The Forest Roberts Theatre Presents
The Thirty-First Annual Competition for the

MILDRED and ALBERT PANOWSKI
PLAYWRITING AWARD

PURPOSE

The playwriting Award was established in 1977 by the Forest Roberts Theatre at Northern Michigan University. From 1978 through 1993, the Shiras Institute, a prominent Upper Michigan philanthropic fund, participated in this event, which was known as the Shiras Institute/ Forest Roberts Theatre Playwriting Award. Beginning with the Fourteenth Annual Competition, Dr. James A. Panowski, Director of the Forest Roberts Theatre, has provided financial assistance for the competition in memory of his parents, Albert and Mildred Panowski. In 1993, Dr. Panowski became the sole benefactor of the competition, which now bears the names of his parents. The award is designed to encourage and stimulate artistic growth among educational and professional playwrights. It provides students and faculty the unique opportunity to mount and produce an original work on the university stage. The playwright will benefit from seeing the work on its feet in front of an audience and from professional a! djudication by guest critics.

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JUDGING

Each play will be read and judged by members of a university-wide screening committee. Semi-Finalists will be read by a select departmental committee and Finalists will be judged by an undergraduate and graduate theatre student, the director, the designer, a playwriting instructor, and an at-large playreader.

AWARD

• $2,000 cast award to the winning playwright.
• A fully-mounted production in November, 2008, as the second production of the 2008-2009 Forest Roberts Theatre season.
• The winning playwright will be flown to Marquette to serve as Artist-in-Residence the week of the show.
• The production of the winning play may be entered in the American College Theatre Festival competition.
• Room and board will be provided.
• Classroom and media appearances, along with conducting seminars and workshops will be part of the residency.
• The winning playwright may be expected to participate in a Script Development Workshop on the NMU campus during the summer of 2008, and work with a professional dramaturg, the director, and an assembled cast. Transportation, room and board will be provided.

• Northern Michigan University has the right to produce the play for five performances in November, 2008, as part of the Forest Roberts Theatre season and for any additional performances as required by the American College Theatre Festival.
• Northern Michigan University has the right to use the name of the play and the author’s name in publicity and promotion.
• Northern Michigan University has the right to negotiate with the playwright for future productions of the work.
• In the event of all subsequent publications or productions of the winning manuscript (or versions thereof), and as one of the stipulations of the award, the author agrees to indicate in a footnote or in the playbill that the script won the 2008 Mildred and Albert Panowski Playwriting Award by the Forest Roberts Theatre at Northern Michigan University.
• Northern Michigan University will not make any additional claims to the use of the script.
• The winning playwright is ineligible to enter future playwriting competitions at Northern Michigan University.
• The Forest Roberts Theatre reserves the right to videotape the production for archival purposes and/or the Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival.

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1. There is no restriction as to theme or genre for the 2007-2008 competition.

2. The competition is open to any playwright, but only one play per playwright may be entered.

3. Entries must be original, full-length plays. They also may be co- authored, based upon factual material, or an adaptation. The legal clearance of materials not in public domain is the full responsibility of the playwright.

4. Musicals, one-act plays, and works previously entered in playwriting competitions sponsored by Northern Michigan University are ineligible.

5. Submission is restricted to plays that have not been previously produced or published.

6. No revisions will be accepted once a script has been submitted.

7. Scripts must be securely bound within a cover or folder and clearly identified. Scripts bound with staples or fasteners are not acceptable. Entries must be either typewritten or word processed and must include a title page with the playwright’s name and address. Entries not meeting these criteria will be disqualified.

8. All entries must include a synopsis of no more than one single- spaced word processed/typewritten page with the title and the playwright’s name at the top. This synopsis must be separate from the bound script. It will be used by the playwriting award coordinator and not circulated to the playreaders.

9. The window for submitting entries opens on August 1, 2007. The deadline for the receipt of scripts (not simply a postmark on the mailing package) is Wednesday, October 31st, 2007! The winner will be announced on or about April 25th, 2008. Please note that because of our geographical remoteness, express mailing services such as overnight or one-day delivery do not arrive on time. Please take this into consideration when shipping materials.

10. Northern Michigan University reserves the right to accept or reject any play entered in the contest. A winner need not be announced for every competition.

11. No written or oral critique will be given on plays submitted.

12. If the play is among the finalists, the author will, upon request, provide additional copies for the panel.

13. Each script must be accompanied with a self-addressed stamped envelope and an official Entry Blank, or enclosure a 3” X 5” index card with the following information: Name(s), Address, City, State, & Zip, Telephone Number(s), Email address and Title of Play.

14. Entries not accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope with sufficient postage will not be returned.

15. All entries will be handled with extreme care, but Northern Michigan University cannot assume responsibility for lost or damaged scripts. It is suggested that playwrights retain copies of their scripts.

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SUBMISSION

Download the Submission Form

One copy of each play submitted should be mailed to:

Panowski Playwriting Competition – Attn: Matt Hudson
Forest Roberts Theatre
Northern Michigan University
1401 Presque Isle Ave.
Marquette, MI 49855

Playwriting Award Information – Attn: Matt Hudson Forest Roberts Theatre
Northern Michigan University
1401 Presque Isle Ave.
Marquette, MI 49855
906-227-2559