Every year, the BPF receives a number of original, never-produced plays by people who live in Maryland or Washington, DC. Plays are accepted for consideration from March 1 through April 30 . A maximum of 50 plays is accepted each year. For details on how to submit a play to the Festival, read our submission guidelines.
Submitted plays are read and evaluated by members of the Baltimore theater community. Evaluations are intended to provide playwrights with positive, thoughtful feedback regarding many aspects of their work, such as the structure, plot, dialogue, characters and theme. Review our Reader Guidelines.
Those plays ranked highest by our readers have the opportunity for a public reading at one of our local theaters. We strive to offer readings to as many plays as possible, given the available time and theater space. The BPF supplies a director or will use a director suggested by the playwright, and work out a suitable date with the playwright and director. The director then recruits local actors for the reading. Review our Public Reading Guidelines.ines.
The playwright must attend the public reading and supply scripts for the actors. Following the reading, the playwright receives feedback from the audience, actors, and director. Public readings occur between November and April. Most readings take place on a Saturday between 11am and 3pm.
The BPF may choose to produce a play, or may offer it to local theater companies. BPF producing theaters are independent organizations, each with their own tastes, ambitions, and strengths, and they will produce plays based on their own criteria. A script does not need to have a public reading to be selected, and theaters may select a script from a previous season.