The Submission Window for the 2025 Conference will be
September 1 to October 15, 2024
Please return for more info then!

Submissions should be:

• Full length plays that stand alone as an evening of theater.
• Complete drafts - not incomplete drafts or treatments.
• Plays that have never had a professional AEA production; readings and workshops are fine.
• And most importantly: plays you are interested in actively advancing in a developmental environment.

Submissions should NOT be:

• Incomplete drafts or treatments
• A play that has received a professional AEA production
• A play that you consider “done” or “finished”
• A play that you “just want to hear read out loud”

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

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The Seven Devils Playwrights Conference supports the development of plays that embrace, explore and challenge the diverse geographical, philosophical, cultural, aesthetic and political landscape of the American experience - rural and urban, east and west, coastal and inland. We're interested in addressing the needs, hopes, concerns and ambitions of American audiences.

We are looking for plays and playwrights that excite our imagination and ambition. We ask our script readers to look for plays they can’t wait to see; plays they must see. Plays can be of any genre or style.

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR PLAY

What you will need to complete your submission:
1.       A full draft of your play. We can ONLY accept plays in pdf form.
2.       A resume. We can ONLY accept resumes in pdf form.
3.       $10 Application Fee, to be paid through credit card or paypal.  (Where does this fee go?)

Use the link below to submit your play to us through Submittable.com. 

• This is not a blind submission process: please be sure your name is on your play. 
• ​We can ONLY accept plays and resumes in PDF format. Using any other format will only delay the processing of your script, and make us remember you for all the wrong reasons.
• ​Once you have uploaded and submitted your materials you will not be able to make changes. ​
• ​For plays, please do not include additional materials. For musicals, you are welcome to include 1-3 musical samples, if they are available.

SUBMISSION FACTS

When are playwrights selected? 

Final decisions about which plays we will be developing will be made by mid-April at the latest.

How many playwrights are invited?

Four playwrights will be invited to participate in our series of Staged Conference Readings. Between two and four playwrights will be invited to participate in the Playwrights Intensive Program of Seated Readings or a Playwrights-in-Residence program.

How do you select the plays?

​We have a great team of readers which includes all of us at Seven Devils, some past Conference artists and a handful of trusted theater professionals who know about the work we do. Every script is read from beginning to end. We get a report on every script and all of those reports are also read from beginning to end.  

Anytime a reader suggests a second read on a script, it goes directly to one of the Artistic Staff for a second read. Sometimes if a report seems interesting we’ll also give it a second read - even if the reader didn’t necessarily recommend it. We do not have a specific number of plays that get passed on to each level, but we generally get down to about 20-30 plays that we consider semi-finalists. 

Those playwrights are contacted and invited to send us rewrites, if they have them, and a short statement about what they’d like to work on should they be invited to the Conference. From this group, the field is narrowed again to 10-14 plays from which the final 4 staged reading plays are selected. This is a process that is more complicated: a combination of conversations, spreadsheets, accounting and logistics.  

Plays for the Playwrights Intensive may or may not come from the pool of semi-finalists. Generally, these are plays and playwrights that we want to work with, but for any number of reasons, we don’t feel that staging is the next right step in the process. Sometimes these plays are identified as Intensive candidates before we get to the semi-finalist round, sometimes they are identified later in the process.

My friend already got a rejection, but I haven’t heard anything yet. What's happening?

We have a rolling process – notices don’t all go out at the same time. We don’t want people to wait any longer than they have to. If you haven’t heard from us, it means you’re still somewhere in the process. Unless it’s April 15. You should hear from us by then.

What to expect if you're invited

The 2023 Seven Devils Playwrights Conference will take place in McCall, Idaho for two weeks in June. Invited playwrights must be in residence for the entire two weeks of the Conference. ​

The plays in the Staged Reading Program are presented as fully staged readings with minimal props, sets & lights (check out our photo galleries of past conferences if you want to see what this looks like). Playwrights will be provided with transportation, housing, access to a car and a modest stipend.  

​The Playwrights Intensive Program presents seated readings.  We provide housing, access to a car and a modest stipend for playwrights in this program, and do our best to contribute to transportation costs; funding for this program can vary from year to year.

Seven Devils does not ask for any rights on the play at any time. Also, please note that this is a DEVELOPMENT Conference. We do not "produce" plays.

​Once invited to participate, playwrights are assigned a director and a dramaturg, with a company of actors joining the team when the conference begins. During the rehearsal process playwrights are welcome to rewrite the play as much or as little as they like.

Still have questions?

Shoot an email to Mallory Metoxen, one of our Artistic Directors.
She can help! 
[email protected]

I have lots of plays. How do I decide which one to send?

Don’t worry about which one you think we might want, what you think an “Idaho” audience will like, or even what’s “marketable” - that’s not what we’re here for. We’re interested in the play that you are most passionate about working on right now. We’re interested in your voice and your vision. If you look at our development history you will see that we cast a very wide net in terms of style, genre, cast size, etc.

Can I submit two plays?

If you must - though you’ll need to send a separate fee for each play. Remember: we’re looking for what you’re most passionate about working on right now. You may have two projects that you’re passionate about, but if you have five, well… we start to wonder.

Can I submit a musical?

If you would like to submit a musical, know that we are interested in story-driven pieces that can be presented by actors who can sing and move, accompanied by a pianist. While we have, on two occasions thus far, selected musicals for development, we are not equipped to develop stories that rely heavily on choreography or large production values. Should you submit a musical or script with music for development, you are welcome to include a few music samples if you wish.

Can I submit a "jukebox" musical?

Yes, if you have received the rights to include all the music that is included in the score, and the play fits all other criteria above.

Can I submit an adaptation?

Yes, if you have received the rights to adapt it or the piece you are adapting is in the public domain, and the play fits all other criteria.

Can I submit a historical play, or a play set somewhere besides the U.S.? ​

Yes!

I'm not from the U.S. - can I submit?

Yes!

Can I submit a one person play?

Yes, you can submit a one person play that you have written! That said, if your play is selected for development, know we will ask you to serve as the playwright only on the piece during the development period - and not as the actor or director as well.

Can I submit a play I've submitted before?

You can, if it is still the play you are most interested in actively developing!