Sunset Gower Studios, 1438 N. Gower St., Box 24, Courtyard Suite 43
Hollywood, CA 90028 USA
323 315 9415
www.armeniandrama.org, adaa@armeniandrama.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 15, 2010
Contact: Lisa Kirazian, Contest Administrator, kirazian@mac.com or 858-344-3357

ADAA’s SAROYAN PRIZE AWARDS EVENT AND HONORARY JURY
ANNOUNCED

The Armenian Dramatic Arts Alliance will hold its Second Biennial William Saroyan Prize for Playwriting awards event on Thursday, September 30, 2010, 6-9pm, at the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church Headquarters, 3325 N. Glenoaks Boulevard, Burbank.

For the William Saroyan Prize for Playwriting, ADAA is pleased to announce its Honorary Jury for the 2010 William Saroyan Prize for Playwriting: Mark Ravenhill, one Britain’s leading playwrights; Oskar Eustis, Tony-winning Artistic Director of The Public Theater, New York; and Curt Columbus, Artistic Director, Trinity Repertory Theater, Providence, Rhode Island. These award-winning theater artists are among the finest working in professional theater today.

Mark Ravenhill is a renowned British playwright who was one of the leaders of the "New British Theater" revolution in the 1990's. He has written more than 19 plays including The Experiment, Some Explicit Polaroids, Scenes from Family Life, The Cut and Mother Clap’s Molly House. He is also an arts commentator for The Guardian.

Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director of New York’s Public Theater since 2005, is known for his work in developing new plays, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Angels in America and The Kentucky Cycle. He also received a Tony Award in 2009 for co-producing the Public Theater’s revival of the musical Hair.

Curt Columbus has led the Tony-winning Trinity Repertory Theater since 2006. A playwright himself, Columbus’s works include The Dreams of Antigone, Paris by Night, and new adaptations of four Chekhov plays and Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment.

Mr. Columbus, Mr. Eustis and Mr. Ravenhill will be evaluating the three Saroyan Prize finalist plays: Hripsime, by Johnna Adams; Forgotten Bread, by Sevan Greene; and Another Man’s Son, by Silva Semerciyan. From these three plays, the $10,000 grand prize winner will be selected.

ADAA’s William Saroyan Prize for Playwriting is made possible by a grant from the William Saroyan Foundation, headed by Haig Mardikian, President of the Board. ADAA thanks the Foundation for its visionary generosity in making this program possible.

The Second Biennial William Saroyan Prize for Playwriting awards event on September 30 will feature catered delicacies, live performances, celebrity appearances and the announcement of the $10,000 grand prize winner of the competition for plays written on Armenian themes.

ADAA’s mission is to project the Armenian voice on a world stage through the arts of theater and film. It accomplishes this mission through a variety of programs including writing contests, playreadings, an annual film festival, networking events and the pre-eminent Armenian performing arts website in the world, www.armeniandrama.org, which has Armenian playscripts and oral histories available online, as well as an artists directory and articles on Armenians working in the entertainment industry today.

Tickets will be $50 per person. Reservations will begin in late August. More information will follow, or you can email adaa@armeniandrama.org or visit www.armeniandrama.org.

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WILLIAM SAROYAN PRIZE for PLAYWRITING

ABOUT THE AWARD

The 2nd Biennial William Saroyan Prize for Playwriting ($10,000) will be awarded in 2010 for a stage play based on Armenian themes. The award will be presented publicly at a west coast event administered by the Armenian Dramatic Arts Alliance. A panel of noted industry professionals will select winning script. This prize is administered by ADAA through a grant from the William Saroyan Foundation.

SUBMISSIONS FOR THE 2010 SAROYAN PRIZE ARE NOW CLOSED.

FINALISTS WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN LATE MAY, 2010.

RULES & GUIDELINES

All submissions must be postmarked by February 15, 2010. ADAA accepts no liability whatsoever for loss or non-receipt of any script.

Winning stage play will be announced in August 2010.

Scripts must be based on Armenian subjects (no restrictions on style, location or time period).

Submissions must be full-length original works or adaptations, written in English.

Adaptations or works based upon an underlying work are accepted.

Submitted plays must have had a professional reading or production within the last three years.

Submitted plays may not be under option for professional production at the time of submission.

Submitted stage plays must be wholly the original work of the writer (s).

Submitted stage plays must be free of any encumbrances, not subject to any arrangements or agreements that would preclude the development or production of the material. Writers are required to notify ADAA immediately if material submitted for consideration under the terms and conditions of this competition is optioned during the judging period.

