MAY 10-13, 2024 || GRANDE PRAIRIE, ALBERTA
You are Here ❤️
Finished? Let's get started!
Congratulations on the completion of your script! Regardless of what the future holds, you have already accomplished something very big. Few people start to write a play and fewer still finish one.
Now, let’s get your play staged! TGCPS exists specifically to help you make that happen. This page tells you everything you need to know to get the most out of your Showcase at this year's conference and includes links to helpful resources.
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TGCPS Playwright pass has everything you need
event access + showcase Confirmation
TGCPS Playwright Pass includes:
- 1 Showcase Confirmation
- Access to all the main events at TGCPS, including Showcases, seminars, workshops, parties & the Lupper Awards Ceremony
- A Featured Listing (photo & bio) in digital and printed TGCPS 2024 programs
- Invitations to special extras & sponsor gift samples
Hit these marks
Choose
Prepare
Prepare
Decide how you want to showcase your scene out of three choices, with a forth choice for musicals and operas.
Prepare
Prepare
Prepare
This is where the bulk of your work lies.
YOUR TO-DO LIST INCLUDES:
Submitting
Casting
Rehearsing
Confirm
Prepare
Confirm
There are two ways to guarantee your Showcase Spot at TGCPS '24.
- Confirm by purchasing a TGCPS Playwright Pass (available only from December 1, 2023 to February 15, 2024): includes access to events + 1 Showcase Confirmation.
- Pay a $75 Confirmation Fee at any time (while availability lasts).
submit
Prepare
Confirm
You can submit at any time before or after buying a TGCPS Playwright Pass OR paying the Confirmation Fee.
Script Submissions are free until March 1, 2024.
3 +1 Showcase Choices
Read your work
Reading your own work is by far the cheapest way to showcase at TGCPS. As an individual artist, you may be eligible for funding from associations, guilds, and unions.
Bring Actors
You are welcome to bring actors to present your script. However, the actors must have a TGCPS Pass if they would like to attend the events.
TGCPS is not responsible for any meal, travel, or accommodation expenses of your actors or anybody else accompanying or working for you. Join the TGCPS Group for tips and contacts.
Grande Prairie Performers
Local, Grande Prairie-area performers (and directors!) are a great option for playwrights looking for a simple solution that doesn't require transportation or hotel for the performers.
Local volunteers enjoy a complimentary TGCPS Pass, courtesy of our generous sponsors..
Musicals & Operas
Play on! Please dazzle us with an unplugged version of your best tune, a medley of the show's pieces, an aria, or a duet. There won't be space or time for a large ensemble; you can bring pre-recorded instrumental music, one or two musicians, or the pieces can be performed a cappella.
Preparing for your showcase
Two Parts
The second part of your showcase is the staging of the ten-minute scene from your script. Either you are thinking about what you want that to look like or have already decided. Keep in mind that the 10-minute time limit is very strict.
But before the audience watches your scene, you have a maximum of three minutes to introduce it. Take this opportunity to provide some context for the audience, perhaps in a very brief synopsis of the story and/or some background that explains the motivation for the scene we are about to see.
It is very important that you are well-prepared for this short speech. The time limit is very strict. You are clearly capable of writing an excellent introduction to your scene, and you can be equally confident in your presentation skills when you have practiced your presentation many times.
If you are reading your own script or are acting in your scene, you may ask another registered delegate to read your speech for you. You can post your need and/or availability to return the favour (as well as other conference-related topics and discussions) in the TGCPS group on LinkedIn and TGCPS Connect on Facebook.
For the Program
You will be asked to submit the items on the following list for the online and printed programs. Delay caused by an incomplete submission may result in the loss of your Showcase spot, as they are limited.
- The 10-minute scene from your script
- A logline for your play
- A 300-500 word story synopsis
- A 75 word Playwright Bio
- A playwright headshot
- An image that is representative of your play
CHECK THE CALENDAR FOR ALL DEADLINES
Please send all the text documents together on a single PDF file and the images on one or two jpeg or png files.
YOUR SCENE
Your scene should be in standard Canadian stage script format, including font and margins. The cover page should have the title of the play, playwright's name, year it was written, and contact information for you or your agent/publisher/manager/representative.
PLAYWRIGHT BIO & HEADSHOT
Written in the third person, your bio can include studies, writing credentials, personal information like place of birth, theatrical and writing influences, and so on. Please send a professional headshot.
LOGLINE
A logline is a one-sentence summary of your play. Sometimes referred to as, "vomiting into a thimble," the logline tells us who the protagonist is, the inciting incident, the protagonist’s goal, and the central conflict (although not necessarily in that order).
STORY IMAGE
Please submit your image as a jpeg or png file. Please be aware that a portion of your image may be cropped. If the image quality is poor you may be asked to submit another image or an image may be provided for you.
If your play has been staged before and you have permission, you can send a photo from the performance, of the cast, or the poster, etc. Otherwise, you can send a mockup of a poster or any image that illustrates your story.
How to Write the Synopsis
Answer each question in a paragraph of about a hundred words to stay within the 300-500 word over-all limit for the synopsis of your play. Use the simple present, as if the action occurs while it is being read.
Who is the protagonist?
Tell us who your main character is before the conflict disrupts their life.
How do they deal with the problem at first?
Tell us how the conflict erupts and how the main character attempts to deal with it.
How do their choices make things worse?
Tell us what goes wrong, what new problems emerge, and how the stakes are now higher.
What is the climax?
Tell us what final challenge the main character is forced to face. Describe the final battle.
How is the end different from the start?
Show us that the end links to the beginning. And tell us how your protagonist’s world has changed since the first paragraph.
You are not alone
Discussion Groups & Webinars for you
Showcasing your work can be a daunting experience and unlike the rest of the theatre community, us playwrights often live in rural areas where the ratio of writers to "normal people" isn't very high. Writing can be lonely, but you are not alone. Participate in the TGCPS discussion group on LinkedIn and TGCPS Connect on Facebook, join us for How To webinars, and watch this space for special invitations to transformational sessions with the sharpest minds in writing, producing, and otherwise making a living.