).
- Bring a clean copy of the script for each reader and an extra copy for whomever reads stage directions. The writer must highlight or underscore the stage directions that should be read on every script.
- Scripts must be printed in Samuel French format, using Courier 12 point font.