All Short Subjects submissions must be no longer than 60 min.; no shorter than 15 min.

Each short play will be curated and might be paired up with one or more other short plays to fill an MITF time-slot.  The MITF will consider each such grouping as a single production of less than an hour.  You must be able and willing to work with other productions and their teams! 

Each production (which might include multiple shows) must set up an e-mail address that each show can check.  This will be the festival’s only source of communication with each production.  Individual e-mails will be ignored.  

Tickets will cost $15 ($12 students and seniors) for one time slot, which might include multiple short plays. 

Each production will get 3 performances each.

There will be a shared green room/dressing room. 

Each production (possibly multiple shows) will enter the dressing room together and leave together.

Audiences will be encouraged to stay for the whole time slot.

The series will be promoted as Short Subjects, a response to the recession and in support of "Change You Can Believe In." 

Please read through this manual before submitting.  E-mail in your script and a one-page document containing the following information to midtownfestival@gmail.com: 

• name of show
• one sentence teaser
• playwright & producer names (along with any other persons involved)
• number of characters
• run time

You must also mail in your $25 application fee before your script will be read.  Payment should be in the form of a certified check, cashier's check, personal check, or money order, in U.S. funds, collectible on a U.S. bank. Write the name of your show on the memo line of your check or money order made payable to:

Midtown International Theatre Festival 
347 W. 36^th St., 13^th floor
New York, NY 10018

• The show must be no longer than 60 min.; no shorter than 15 min.
• There must be minimal tech
• Your production team must be able to work with other groups. 

Production values must be kept at a minimum to accommodate all festival productions.  There is no storage allowed; a festival rep lighting plot and computerized light board; a basic sound system with a CD player and one extra input on the sound board for an external player. 

The festival provides stock set pieces, as follows: 

• 4 large black cubes, each roughly 18 in. square, painted in a semi-gloss black
• 4 small black cubes, each roughly 12 in. square, painted in a semi-gloss black
• 1 black folding card table
• 4 black folding chairs 

A Venue Manager is on hand in case of technical difficulties, but each company must assign an individual to run the lights and sound. There is a dimmer and sound check at the beginning of each day.

The Short Play Series will be in the WorkShop Jewel Box Theatre and if necessary the Where Eagles Dare Studio Theatre.  Tours are made available after your show has been accepted into the festival. The theatre is very busy, and it is not possible to walk in without an appointment.  The festival will release more information regarding tours after your show has been confirmed.  

While the WorkShop Jewel Box has been soundproofed, due to the design of the structure there will always be a little bit of a problem with bleeding. The Festival staff regulates the volume of all sound cues and music to help keep the sound from bleeding, but it is ultimately up to your house manager to keep external noise down. 

Participation in the Festival is an excellent opportunity to test-drive your script in the center of one of the two great theatre districts in the world. The exposure you’ll receive from industry and press will help the show in future incarnations. All this in a friendly and supportive environment!

The MITF is big enough to expose your script, but not too big that you get lost or forgotten. Since we are "the festival that cares," we promise to do our best to communicate any and all information and resources we feel will help your production reach its fullest potential. 

We have detail-oriented management and a paid, year-round staff that gives special attention to each individual show. We can be easily contacted by e-mail and usually respond within 3 - 4 business days. All communications are sent out in a timely fashion...starting months before the festival opens. We prepare the performance and rehearsal schedules as soon after getting commitments from the participants as possible. You will receive all the information you need without having to ask for it. 

All participants in the Festival may be comped into any show in the Festival, on standby. This is an excellent way to support your fellow MITF artists, to network and to cross-promote. Participants in the past have found this beneficial to their shows and companies.  The Festival also comps legitimate press.  Otherwise, there are no comps allowed in the MITF Short Subject Series.  If the producer of a show in Short Subjects wishes to comp someone else, s/he must buy a ticket and communicate with Festival staff at least 24 hours in advance that it is a “will call” ticket under the comped individual’s name.  Any will call tickets not given 24 hours in advance may not be honored. 

The MITF handles all aspects of selling tickets. Tickets are sold at the door and in advance, by phone and on the Web. Once the festival has opened, patrons can buy tickets at the MITF box office, sold by MITF staff. Every performance has a detailed box-office report, made available to you after the festival closes. Patron information, such as names and addresses, is available upon request. 

The MITF publicizes the Festival and coordinates all press relations, including interviews and critics' attendance. We publish brochures and other marketing materials. The Festival has also had extensive media partnerships with TimesSquare.com and, in the past, Broadway Bullet. However, we expect each production to do its own publicity, in addition to the above. 

You must publicize your own show through mailers, handbills, posters, or ads. The more you promote your show, the larger your potential audience.