CPT is dedicated to producing bold, adventurous, new work. We champion creators of new performance-devising ensembles, directors, playwrights, choreographers, performance artists, etc. Though we seek projects from national and international artists, we also make a special investment in local creators.
CPT receives proposals in three ways:
- Request For Proposal process exclusively for local artists open to directors, choreographers, performance artists, and playwrights for consideration for our season of full productions.
- Request For Proposal application process exclusively for local artists to submit work for our New Play Development Series.
- The General Proposal process for our season of full productions (see below) for non-local artists.
General Proposal Guidelines 2022/2023
The General Proposal process requires more from submitting playwrights, but through this process we can better guarantee that each application receives more attention from Associate Artistic Director & Director of Production Beth Wood or Executive Artistic Director Raymond Bobgan. This process also reduces our response time which used to be as long as 18 months. The whole purpose of these guidelines is to increase the chance of us selecting work from general proposals.
Step One: Familiarize yourself with CPT’s past seasons by clicking here. If you can see a show at CPT this would also help.
Step Two: Honestly assess whether your project fits well in CPT’s aesthetics and at our level of productions.
Step Three: You must have a writers profile with NPX (New Play Exchange) for us to accept your proposal. If you do not currently have a profile with NPX, you can sign up for one here. Please include your profile information along with your proposal.
Step Four: Fill out the following application and submit via email as a word doc or pdf to artistic@cptonline.org. Please note that CPT will only accept proposals electronically.
Step Five: You will receive an email notification within 9-12 months. The email notification will be a standard rejection notice or a request for a full script proposal. Playwrights who are offended by standard rejections or do not have complete scripts for proposal should not submit.
CPT will not review general proposals that do not utilize this application process.
General Proposal application
Please send the following materials in an email as a single attachment – Word or PDF. Send email to artistic@cptonline.org. The three questions must be answered in no more than two pages. Your resume is not counted in the page count and can be as long as you feel is appropriate.
Above all, please be frank and honest. We at CPT apply for many grants and as artists we have all submitted work to other festivals and theatres. We understand that it’s difficult to assemble this material and to answer these questions without becoming either over-the-top conceptual or snide and ironic.
1. Describe why your project fits well in CPT’s programming agenda.
Use specific examples of past CPT projects that you feel are parallel to your proposal in some way. Explain how your work is particularly bold or adventurous, by noting its unique aesthetic, manner of connecting to audiences, or path of investigation of a particular theme. Note why you feel the themes/aesthetics will be important to CPT audiences and how you feel it will challenge artists and audiences alike
2. Summarize your project.
3. Please explain how you hope a CPT production will be of service to you in your ongoing growth as an artist.
Do you hope to develop the script further, or is it pretty much finished? How will it impact you as an artist? Do you have resources to travel to CPT for a production or do you think that you would use royalties from the CPT production to travel to CPT (not necessary for selection)? Please note if your proposal is for a world-premiere, or second/third production. Also, please note if you have any other artists already attached to the project (director, actors, etc.) and any potential partnerships (theatres or interested organizations).
Please include an appropriate resume or bio. Only list scripts that have been produced at some level or published. Summarize: production level (staged reading, workshop, full production), location, producer, director, publication. List other relevant experience in theatre or film. If you choose the “bio” format also include a list of plays as noted above.