KCACTF Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival

The distinguished playwright and screenwriter Michael Kanin (1910-1993) arranged for a remarkable series of awards to be given to student writers whose plays are produced as part of the festival. The purpose of the program is to encourage college students to write for the stage by providing the opportunity for them to engage in the complete playwriting process.

Playwrights can best learn their craft by collaborating with actors, directors, and others through all stages of production, including rehearsals and performances. The festival expects the same high standard of production support for original scripts as is given any entry.

Each new play registered as a Participating production will be considered for regional and national festival presentation with other entries. The play selected to receive the National Student Playwriting Award will be presented at the national festival. The KCACTF National Selection Team will view National Student Playwriting Award entrants selected for regional festival presentation and select from that pool of entries.

The student-written play must be entered at the appropriate level. Plays eligible for the National Student Playwriting Award must be Participating-level entries. All others may be entered at either the Associate or Participating level. All student-written entries must receive some kind of public performance either at their own university or at a regional festival.

Student playwrights interested in participating in the Ten-Minute Play Award should contact the regional chair for specific information.

1. A new play or musical may be a collaboration, adaptation, company-written play, or a play based on factual materials but may not be a translation. To be eligible, adaptations from other works must include written permission for works under copyright and must involve substantial changes in form and/or expression.

2. A full-length play is defined as either one major work or two or more shorter works written by the same playwright, based on a single theme, or encompassed within a unifying framework. In all cases, the entry must provide a full evening of theater-approximately one and one-half hours or longer, including intermissions. (See the Short Play Awards Program for productions that may not fit this category.)

3. The award(s) for which the play is to be considered must be clearly indicated on the registration form filed with the national office, the copy filed with the regional chair, and the copy filed with the regional playwriting chair. Verification of student status of the playwright must be provided by the theater department chair. A space is provided on the registration form to confirm student eligibility.

4. College theaters may produce plays written by students other than their own, provided the students meet the requirements detailed in item 5 below.

5. To be eligible for any student playwriting award, an undergraduate must carry a minimum of 6 semester hours (or equivalent quarter hours), while a graduate must carry 3 semester hours (or equivalent quarter hours). Undergraduate, graduate, and continuing part-time student playwrights must be matriculating, degree-seeking students. It is expected that work on the new play will have begun during the period the student is so enrolled, and the production must be presented during that period or within two years after his or her enrollment ends. The head of the theater department in which the student playwright is enrolled will verify in writing to the regional Playwriting Awards Committee chair that the playwright is a bona fide student as set forth in this paragraph.

6. As with regular entries, materials may be submitted at any time during the year. Those presented after the deadline established by the region will be considered for the KCACTF of the upcoming year.

7. All student-original plays entered in the current KCACTF year are eligible for any of the appropriate playwriting awards. Only productions entered as Participating entries may be considered for the regional and national festivals.

8. If the play is a student-original play, acknowledgment of all individual award entries must be noted in the program, e.g., "This play is entered in the Michael Kanin Playwriting Awards Program and is being considered for the Lorraine Hansberry Award and the National Student Playwriting Award."

9. A separate copy of the script must be forwarded to the KCACTF National Office for each individual playwriting award entered by e-mail with the play(s) attached to Gregg Henry at ghenry@kennedy-center.org. In addition, a copy of the script should be sent to the regional playwriting chair no later than thirty days prior to the play's initial KCACTF production (go to your regional website to find your regional NPP Chair contact information). All new works intended for inclusion in the Michael Kanin Playwriting Awards Program must be accompanied by written documentation or a script. A one-paragraph synopsis for each new play must accompany the application form and the script.

10. The final draft of the script must be in the national office no later than December 1, 2006. Failure to submit scripts before the deadline will result in ineligibility for the award. (Consult your Regional Playwriting Chair for possible exceptions to this rule.)

11. Playwrights, student and non-student, whose plays are developed and produced as part of the KCACTF Michael Kanin Playwriting Awards Program, agree to acknowledge in perpetuity the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in all productions of the play subsequent to its presentation in the KCACTF, regardless of whether the presentation occurred on the local, regional, or national level. Acknowledgment must appear in written form in the program (such as Stagebill) production credits.

