CPT is Now Requesting Proposals for the 2020/2021 Season

Dear Northeast Ohio artists,

Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT) is planning our 2020/2021 Season, and we are reaching out to you for great ideas.

CPT is focused on new work that is surprising, unexpected, and outside the realm of conventional theatre.

CPT is looking for proposals from Northeast Ohio artists for complete projects. Proposals may be for world premieres, second or third US productions, radical re-envisioning of classic plays, or other projects. The show could be your own show or a script you would like to work on.

Based on the success of past co-productions and our New Play Development series, we are also interested in creating opportunities for artists and groups that would like to retain greater ownership of projects and who can share risk with CPT.

Before sending a proposal:

  • Take time to look at CPT’s recent seasons—these are excellent examples of our programming choices. Click Here for the Season Archive.
  • Get a sense of CPT’s aesthetic and artistic sensibility—if you haven’t seen a lot of shows at CPT, talk to people who have.
  • CPT has a culture of doing a lot with a little and production budgets are modest. Keep in mind CPT’s financial limitations.
  • If this is a new/original project, think through its current state of development—is it still in early development or at the right moment for full production?

Submitting a Proposal

Proposals of complete projects should be 1-3 pages long, not including script or work samples, and must include:

  • A one-page summary of the project: including why this project fits CPT’s mission and why it’s important to you as an artist.
  • Your sense of what state the project is currently in and a general plan to bring it to completion.
  • A resume for all primary artists involved.
  • Additional materials that will help us get a sense of the project: copy of proposed script, sample of past work, video, etc. Please mention if you are interested in co-producing options.

Informational Meeting

  • CPT will be conducting a meeting on January 4th from 10:00am-12:00pm. In this meeting we will provide information on how to fill out the application and answer any questions you may have about the application process.
  • If you plan on attending this meeting, please RSVP with India Nicole Burton, CPT’s 2019/2020 NNPN Producer in Residence, at iburton@cptonline.org

Deadline for proposals is Tuesday, January 21st, 2020

If you are submitting an idea for a play that is already written by an outside artist, please keep in mind that others may be proposing the same script—in other words suggesting a script does not mean you have dibs on doing it at CPT.

Please be aware that CPT does not comment on why proposals are not selected. We occasionally make subjective artistic suggestions related to a project if we are asked to give feedback.

Please send your proposals electronically to CPT’s 2019/2020 NNPN Producer in Residence, India Nicole Burton, at iburton@cptonline.org. Subject line: Your Name and “Season Proposal” – for example: Jane Smith, Season Proposal. Please post videos to VIMEO or other website and send link with proposal.

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