JARROTT
PRODUCTIONS
Our Mission is present theatre that
inspires thought and conversation,
illuminates the human condition,
and lifts the spirit.
OPENING ACT INITIATIVE
Jarrott Productions is now accepting scripts from previously unproduced, local playwrights for year two of our Opening Act Initiative. Our objective is to award a new playwright the opportunity to rehearse and showcase a new work on the Trinity Street Playhouse stage during either our fall or spring residencies for our Mainstage productions.
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If chosen, Jarrott Productions will assist this writer in making sure their work shines in front of an audience to include a collection of local producers, as available. The chosen projects will receive a modest budget for production. In addition to monetary assistance, we will assist with finding collaborators, offering mentorship and guidance, technical assistance, marketing and more.
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The mission of the Opening Act Initiative is to remove barriers of entry by providing opportunities for emerging writers from marginalized or underserved communities in Austin, TX. As a part of your submission, you will be asked to explain how your proposal aligns with this mission.
PROGRAM DETAILS
Timeline
Submission Period: July 1 - August 21
Project Selection: Early/Mid September
Project Dates: October 20 - October 30, 2024 or April 20 - April 30, 2025
Requirements
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You must be an Austin resident
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You must be available and present for the rehearsals and actual production dates (listed above)
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Your play must be full-length (roughly 60-120 minutes) and unproduced. Prior readings are acceptable.
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You must not have received a professional full-length production of any work yourself as a playwright. Staged readings are acceptable. For the purposes of this program, “professional” is defined as any fully realized run of performances in which artists were paid.
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If selected for this initiative, you will be asked to collaborate with us on a general budget.
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You will be involved and fully hands-on during the production process.
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Works submitted during previous years will be reconsidered if resubmitted accompanied by language regarding edits and changes made since the last submission.
Submission Guidelines
To submit your work, fill out the Google Form (linked below), which consists of 3 sections: About You, About Your Submission, and Additional Information. Each section is roughly 5-6 questions long.
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Please take your time to ensure that your submission effectively portrays yourself, your work and your project proposal.
Submitted works will be read blindly and scored by a panel of readers. After the initial scoring, a set of finalists will be chosen. That group of finalists will then have their entire submission considered by the panel and company administration unblinded to ensure awarded projects that best represent the mission of the program.
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Jarrott Productions reserves the right to not produce a reading as part of this program if the content doesn't meet the expectations set forth by the company and panel of readers.
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If you have any questions regarding the Opening Act Initiative generally, or the submission process specifically, please email jarrottproductions@gmail.com
PROGRAM HISTORY
For our inaugural program as part of our 9th season, our panel of readers chose to award not one, but two submissions and held workshops during our residencies in the Spring and Summer of 2024.
Pale Human Garbage People by Ty Spencer Hoppe, was performed April 3rd, 2024 at Trinity Street Playhouse and was directed by JP Artistic Director David R. Jarrott.
The Wilcox family, and everyone in town knows they are NOT a nice family. But when the opportunity to better himself comes knocking, Colby Wilcox is determined to take it. Problem is, he’ll have to get past his degenerate kinfolk to do it.
Playwright Hoppe is a UT-Austin graduate with dual degrees in English and Theatre, and has taught Advanced English on the secondary level here in Austin for the past 12 years. Previous work has been presented at Fronterafest, Scriptworks’ Out of Ink, among other showcases. In his work, Hoppe seeks to balance comedy and drama by placing characters in situations both grounded in reality and absurd in nature.
Mom and Pop by Carl Gonzales, was performed June 26th, 2024 at Trinity Street Playhouse and was directed by Lacey Cannon Gonzales.
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Playwright Gonzales is a Mexican/Indigenous Director, Playwright, and Actor. Recent directing credits include Clyde’s, Anna In The Tropics (B. Iden Payne award winner), La Pastorela, La Planchada (Playwright, Frontera Fest best of fest 2023) and Even Flowers Bloom in Hell, Sometimes.