12. The KCACTF National Playwriting Program encourages the continuing development of new plays through revisions leading toward subsequent productions. The entry of a new play in the awards program does not disqualify it from future entry as a participating or associate production for the Playwriting Awards Program by the school that originally produced the work, or by any school, provided that: 1) the work has been revised; 2) the play did not previously win one of the national Playwriting Awards; 3) the playwright is still eligible (as set forth in paragraph 5, above).

13. Recipients of the Michael Kanin Playwriting Program Awards whose plays are not presented as part of the Washington national festival will be invited to the Kennedy Center, all expenses paid, during the KCACTF national festival to accept the award at a KCACTF public event. The winner's regional chair can accept the award on behalf of the winner and/or his or her school.

14. All scripts must be typed following the standard play manuscript format (e.g. Samuel French style sheet or see our Standard Format page) and paginated. It is recommended that scripts be sent by e-mail to the appropriate entity. However, if e-mail is impossible, clear photo-copies or letter-quality computer print-outs are acceptable. All manuscripts must be firmly bound in a cover; however, electronic submission is preferable. Eligible scripts must be received by the KCACTF national office by the deadline specified (December 1^st of every year). Submissions not adhering to these guidelines will be disqualified.

Note: There are separate Rules and Procedures for the Short Play Awards Program and the Musical Theater Award.

The National Student Playwriting Award, initiated in 1974, is part of the Michael Kanin Playwriting Awards Program. This awards program is a series of awards given to student writers whose plays are produced as part of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF). The purpose of the program is to encourage college students to write for the stage by providing the opportunity for them to collaborate with actors, directors, and others through all stages of production, including rehearsals and performances. Please refer to the Rules and Procedures. The playwright and/or institution chosen for the National Student Playwriting Award may receive the following:

* Production of the play at the Kennedy Center as part of the KCACTF national festival, with all expenses paid for the production and the playwright.

* Dramatists Guild Award. The Dramatists Guild Award provides the playwright with Active membership in the Guild.

* Samuel French Award. Samuel French, Inc. may offer the playwright a contract for publication of the play, and will send the playwright royalties received for productions of the play worldwide.

* Sundance Theater Laboratory Fellowship. The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival will provide the winner with an all-expenses paid fellowship to the Sundance Theater Lab. The Sundance Theater Laboratory will arrange for the playwright to meet in a mentoring situation with the Sundance resource directors, playwrights, and dramaturgs.

* The Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) Award. ATHE will present an award of $100 to each theater department producing an original student-written, full-length play at each of the eight KCACTF Regional Festivals. Additionally, ATHE will present a cash award of up to $1000 to the theater department of the school producing the National Student Playwriting Award-winner in a public ceremony during the KCACTF National Festival.

For other questions, refer to “Rules and Procedures for the Michael Kanin Playwriting Awards Program” above.

The Short Play Awards Program is named in honor of Dr. John Cauble, Professor Emeritus of UCLA, who provided guidance and support for the establishment of the Michael Kanin Award Program. His continued participation in the recognition of student playwrights through the former “Playwriting Awards Development Committee” is a cornerstone within the Michael Kanin Awards Program.

This program seeks to bring recognition to the area of student-written short plays that are produced by colleges and universities across the nation and to encourage young writers to develop the short play form in preparation for the playwriting profession.

The John Cauble Short Play Awards Program recognizes one or more outstanding productions of such plays in colleges and universities each year, with consideration for presentation at the national festival at the Kennedy Center. The awards to each playwright whose work is presented at the national festival include:

* A professional development opportunity developed specifically for the winning playwright in consultation with the National Playwriting Program and the KCACTF National Office.

* Dramatists Guild Award. The Dramatists Guild Award provides the playwright with Active membership in the Guild. It will also honor the author with the awarding of a certificate presented at its offices in New York City. In the past, the award recipient has been cited at a Guild reception to honor all the playwrights of the previous year.

