Bellingham Theatre Works is seeking scripts for New Play Cafe, a reading series of new plays by pacific northwest playwrights or featuring themes of high interest and connection to the Bellingham/Salish Sea area. Selected plays will receive a directed reading in front of an audience and a feedback session including a panel of local theatremakers. We are seeking full-length and one-act plays for a series of readings over two weekends this spring in Bellingham, WA. Playwrights must be able to attend in-person.

There is no fee to submit.
Playwrights in attendance for their reading will receive
an honorarium of $100 for a full-length, and $40 for a one-act.

Note: Google Forms requires you to sign into a Google account in order to upload documents. If you do not have a Google account and do not wish to make one, you may email your PDF script and answers to the below prompts to NewPlayCafeScripts@gmail.com

Requirements:

• Full length plays must have a runtime between 60-120 minutes. 

• One-act plays must have a runtime between 25-40 minutes.

Keep in mind that page count is not always an accurate predictor of runtime. 

• Playwrights must be able to attend an in-person reading in Bellingham the weekend of either April 24th-26th or May 1st-3rd.

• Submissions for each category (full-length and one-act) will close after 50 scripts are received in their respective category, or on November 30, 2025, whichever comes first.

• Playwrights may submit one play in each category, but not more than one of each category. Each play should be submitted separately.

• In your submission you will be asked to include answers to the below prompts:

1. Describe your goals for the script. What do you hope to achieve through a reading of your play? What’s happened with it so far?

2. Describe your and/or the script’s connection to the area in and around Bellingham, the Salish Sea, the Pacific Northwest.

3. Confirm your availability to participate in the New Play Cafe on one or more of these dates: April 24, 25, 26, May 1, 2, 3, 2026. 

What we are looking for:

1. Full length plays (60-120 minutes) and one-acts (25-40 minutes) that would benefit from the type of reading we can provide. It’s not too rough, it’s a complete script. Not so polished that there’s not much a reading could do at this point. 

2. Playwright fits the general description of local to Bellingham, the Salish Sea area, the pacific northwest - either they are currently living here, they have compelling local history, connections, recurrences, etc. or the script explores meaningful connections with the area.

3. Playwright is available for one or more of the dates of the Cafe.

4. No musicals. Translations or adaptations are okay if the original work is in the public domain or the playwright has documented permission from the rights holder.

What we provide:

1. A director and actors to read your script in front of an audience after a brief rehearsal period. Actors will be seated or standing with music stands, stage directions read aloud.

2. A panel of theatre experts who will respond to your play either ‘live’ during the after-reading conversation, or in a written response.

3. A way for the audience to respond and ask questions, and/or leave written notes and impressions of the play.

4. An honorarium of $100 for a full length play, $40 for a one-act. If there are multiple authors for a play, the honorarium will be provided to the primary author to divide as they choose.