The Application Window for
Clay & Water 2024
is now closed.

Clay & Water 2024

Applications for our
Sixth Annual Playwrights’ Retreat

Application Window:  June 19, 2023 (9 am Eastern) – July 14, 2023 (5 pm Eastern)

Retreat Dates:  March 16 – March 22, 2024

Location:  Penney Farms, Florida

HOW IT WORKS

Clay & Water 2024 will be an in-person retreat (public health situation permitting).

We provide accommodations, a no-pressure developmental reading of your work-in-progress, and a chance to see some of the points of interest of the surrounding area to five selected playwrights.

Penney Farms, Florida

We will be partnering with the Penney Farms Retirement Community for the second year in a row.  The Retreat will take place on PRC’s lovely campus just off State Road 16, about 7 miles from the historic town of Green Cove Springs. The campus is nested in a beautiful natural acreage. You will be able to write without distraction in your room, in several common areas, and/or at several lovely outdoor spots.

The adjacent city of Green Cove Springs is a town in northeast Florida first settled in the mid-1800s, best known for its natural sulfur springs and its location on the St. Johns River, a bit south of Jacksonville and a bit north of St. Augustine.

EXPECT TO PAY YOUR OWN WAY HERE. Fly into Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) where we’ll pick you up, or drive yourself to the accommodations we will book for you at PRC. (There’s also an Amtrak station in Jacksonville, if needed.)

Accommodations will be fully covered by Clamour in one of 5 recently renovated motel-like guest rooms on the grounds of Penney Retirement Community.  You will have access to the Olympic-size pool and will be able to use the fitness center in accordance with PRC policies (no one is permitted to swim alone, for example).

Writers will be responsible for their own meals with the exception of the Welcome Dinner on Saturday night. Each room will have a small refrigerator and a microwave, but no other cooking facilities. We will take you to a grocery store on Sunday where you might get some provisions. In addition, we have made arrangements for you to purchase meals in the PRC Dining Hall, serving 3 meals a day 7 days a week, where entrees will always include a choice of red meat, vegetarian alternatives, poultry or fish. Fresh, local produce is used as often as possible and makes its appearance in the popular salad bar. The menu for the dining hall is provided for two weeks at a time, so we should be able to tell you what will be served during your residence when you check in. Items at the dining hall are very reasonably priced. Note that there will not be restaurants or fast food establishments within walking distance, and public transportation is very minimal. One of the Clay Community Transportation bus lines does travel between Penney Farms and Green Cove Springs, Monday through Friday, between 6 am and 7 pm, stopping at Penney at approximately 2 hour intervals. Fare is $1.00 per person.

Each playwright will get a developmental reading of a single work-in-progress.

We will provide local actors for readings.

The reading will be open to the public at no charge. If possible, we will schedule a private Zoom rehearsal the week before the Retreat, but the public readings will be fully understood to be minimally-rehearsed, cold readings for development and NOT performance.

There will be a moderated audience feedback session after your public reading. (Don’t worry! Our audiences are supportive.)

We ask you to be available for two informal meet-and-greet Q&A sessions with local students to answer questions about the craft and business of playwriting. These will be held during the school day within the four weekdays in the span of the Retreat. Transportation to and from the school(s) will be provided.

There will be a Welcome Dinner on arrival day and since all playwrights will have accommodations at the same location, there will be ample opportunities to get to know your fellow writers and to share experiences and tips, and socialize with each other.

HOW TO APPLY

Please read and follow these guidelines and application material carefully. Plays that do not adhere to the guidelines in terms of length, format, cast size, etc. will NOT be considered.