Like all Michael Kanin Award entries, the play must be produced by a college or university or publicly presented in, at the very least, a “rehearsed” or “staged reading” format following a significant development process. The play must be entered in the KCACTF. It must comply with the guidelines for scripts entered in the KCACTF Michael Kanin Playwriting Program.

1. Each play will be considered separately, and the single Participating and/or Associate entry fee will cover a bill of up to three plays. (Speak with your Regional Playwriting Chair for possible exceptions to this rule.) Participants in full productions will be eligible for Irene Ryan Acting Scholarships (one departmental nomination per bill), the O'Neill National Critics Institute, the LMDA Student Dramaturgy program, and appropriate national design awards.

2. Short plays will be eligible for all awards in the Michael Kanin Playwriting Awards Program with the exception of the National Student Playwriting Award that is for full-length scripts.

3. The short play is defined as a play of one act without intermission that, within itself, does not constitute a full evening of theatre; the running time of a one-act play is under 60 minutes, and when typed in standard format (see our Standard Format page), a one-act play is approximately 15-45 (or so) pages in length.

4. Because of length, a short play may be invited to appear with other short plays at both the regional and national levels. It is for this reason that all design elements must be carefully crafted to facilitate the minimal set-up and strike time established by your regional Playwriting Chair in consultation with the regional Executive Committee and Festival Hosts.

5. “It is the intention of the Short Play Program to honor emerging theatrical voices. Therefore, the regional and national selection process should value the text, supported by strong acting, directing, and production values. Participating entry short plays chosen for the national festival are likely to be produced in the Kennedy Center's Lab Theater, a "black box" where scheduling demands minimal set-up/strike time. At the national festival, invited Associate entry short plays may be performed by the original college/university or staged read by actors cast from the national Irene Ryan Acting Award nominees and/or professional actors from the Washington, D.C., area.

The KCACTF Theater for Young Audiences Award

Presented in association with Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences, The KCACTF Theater for Young Audiences Playwriting Award for the outstanding Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival student-written play or adaptation on a theme for young people at any level between kindergarten and 12th grades.

* A $1000 cash prize will be awarded to the playwright.

* Dramatists Guild Award. The Dramatists Guild Award provides the playwright with Active membership in the Guild.

* The Kennedy Center's New Visions/New Voices Fellowship and Children's Theatre Foundation of America Fellowship: The winning playwright receives a fellowship to attend the Kennedy Center's New Visions/New Voices development laboratory in even numbered years and the Bonderman IUPUI National Youth Theatre Playwriting Development Workshop and Symposium in odd-numbered years. The $1,250 Fellowship covers travel, living expenses, per diem, and related Festival costs, if any. This important professional development opportunity enables the playwright to further refine his/her writing skills and to observe professionals at work on their craft.

*The play must be produced by a college or university or publicly presented in a “rehearsed” or “staged reading” format following a significant development process. The play must be entered, as an Associate or Participating entry, in the KCACTF. It must comply with the guidelines for scripts entered in the KCACTF Michael Kanin Playwriting Program.

For other questions, refer to “Rules and Procedures for the Michael Kanin Playwriting Awards Program” above.

The KCACTF Musical Theatre Award

The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival brings the Musical Theatre Award to faculty and college and university students. The composer, lyricist, librettist, and producing institution of the winning musical will receive the following:

* $1000 for music

* $1000 for lyrics

* $1000 for book

* $1000 to the college or university producing the musical

1. The musical must be entered in the KCACTF Michael Kanin Playwriting Awards Program. A completed registration form must be made showing that the production fulfills all conditions.

2. The musical must be original and copyrighted. A professional-quality cassette recording of the score must accompany all entries.

3. The writing team (composer, lyricist, librettist) may be faculty and/or students; the students must fulfill the eligibility requirements as set forth in rule 5 for the Michael Kanin Playwriting Awards Program.

