New Writing
Please read these guidelines before submitting your entry
Submissions are accepted throughout the year whether you are a novice or experienced writer. When planning a festival, the organisers look for a range of genres and play lengths to create a varied production taking into account all age ranges across our actor membership base. Consideration is given to whether the plays can be performed practically given the membership of the Dilys Guite Players (DGP) and the resources we have available.
All submissions, that have not yet been performed by us, will be continually reviewed for future events. By submitting an entry you agree to its potential use, licence free, in our current or future voluntary festival(s), or as part of our Lantern Online programme with all proceeds relating to the event supporting the Dilys Guite Players charity.
The first pages of your submission must include:
The name of the play
The author / your name
Whether it is for the New Writing Festival, Write On! or if you have written it for the Lantern Online programme/video performance
Character summary (including character name, age-range and brief bio)
A synopsis of the play
Your telephone number
Your email address
Should your submission be selected for one of our events, you will be contacted with the details. The DGP will organise the event (which may be live on stage, streamed live or recorded for broadcast on our social media or website), auditions, casting, directing and stage crew. You are welcome to attend the initial read-through with the cast and you will also receive two complimentary tickets to a live performance. Travel expenses are not included. You may also attend one of the rehearsals, on a date to be confirmed at a mutually convenient time.
Important Notes
The Lantern has a small black box stage. The dimensions and details are available here which writers may find helpful to give a sense of the space and how it can be used. Our website and social media pages also include photographs of past productions which may also support your creative process.
Submissions are welcomed from writers worldwide and entries are open to writers aged 18 and above
Submissions are emailed to a Google Office account to which only The DGP Board and Creative Team have access. Submissions may be printed for purposes of review or production and copied for those reasons as necessary. Submissions may also be transferred to secure cloud services (Google Drive, Trello) or a physical secured hard drive storage facility for the purposes of archiving, project management and storage management - both of which are protected and access is monitored by The DGP Board and Creative Team.
Work submitted must not have been previously published or performed
Work must be submitted in PDF or Word format (.doc) using the Submit Entry button below
Paper copies of scripts may only be accepted with prior arrangement with the Creative Director or New Writing Festival Producer
In the event that a paper script is accepted for submission, it is not returnable
Entries cannot be altered after submission
Scripts that do not contain the required information on the first page may be deleted
All submissions will receive an automated acknowledgement
We do not have a closing date for entries. Our submission period is always open. Should you wish to withdraw your entry after submission, due to its use elsewhere for instance, please email our Creative Team to advise
At the time of creating and planning a New Writing Festival or Write On! event or filming the Creative Team will consider all entries received up to that time. Selection by the Creative Team is final. No correspondence or discussion concerning the decisions of the Creative Team will be entered into
Entries that are not selected will be eligible for consideration for future use. It is not necessary to submit the piece again
The copyright will remain with the author. Submission of an entry will indicate the author’s agreement to their work being performed in a DGP New Writing or Write On! event at the Lantern Theatre, Sheffield, which may be as a live theatrical staging or be featured as a short film which the DGP will record or for filming and uploading to our social media as part of the Lantern Online programme.
The usage may include a streamed performance or broadcast of a recording as an online event. Live events and rehearsals may be filmed for reference, download on the DGP website or for viewing on social media to help promote or raise funds for the charity.The DGP reserves the right to edit selected entries in any way deemed appropriate and necessary for performance in our community theatre
Failure to meet the conditions indicated could prevent a submission from being selected
Selected authors will be notified by email
Successful authors are welcome to submit a bio and photograph for inclusion on the Lantern Theatre website, social media and any promotional material which may be produced
There are no submission fees
No expenses or travel costs will be paid by the Dilys Guite Players / Lantern Theatre
By emailing your script to the DGP you agree to its potential use, licence free, in our current or future voluntary festival(s) and use as a short film to be available online or shown at the theatre, with all proceeds relating to the event supporting the Dilys Guite Players charity.