Newnan Community Theatre Company Seeking Commissioned Work

The Newnan Community Theatre Company, Inc., is seeking proposals for the writing of an original English language full-length play of at least ninety minutes. The subject is the 1948 murder of Wilson Turner in Coweta County, Georgia, and the trial, and events leading up to the trial, of John Wallace. Characters must include historically reasonable portrayals of John Wallace, Sheriff Lamar Potts, and Mayhayley Lancaster. The play must be able to be staged in the 1904 county courthouse in Newnan, Georgia, where the trial originally took place.

1. Scripts under development must be produced in an electronic format allowing markup and comments, such as Microsoft Word.

2. The selected author will be required to execute an agreement with NCTC for the development of the script and for future dramatic rights.

3. Future productions of the work, or any publication of the play, will include acknowledgment of the commissioner. This acknowledgment will take the following form: "Work on this play was completed with generous support from Newnan Community Theatre Company, Inc."

4. In addition to receiving completed copies of the play, NCTC will be entitled to view drafts of the play as it progresses toward completion. NCTC will also be invited to any readings, public or private, of the work in progress.

5. For the commission awarded, NCTC reserves the right of first production (world premiere) upon completion of the commission. NCTC will reserve the right of annual production of the dramatic work thereafter.

6. The work must NOT be a derivative work of Margaret Anne Barnes' book, Murder in Coweta County, or any other published work.

7. Content must be suitable for family audiences.

8. The script must be completed no later than December 9, 2012.

9. Only full-length plays or musicals are solicited. Collaborations are welcome.

10. An initial award of $500 will be awarded upon execution of the agreement. A second award of $500 will be made upon acceptance of the first act.

11. An amount of $5,000 will be awarded upon completion of the script and acceptance of the work by NCTC.

The application consists of three parts, which must be submitted simultaneously and postmarked by September 30, 2011:

1. The playwright's resume must be included, along with name, address, email and phone numbers.

2. Statement of Interest: This statement will describe how the playwright intends to develop the theme and content of the play. An outline of the play and other stylistic plans for artistic expression may be included, as well as sample scenes if available.

3. Proposed timetable for development of the work.

4. One copy of a previously completed full-length script by the applicant: Submitted scripts need not have received previous productions for submission.

Please note:

12. The postmark deadline for applications is September 30, 2011, and NCTC will notify all playwrights of its decision by December 9, 2011.

13. All parts of the application must be sent on a CD / DVD, in the form of a PDF. 14. There is no fee for application. 15. NCTC does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, ethnic background, age, or religion.

Applications may be sent to:

Newnan Community Theatre Company, Inc. P. O. Box 275 Newnan, GA 30264

Selection will be made by a committee composed of the NCTC Managing Director, Artistic Director, Board of Directors, Dramaturge, and other advisory group members as named.

All inquiries related to the commission may be directed via email to our Dramaturge at Dramaturge@NewnanTheatre.org.

Joseph Harrison has been involved with the theatre in some form or fashion all his life. He holds a Journalism degree from the University of Georgia, but his true love is the theatre which he has been involved in as a spectator as well as an actor for the last 20 years. He has performed in a variety of musicals over the years including PIPPIN, CITY OF ANGELS, 1776, WORKING and GODSPELL (Jesus) and JOSEPH?.DREAMCOAT (Joseph) just to name a few. He currently resides in Conyers, GA (Metro Atlanta) with his wife, Shannon and their two children.

More Articles by This Author...