4. The play must be produced by a college or university or publicly presented in a “rehearsed” or “staged reading” format following a significant development process. The play must be entered, as an Associate or Participating entry, in the KCACTF. It must comply with the guidelines for scripts entered in the KCACTF Michael Kanin Playwriting Program.

5. A panel of artists from the field, selected by KCACTF, will make the final determination as to the winners. All collaborators agree to send the following entry materials before December 1

* A completed manuscript of the book, lyrics, and the score of the music;

* A professional-quality cassette or CD recording of the score.

For other questions, refer to “Rules and Procedures for the Michael Kanin Playwriting Awards Program” above.

Supported by the Kennedy Center Education Department, The Lorraine Hansberry Playwriting Award, initiated in 1977, is part of the Michael Kanin Playwriting Awards Program. The Lorraine Hansberry Playwriting Award is presented in the memory of the distinguished dramatist for the outstanding KCACTF student-written plays on the subject of the African-American experience. Hansberry was the first African-American playwright, and the youngest of any color, to win the New York Drama Critics Award for her drama, A Raisin in the Sun, which opened on Broadway in 1959. Lorraine Hansberry died in 1965 of cancer, at age thirty-four, at the peak of her career.

The Lorraine Hansberry Awards recognize the outstanding plays written by students of African or Diasporan descent that best express the African American experience.

* The first place award of $2,500 and a fellowship to attend the O'Neill National Playwrights' Conference.

* Dramatists Guild Award. The Dramatists Guild Award provides the playwright with Active membership in the Guild.

* Dramatic Publishing Company may present the first-place winning playwright with an offer of a contract to publish, license, and market the winning play.

* Grants of $750 and $500 will be made to the theater departments of the college or university producing the first and second place winners, respectively. Past national judges for the Lorraine Hansberry Playwriting Award include Kirsten Greenidge, Stephen McKinley Henderson, John Henry Redwood, Jennifer Nelson, Douglas Turner Ward, Robert Hooks, Dr. Endesha Ida Mae Holland, and Ron Himes.

The play must be produced by a college or university or publicly presented in a “rehearsed” or “staged reading” format following a significant development process. The play must be entered, as an Associate or Participating entry, in the KCACTF. It must comply with the guidelines for scripts entered in the KCACTF Michael Kanin Playwriting Program.

The O'Neill National Playwrights' Conference: The first place winner of the Lorraine Hansberry Award will have the opportunity to attend the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's National Playwrights Conference in Waterford, Connecticut, as official observers. During a ten-day to two-week fellowship at the Conference (July), the winning playwrights will have the opportunity to observe plays by noted playwrights in development and to have access to and assist the artistic staff of the Conference. KCACTF provides transportation to the O'Neill and an honorarium of $100. The O'Neill provides room, board, and tuition for the residency.

For other questions, refer to “Rules and Procedures for the Michael Kanin Playwriting Awards Program” above.

This award is offered to the outstanding student-written play that celebrates diversity and encourages tolerance while exploring issues of disempowered voices not traditionally considered mainstream.

One of KCACTF's most distinguished alumna, Paula Vogel won the 1977 National Student Playwriting Award for her play Meg while a student at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. Signature Theatre in New York is currently devoting a full season to he body of work. Her newest play, The Long Christmas Ride Home premiered at Trinity Repertory Theatre in the fall of 2003, and enjoyed a critically acclaimed run at the Vineyard Theatre in New York in Spring 2004. Her play How I Learned to Drive received the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and has been produced around the world. Ms. Vogel's plays have been performed at theatres such as the Roundabout Theatre Company, the Lucille Lortel Theatre, the Union Square Theatre and Circle Repertory in New York, Arena Stage, the American Repertory Theatre, Perseverance Theatre, the Goodman, the Magic Theatre, Center Stage and Alley Theatre as well as throughout Canada, England, Brazil and Spain. The Baltimore Waltz won the Obie for Best Play in 1992 and her anthology, The Baltimore Waltz and Other Plays, has been published by TCG. Other plays include The Mineola Twins, Hot and Throbbing, Desdemona, And Baby Makes Seven, and The Oldest Profession. Other awards include the AT&T New Plays Award, the Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays, the Pell Award for Excellence in the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Center Fellowship, several National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships, and the McKnight Fellowship. She is an Alumna of New Dramatists, and a recent inductee of the College of Fellows of the American Theatre. She is currently developing screenplays of How I Learned to Drive and The Oldest Profession.

