2025 Iowa Playwrights Series Contest Rules

The "Neighborhood" is expanding!  What started two years ago as the Neighborhood Playwrights Series for local writers is expanding this year to include playwrights from across the state of Iowa.  Drake University Theatre seeks new, original plays by Iowa playwrights as part of the 2025 Iowa Playwrights Series. Entries will be read by a committee of Drake Theatre students and faculty. The writer of the winning entry will receive a prize of $500 and have their work produced as a staged-reading for two performances as part of Drake Theatre’s Main Stage Season.

Rules for entry are as follows - please read carefully:

• Playwrights must reside within the state of Iowa.
• Eligibility includes Drake students, staff and alumni. Current Drake faculty, however, are ineligible to participate.

The winning entry will be:

• A full-length play only (one hour or more reading/production time). Musicals will not be accepted.
• A new work that has never before been published or produced for an audience.
• Conducive to a Reader’s Theatre style production.
• Any style/genre (comedy, tragedy, farce, docu-drama, etc.)
• Wholly original work on the part of the playwright (i.e. no translations or adaptations of existing plays, movies or television programs). Use of any AI program or service is strictly prohibited.
• A play that embraces a variety of characters. There are no restrictions on the type or number, with the understanding that the work will be performed by Drake Theatre students.
• All attempts will be made in casting to preserve the integrity and representation of characters as written, but compromises may be necessary.

Criteria for submissions:

• One play only, please.  Plays submitted in previous years may be resubmitted providing they meet all current contest criteria.
• Your play must be submitted electronically, attached to an e-mail.  Print/hard copies will not be accepted.
• The body of that e-mail must contain current contact information for the playwright (i.e. name, address, phone number, e-mail address).
• The attached play must be formatted as either a .pdf or .docx file and must have all references to the playwright (i.e. name, contact info, etc.) removed. Only the title of the play itself should be visible on the attached manuscript. The purpose of this is to preserve anonymity and ensure the selection committee judges each play based solely on the merits of the work.
• The e-mail, with the play attached, should be sent to Michael Rothmayer: michael.rothmayer@drake.edu. 

The winning playwright is invited to attend one or both readings of their play.  Complimentary tickets will be provided.  Please note that by submitting your play for this competition, if you are selected as the winner, you are giving Drake Theatre permission to rehearse and perform two public readings of your play free from royalty restrictions.

The deadline for submission is Friday, March 7th, 2025.  There is no entry or submission fee.  The winning entry will be announced on or before Monday, June 2nd, 2025.  Performances will be held on Friday, September 12th and Saturday, September 13th, 2025.

If you have any questions, you can e-mail Michael Rothmayer at the address listed above, or contact Jacob Lemons, Administrative Assistant for the Department of Theatre Arts at (515) 271-2018 or jacob.lemons@drake.edu.