Since the 1989/90 season, the first year of Artistic Director Steven Schipper’s tenure, Royal MTC has programmed an average of one new play each year. Of course, world premieres of new plays don’t happen overnight. Playwrights and their work must be nurtured. We commission new work (five are currently in various stages of development) and provide dramaturgical support including readings and workshops. In our quest for new projects, we accept about 100 script submissions each year, including new plays and works that have been previously produced, which are then read by staff and freelance analysts. We also produce a reading series, hiring actors to read promising scripts for Royal MTC staff.
It's not enough to write beautiful dialogue or to create memorable characters. Playwrights must give those characters clear goals, high stakes, formidable obstacles and a sense of urgency if they're to hold an audience’s interest. Story structure is an essential, but often underused, element in scriptwriting. Learn how to use it, in concert with great characters, insightful dialogue and important themes, and you'll be in the top 10% of the submissions we receive.
Due to the high volume of script submissions, we're not receiving new scripts at this time. Please revisit this page in September for details about our new submission process.