* First Place: $2500 and the playwright will be awarded a fellowship to attend a New Play Development Laboratory.

The Dramatists Guild Award provides the playwright with Active membership in the Guild.

For other questions, refer to “Rules and Procedures for the Michael Kanin Playwriting Awards Program” above.

Each region establishes submission criteria for its regional ten-minute play festival. Selected playwrights may work with a director, dramaturg, and actors to develop a staged reading of the play, followed by a response session with guest respondents during the regional festival. All colleges and universities with at least one Participating or Associate Entry in KCACTF may enter the Ten-Minute Play Festival at no additional charge. Regional submissions from schools with no entries in Festival will pay a $20 entry fee per submission to the NPP Regional Chair.

All nominated regional ten-minute plays will be submitted to the Kennedy Center by the NPP Regional Chairs before each festival; after each festival, the NPP Regional Chair will notify the National Office of two winning ten-minute plays in that region and/or submit revised drafts of those winning plays to the KCACTF Artistic Director Gregg Henry (ghenry@kennedy-center.org) .

A judging panel will read the sixteen regional winners and pick a winning play and three finalists to invite to the national festival in April (four playwrights in total).

At the national festival, those four plays will again be presented as staged readings in the Kennedy Center Theatre Lab with casts made up of the national Irene Ryan acting scholarship finalists and/or professional actors from the Washington, D.C., area.

* The outstanding Ten-Minute Plays from each region (eight regions, sixteen plays) may be published by Dramatic Publishing Company.

* A first place award of $1000 will be given to a playwright selected from the sixteen regional festival winners.

* Dramatists Guild Award. All National Finalists of the Ten-Minute Play Award will be provided with active membership in the Dramatists Guild.

For more information on entering a ten-minute play, contact your NPP Regional Chair.

The KCACTF Latina/Latino Playwriting Award desires to stimulate the voices of young Latina or Latino playwrights in America. The award will be presented to the author of the outstanding Latina or Latino student-written play participating in KCACTF.

* The national award-winner will receive $2,500 and an internship to a prestigious playwriting retreat program.

* Dramatic Publishing Company may present the winning playwright with an offer of a contract to publish, license, and market the winning play.

* Dramatists Guild Award. The Dramatists Guild Award provides the playwright with Active membership in the Guild.

* A grant of $500 will be made to the theater department of the college or university producing the award-winning play.

For other questions, refer to “Rules and Procedures for the Michael Kanin Playwriting Awards Program” above.

Supported by the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, the Association for Theatre in Higher Education, and Dramatic Publishing Company, The David Mark Cohen National Playwriting Award is presented in an effort to promote the writing and production of new plays while honoring and perpetuating the memory of David Mark Cohen, Professor of Playwriting, the University of Texas-Austin. Developed by the Playwriting Program of ATHE and the National Playwritng Program of KCACTF, the award is intended to provide incentive to college and university theatre production departments to foster the growth and development of playwrights through the public presentations of unpublished full-length plays or a collection of shorter works for the stage that have not received a professional production. This award may be presented to any working playwright whose play is premiered and produced by a college or university theatre program and entered as an Associate or Participating entry within the KCACTF. All rules regulating entries into KCACTF are applicable to this award except those related to the definition of student playwrights.

David Mark Cohen, playwright and teacher, served KCACTF as National PAC Chair, 1990-1993, and was an active member of ATHE. He directed the MFA Playwriting Program at the University of Texas-Austin from 1989 until his untimely death in 1998. David was a consummate teacher who provided unrestricted support to developing playwrights. He is deeply missed.

* Dramatists Guild Award. The Dramatists Guild Award provides the playwright with Active membership in the Guild.