ONE APPLICATION / SUBMISSION PER PERSON

In order to apply, you must:

  • Have a completed draft
    – Draft of a full-length, unproduced non-musical play (60-120 pages) in a standard play script format (either the Modern Format or Traditional Format on the Dramatists Guild website: https://www.dramatistsguild.com/script-formats would be acceptable) in a 12-point standard font (Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman, Courier are all fine).  The play should require 2 to 4 actors to perform. (Plays that have had previous developmental readings are acceptable.)
    – No monologues, please.
    – No adaptations.
    – The submitted script should have a character breakdown page immediately following the title page.
    –You may have more than 4 characters as long as all characters can be played by a maximum of 4 actors and you specifically explain any double-casting options. Please note that offstage voices do count if an additional actor would be needed.
    – We understand that, in revising, you may discover a need for an additional character, and we can be somewhat flexible for the final reading, but we want to provide a stipend to each of our actors. Please help us make that a realistic goal; we will not be able to add multiple actors at the last minute.
    – Content: We are located in one of the most conservative areas of a conservative state. Please take that into consideration when you are choosing a play to submit.

Please note:  Scripts which do not follow the guidelines of length, format, number of characters will NOT be considered.

Applications must be made through our online application form which will ask you to complete the following:

  1.  Name, email, cell phone # in the fields provided.
  2.  Select whether you are US-Based or Non-US-Based so the form will show you the appropriate address fields.
    1. Complete the address fields. Note that the Non-US-Based address field is more free-form due to variations among international address, but we do need your street address, city, province, country, and postal code if your are not a US-Based playwright.
  3.  Title of the play you are submitting
  4.  Select Tone of Play (Comedy, Drama, Serio-Comic)
  5.  Brief synopsis of the play
  6.  Brief description of what you think is/are the next step(s) in your revisions. We want to know your next writing steps, not your next business steps.
  7.  Enter the number of actors needed and a numeric breakdown of male, female, neutral/non-binary/any gender actors needed.
  8.  Enter the same breakdown for number of characters (these numbers may match the number of actors or may be different if double-casting can be done.)
  9.  Describe any possible double-casting. Please be as specific as you can.
  10.  Introduce yourself professionally (productions, workshops, readings, publications, education, any other theatre disciplines in which you participate).
  11.  Introduce yourself personally (hobbies, non-theatre interests, where you are from, survival job, etc.)
  12.  Upload your 60-120 page script in standard play format in a 12-point font.  PDF ONLY!

Reminder:  Scripts which do not follow the guidelines of length, format, number of characters will NOT be considered.

The application window is from

9:00 am Eastern time June 19, 2023 to 5:00 pm Eastern time July 14, 2023.

Applications received before or after those dates and times will NOT be considered.

Questions may be sent at any time.

Please use the application form here.

There is no fee to submit.

Playwrights participating in an In-Person Retreat are responsible for their own transportation to the area and for their own food.  Any admission fees for optional sight-seeing trips during the In-Person Retreat are also the responsibility of individual writers.  Accommodation costs are covered by Clamour Theatre Company.

If you applied to a previous retreat and were not accepted at that time, by all means, please apply again.  We’re looking for the right combination of people, so many factors go into selection. You should never feel that not being chosen in any given year is a reflection on your writing.

If you were accepted and attended a previous retreat, as much as we would love to see you again, we’d like to keep meeting new people.  We will probably not be able to invite you back again at this time.

Good question!

We hope to make our selections of plays and playwrights by the end of October/early November.

We can tell you that you will be notified either way.  We acknowledge receipt of all submissions, so if you get that acknowledgement, and you have not heard from us with an acceptance or regrets, it means that the decisions have not yet been made.   We understand this means you may accept another offer in the meantime.

We ask you not to accept if you cannot commit to the full Retreat time period and activities. We also ask all selected playwrights to make every effort to attend the public readings of their colleagues.

Clamour Theatre Company is committed to diversity of race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual preference, and experience.

SPONSORS

And thank you to the restaurants and many other contributors to our “No Starving Artists” Fund who are helping to feed our guests while they are here!

  • Janet Peterson, dōTERRA Essential Oils
  • Connell CPR Training
  • Annie Grogan
  • The Stokes Family, supporters of Clay County Literacy Coalition
  • Anonymous Finally Friday donor
  • Hair Pros Salon
  • Something Special
  • Two Chic's Eclectic Mix
  • The Guitar Station
  • The Treasure Box
  • Gail Mugler
  • Visual FX
  • Chaney's Home Improvement
  • The Sheik Sandwiches (GCS)
  • Walgreen's
  • Lynne Vincent to Wear

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