Village Originals is one of the most comprehensive new musicals program in the country. Made up of residencies, readings, developmental productions, and full productions, this unique program works with shows in every stage of the writing process, giving nationally recognized authors the resources and talent they need to create dynamic new pieces for the musical theatre repertoire. Village Originals Members and Beta Series audiences are an integral part of the process, giving writers and composers much needed feedback and input as their work continues to evolve.

MAINSTAGE

Fully-produced world premieres with 12-week runs at two theatres in Issaquah and Everett, respectfully, with over 20,000 subscribers. These shows have been through an entire developmental process and are ready for full design and staging.

THE BETA SERIES

This groundbreaking program is a series of workshop productions of fully-produced, staged performances but with simple sets and costumes so creative teams are not hindered by complicated technical elements and are able to make big, bold changes every performance based on audience response over a few weekends. These productions are open to the public but critics are not invited and there are no premiere titles taken away from the authors. These shows are production-ready, tested on their feet in front of an audience for the first time.

FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS

The Festival of New Musicals is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to see a new musical before it gets any staging, costumes or sets. In the Festival, five new musicals are presented in staged readings—rehearsed, on-book presentations of new works—over a summer weekend full of parties, events, and new musicals. This is a national industry-only event that Village Originals Members are given exclusive access to. Shows at this stage have a draft of the show that is ready to be read and sung fully, many shows are read for the very first time at the Festival.

WRITER RESIDENCIES

The Writer Residency Program gives shows in early stages a chance to have dedicated, focused time to further develop ideas, generate material, and test drafts with professional actors while receiving consistent feedback and dramaturgical support. Writers are flown to Issaquah, provided a stipend, housing, dramaturgical and office support, and a group of on-call actors to read and sing material as it is written. These shows have yet to complete a first draft.

AT THE TABLE

Village Originals At The Table aims to give amplification to writers currently underrepresented in mainstream musical theatre through development programs specifically targeting the needs of these writers and their truly necessary, American voices. The program launched in spring 2018 with Village Theatre in residence in NYC developing six different projects at different stages of development.

Submission Info:

Village Theatre is committed to inclusivity and encourages submissions with diverse stories, experiences, musical styles, forms, content, and points of view.

Your musical must fit these criteria:

  • MUSICALS ONLY – we do not accept non-musical plays, plays with music, or traditional operas;
  • We are seeking professional-level writers. Emerging, mid-career, and master writers are all encouraged to submit;
  • We do not accept children’s theatre or Theatre For Young Audiences (TYA) shows;
  • While we only need a sample at this time, shows must have a full-length script available upon request (at least 80 minutes);
  • At least 3 demo recordings must be available – they do not need to be professional/studio quality but they must be clear enough to hear lyrics, melody and accompaniment;
  • All content must either be wholly original, based on work in public domain, or authors must have underlying rights and/or permissions to use any pre-existing material. No exceptions;
  • Your musical is still in development – no shows can have been on Broadway or licensed by a major licensing house.
We only accept digital submissions. Hard copy submissions will be returned unopened.

LIBRETTO SAMPLE INSTRUCTIONS
We ask that all open submissions submit a 15-20 page libretto sample. Full scripts will be accepted by invitation only. Please submit the 15-20 pages that will most make us want to read more. Your 15-20 page selection must be consecutive pages (ex: you may not submit pages 1-10 and 50-60) and two of your song demos must be contained within the sample pages you submit. Do not include a title page. If your script submission is longer than 20 pages total we will not review it.

SONG SELECTION INSTRUCTIONS
We ask for 3-5 songs. Please include all songs that are in your 15-20 page libretto sample. If you are able to include more songs beyond your libretto sample (without going over 5 songs) please choose the songs that most represent the show and your skill as a writer. ALL RECORDINGS MUST INCLUDE BOTH ACCOMPANIMENT AND VOCALS. NO INSTRUMENTALS ONLY. NO ACAPELLA ONLY. (Unless the show is intended to be performed acappella)

The 2018 deadline for script submissions has passed. We will be accepting new script submissions beginning May 1st of 2019.

SUBMIT HERE

Need help getting your script and song demos ready for submission? Email us here for script review, formatting, and demo recording and production services.