* Presentation of a rehearsed reading of the play at the National ATHE conference in August (including $500 to defray travel and expenses for playwright).

* Dramatic Publishing Company may present the winning playwright with an offer of a contract to publish, license, and market the winning play.

Playwrights will not be permitted to repeat as the winner of the David Mark Cohen National Playwriting Award.

Preliminary and final judging for the award will be managed by the National Playwriting Program of KCACTF along with the Playwriting Program of ATHE. The decision of the judges is final; they have the right to select no winning script if circumstances merit such a decision.

For other questions, refer to “Rules and Procedures for the Michael Kanin Playwriting Awards Program” above.

Supported by VSA-arts, for the outstanding student-written play on the theme of disability, The Jean Kennedy Smith Playwriting Award, named after the founder of VSA-arts, is offered for the outstanding student-written script that explores the human experience of living with a disability (please consult the Americans With Disabilities Act for the full definition of Disability).

* Dramatists Guild Award. The Dramatists Guild Award provides the playwright with Active membership in the Guild.

* Dramatic Publishing may present the winning playwright with an offer of a contract to publish, license, and market the winning play.

* A fellowship to attend a prestigious playwriting program. The fellowship will include transportation, housing and per diem.

VSA-arts is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1974 by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith. VSA arts is creating a society where people with disabilities can learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts. Nearly 5 million people with disabilities participate in VSA-arts programs every year through a network of affiliates in 49 states and 64 countries worldwide.

For other questions, refer to the Americans With Disabilities Act and the “Rules and Procedures for the Michael Kanin Playwriting Awards Program” above.

The Mark Twain Prize for Comic Playwriting will be offered for the outstanding student-written full-length comic play. As a social commentator, satirist and creator of memorable characters, Samuel Clemens - the distinguished 19th century novelists and essayist also known as Mark Twain - was a fearless observer of society, who outraged many while delighting and informing many more with his uncompromising perspective of social injustice and personal folly. This award is named in his honor and supported by Comedy Central, the cable television company.

* 1st Place Cash Award of $2,500 and a fellowship to attend the Sundance Theatre Lab.

* Dramatic Publishing Company may present the winning playwright with an offer of a contract to publish, license, and market the winning play.

* Dramatists Guild Award. The Dramatists Guild Award provides the playwrights with Active membership in the Guild.

* Grants of $750 and $500 will be made to the producing organizations of the first and second place award recipients, respectively.

For other questions, refer to “Rules and Procedures for the Michael Kanin Playwriting Awards Program” above.

Sponsored by physicist and novelist Alan Lightman and the KCACTF, the KCACTF National Science Playwriting Award is offered every year for the outstanding student-written full-length play written about science and scientists with the recognition that science is a part of culture. There is a different required theme every two years. For 2009 and 2010, the main character in the play must be a female scientist working primarily from 1925 to the present. The play should not be pedagogical but should stand on its own as an artistic work.

* 1st Place Cash Award of $3,000 and a fellowship to attend the Underground Railway Theater Company's professional staged reading of the play in Cambridge, MA.

The play must be produced by a college or university or publicly presented in a “rehearsed” or “staged reading” format following a significant development process. The play must be entered, as an Associate or Participating entry, in the KCACTF. It must comply with the guidelines for scripts entered in the KCACTF Michael Kanin Playwriting Program.

For other questions, refer to “Rules and Procedures for the Michael Kanin Playwriting Awards Program” above.

The Rose Parks Playwriting Award, presented in association with the Rosa & Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development, is pleased to announce a new playwriting award in celebration of one of the great Americans of the civil rights movement, and recognizes the outstanding student or faculty-written full-length or one-act play on the subject of social justice and/or civil rights.

* 1st Place Cash Award of $2,500 for a full-length play or $1,000 for a one-act play, and a fellowship to attend a play development program.

* Dramatists Guild Award. The Dramatists Guild Award provides the playwright with Active membership in the Guild.

For other questions, refer to “Rules and Procedures for the Michael Kanin Playwriting Awards Program” above.