We’re doing it again. Pat the Dog Playwright Centre will be hosting our second annual 24-Hour Playwriting Contest from 4:00 PM Friday, October 1st to 4:00 PM October 2nd, 2010.

Fire up the computer, grab your lucky mug and jump into your pjs because this year all contestants write offsite. Hit the keys at home, in a coffee shop, on a bus… the location is up to you. There’s no entry fee and no restrictions on length. All you have to do is write an original script in 24 hours. How easy it that?

Not very. But the rewards could be great. Last year’s winner, You Know I Love You Still by Maggie Clark is slated for a full production as part of  Tottering Biped’s 2011 season. Third place winner, Aftershock by Evan Tsitsias, is playing until August 14th in Toronto at Summerworks to rave reviews in Now Magazine and the Toronto Star.

Rules & Regulations:

1. The contest is open to anyone living in Ontario, except contest Jurors. Space is limited to the first 30 entrants, accepted on a first come, first served basis. To enter you must download and email a completed 24-hour Entry Form-2010 to the email address listed on the form.
2. Entrants can work from a page of prepared notes, but all plays are to be original works.
3. The script must include, in some form, the three secret words we select. These words will be emailed to the participants at 4:00 on Friday, October 1st, 2010.
4. Participants must email their play to scripts@patthedog.org no later than 4:00 PM on Saturday, October 2nd.
5. Scripts must be in electronic format (acceptable extensions include .doc .rtf .pdf or .txt), written in 12 point Arial, Courier or Times Roman, double-spaced between speaking parts, and formatted for 8 1/2” X 11” paper.
6. The title page should contain the title of the play, your name, contact number and email. The play itself must NOT contain your name, but have a header with the play title and page numbers.

Prizes & Notification:
Winners will be announced on our website on Monday, October 4 at 4:00 PM.

Prizes will be awarded as follows:

• First place prize will be $500, a public staged reading of the winning script and full bragging rights. We’ll also feature you on our website in a Q&A.
• Second place: a reading
• Third place: a reading

Waterloo, we have a winner!

Allowed only a page of notes, a computer and their imaginations, playwrights from across Ontario spent 24 non-stop hours drinking coffee and pounding out an original play. Some wrote from the comfort of their homes, while others brought their laptops to Kitchener City Hall and wrote in the rotunda.

After much deliberation the panel of judges selected the winners, who were announced at a special reception held at Seven Shores Urban Market & Café in Waterloo.

The winners are:

• Grand Prize: Margaret Clark for You Know I Love You Still.
• Second Place: Johnny Trinh for Sometimes Y.
• Third Place: Evan Tsitsias for Aftershock.
• Honorable Mention: Miroki Tong for Crimson Falling.

Prizes for the winners are

• $500 and a staged reading for first place
• $100 and a reading for second place
• $50 and a reading for third place
• A reading for honourable mention

Grand-prize winner Margaret Clark, a graduate of University of Waterloo, had no idea what she would write about when she signed up for the contest. By focusing on what was urgent to her, Clark wrote a play about a 24-year old woman who was abducted at age 8 and held in a basement for 16 years. The play examines the woman’s first steps into an adult relationship following her re-entry into the world. “I didn’t want to be exploitive,” Clark says. “If you write a play about deep, urgent human issues, you must be responsible for what you write. It forces you, focuses you and with more empathy.”

O’Connell calls the results, “Timely, sweet, funny and poignant.”

Stay tuned for updates on when Pat the Dog presents the readings.

Balloon photo © bfick. Published under a Creative Commons License.

Part of the IMPACT Festival

Your mission, should you choose to accept it:  Write a play in 24 hours with only one page of notes and no sleep.

• WHO: First 30 playwrights to enter.
• WHEN: 4:00 PM, Friday, September 25, 2009 until 4:00 PM Saturday, September 26th.
• WHERE: Kitchener City Hall or your home. It’s up to you.
• WHY: Because sometimes creativity needs a little push.
• HOW: Bring your laptop and a page of notes to Kitchener City Hall and let the words and adrenaline flow. If you’d rather write at home, that’s okay too. Just let us know you’re participating off-site on the entry form. Here is the form: 24-hour Entry Form)

WINNERS: We’ll announce the winner on Tuesday, September 29th at 2:00 PM at the Seven Shores Café on 8 Regina, Street, Waterloo. Join us for snacks and to find out who wins the grand prize of $500 and a staged reading.

Cost: FREE. No really. But we couldn’t do it without the generous support of

Contest Rules & Regulations:

1. The contest is open to all Ontario residents, except contest Jurors. Space is limited and entrants are accepted on a first come, first served basis. To enter you must fill out and submit an entry form. 24-hour Entry Form
2. Entrants can either write on site at Kitchener City Hall or off site at a location of their choosing. NO matter where you write, the time lines still apply. Please specify which location you prefer when you fill in your entry form.
3. Entrants who choose to write the play on-site are responsible for bringing their own laptop.
4. Entrants can work from a page of notes, but all plays are to be original works.
5. Entrants writing on-site should be at City Hall by 3:30 PM. The contest will begin at 4:00 PM sharp on Friday, September 25th.
6. For on-site entrants, finished plays, and the page of notes, will be collected at 4:00PM on Saturday, September 26, 2009. Off-site participants must email their play and page of notes to info@patthedog.org no later than 4:00 PM.
7. Scripts must be in electronic format (acceptable extensions include .doc .rtf .pdf or .txt), written in 12 point font (Arial or Times Roman), double-spaced between speaking parts, and formatted for 8 1/2” X 11” paper. Title page should contain the title of the play, your name, contact number and email. The play itself must NOT contain your name, but have a header with the play title and page numbers.

Prizes & Notification:

1. First place prize will be $500 and a staged reading of the winning script.
2. Winners will be announced on the Pat the Dog website and at the Seven Shores Urban Café on Tuesday, September 29th, 2009 at 2:00 PM.