02/28/2026
UPDATE: We are thrilled to announce that the response to this year's Call for Submissions has been tremendous. As of March 3rd, we have nearly reached our original 250 script limit, and we need to close the window for submissions much earlier than expected.
The new and final deadline to submit a script for this year's Fern Street Play Festival will be midnight on Friday, March 6th.
~ CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS ~
Fourth Annual
Fern Street Play Festival
October 2, 3, and 4, 2026
Submissions Period: March 1 to March 31, 2026
ACCEPTING FIRST 250 SUBMISSIONS ONLY - NO FEE
Known locally as the church on Fern Street, The Universalist Church of West Hartford, Connecticut has a history of using theatre to build connections across our own progressive congregation and the local community. We continue to widen the circle of this tradition by inviting voices from far and wide to be part of our fourth annual play festival. Our mission is to uplift and examine the human condition through theatre. To that end, we invite playwrights to submit short plays, new or old, published or unpublished, to our no-fee juried play festival.
Our first three festivals were a great success, attracting in the third year more than 300 submissions from around the United States and a few other countries. Out of this pool, eight plays were chosen for seated readings and were performed by experienced actors from the community. The Festival attracted an enthusiastic audience over three performances.
This year, selected plays will receive a $100 honorarium. One grand prize will be awarded in the amount of $250. Each selected play will be produced as a reading for a live audience. We plan to make a video recording that can be made available to the playwright upon request, with the expectation that the recording of their play is not to be used for commercial purposes.
INSTRUCTIONS – PLEASE READ AND FOLLOW CAREFULLY
Submit a properly formatted playscript for the stage. For formatting guidance, see:
https://www.dramatistsguild.com/sites/default/files/2020-01/General-SFI-Formatting-Guidelines-Complete.pdf
Make the script itself “blind” by removing any visible reference *within the script itself* to the playwright’s name, address, bio, past performances, or awards. Please do put your full identifying information in the body of the cover email.
The play may be from any genre. It should be a complete, short play of no longer than 15 pages that can be presented in less than 15 minutes. Please submit only one play per playwright.
Email your script as a PDF document to:
[email protected]
by 11:59 p.m. on March 31, 2026. No late submissions will be accepted.
NOTE: We will stop accepting submissions when we receive 250 scripts.
SELECTION CRITERIA
Plays will be chosen for performance based on the following criteria:
1. Dramatic literary skill.
We will especially appreciate submissions that use drama as the main literary device. Plays that rely too heavily on exposition or are written in a didactic style will not meet the criteria for dramatic literary skill.
2. A performance time of no more than 15 minutes.
3. Illustrative of at least one of the Unitarian Universalist Seven Principles or Shared Values.
• 1st Principle: The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
• 2nd Principle: Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
• 3rd Principle: Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
• 4th Principle: A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
• 5th Principle: The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
• 6th Principle: The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
• 7th Principle: Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
• The Shared Values are: Love, Interdependence, Equity, Transformation, Pluralism, Generosity, and Justice.
We will select plays that we believe resonate with one or more of those principles.
REVIEW AND NOTIFICATION
A group of qualified readers will begin a blind review of scripts immediately. We plan to notify all writers of the outcome of the selection process no later than July 1, 2026.
PERFORMANCE OF SELECTED PLAYS
If selected, your play will be produced as a seated or minimally staged reading for a three-performance run. Performances will be held in the sanctuary of the historic Universalist Church of West Hartford and videorecorded. Performance dates are slated for October 2nd and 3rd, in the evening, along with a matinee on October 4th.
Productions will use a mix of qualified professional and amateur actors. The directors will have extensive theatre backgrounds.
The Festival will be marketed and advertised throughout the greater Hartford area.
Playwrights are welcome and encouraged to attend a performance! If traveling from out of state, writers will need to cover their own travel and lodging expenses.
QUESTIONS? Contact: [email protected]