Translations will be accepted. It is the submitting writer's responsibility to arrange for their own translations, at their own expense.

ADAA will not accept unsolicited updated drafts or revised pages of any stage plays or any additions after they have been received.

Each person can submit a maximum of one full-length script.

Stage plays written by more than one person are eligible; however, only one prize of $10,000 will be given for the winning selection.

The winner of the award will be responsible for any and all tax liabilities associated with the prize.

All writers of submitted stage plays must be at 18 years of age or older.

Writers need not be of Armenian descent. Writers from any country or ethnicity are eligible.

Sscripts must be in English, printed on 3-hole white paper with the pages numbered.

Scripts should be fastened with 2 or 3 brads with the title, name of writer(s) and contact information on the title page ONLY.

Scripts should be between 90-130 pages and in standard stage play format.

Fonts should be 12-point Courier or Times New Roman.

No scripts will be returned. Paper will be recycled.

Electronic submissions are preferred (adaa@armeniandrama.org).

ADAA's employees, contractors, Board of Directors, and contest jury, as well as board members of the William Saroyan Foundation are not eligible.

Failure to adhere to these rules and guidelines will result in disqualification and forfeiture of the entry fee.

Failure to adhere to correct formatting will also result in disqualification.

Phone calls regarding the contest will not be returned. If you have any further questions after reading the rules, you may contact ADAA at the general email address at adaa@armeniandrama.org with ”William Saroyan Contest inquiry” written in the subject line.

Judging will be performed by trained readers and/or industry professionals and/or principals of the Armenian Dramatic Arts Alliance. The top three (3) selected finalists will be read by the panel of finalist judges. The judges’ decisions will be final and you must abide by the decision of the judges with regard to all matters.

Entry fees are nonrefundable. No entry will be read until the entry fee is received.

The Winner of the competition will affix the “DEVELOPED WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF (ADAA LOGO)” to the work and provide for the following credit in any contract for the development or production of the work: “DEVELOPED WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF (ADAA LOGO).” In addition, this credit will be provided on the title page of all printed materials of future readings, workshops, productions, recordings, and publications of their projects and in the case of productions, to include the “DEVELOPED WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF (ADAA LOGO)” as part of the credit sequence. In addition, upon acceptance of the first place price, the winning author(s) shall grant to ADAA the nonexclusive right to use the name, likeness and approved biography of all authors of the work for use in the development and promotion of ADAA activities.

The ADAA and the Sponsor reserves the right to modify or cancel this contest at any time. In the event of a cancellation prior to the first prize being awarded, the ADAA shall return all entry fees unless unable to do so due to a natural disaster. By participating in this contest, each person submitting material hereby releases and agrees to hold harmless the ADAA, its affiliates, partners, subsidiaries, officers, directors, agents, employees and all entities associated with ADAA from and against any liabilities, costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys fees) arising from the development, promotion and exploitation of such persons submitted materials.

Any disputes shall be submitted to arbitration in Boston, Massachusetts, in accordance with the rules and regulations of the American Arbitration Association then in effect. The arbitrator’s decision shall be controlled by the terms and conditions of this agreement and shall be final and binding, and shall provide for each party to bear his or its own costs of arbitration and attorneys’ fees.

 

TO ENTER:

Submit the following materials:
• Electronic submissions are greatly preferred (adaa@armeniandrama.org).
• Hard copies will be accepted but we request 4 copies of your script.
• Contact information should be on the title page ONLY.
• A completed entry form, signed by all writers. For ENTRY FORM CLICK HERE.
• A non-refundable entry fee of $20.00 (check or money order only) made out to the Armenian Dramatic Arts Alliance.
• A brief synopsis (one page maximum)
• Character breakdown
• A biography and photograph of the entrant.
• A resume including entrant’s body of work, proof of submitted play's staged reading or production.

 

POSTMARK DEADLINE

February 15th, 2010 (CLOSED)

*Email submissions are strongly recommended and preferred*

EMAIL SUBMISSIONS TO:

adaa@armeniandrama.org

 

or

SEND SUBMISSIONS TO:

ADAA/WILLIAM SAROYAN COMPETITION
20 Concord Lane
Cambridge, MA 02138

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Finalists

 

 

FLESH AND TENDERNESS, by Kristen Lazarian
A fourth-generation Armenian American woman coming to terms with her family history.

 

THE LIVING AND THE DEAD, by Matthew 'Yazo' Yaldezian
Recounting the early life, love and writings of William Saroyan.

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Deborah Salzer

Mac Wellman

Leslie Ayvazian