Plays and Musicals for All Audiences and Theatre Groups, Amateur, Educational, Professional, and Religious
HOW To Submit Your Play or Musical to a theatre in the proper fashion • PTL WRITERS BLOG June 27, 2026
This was a post I received from PSH Play Submissions Helper by Harrison.
Harrison asked a leading Artistic Director what catches his attention in a submission.
A.D.: “Study what a theater *can* stage: their cast sizes, their stage, their budget. But also study what they *like* to stage. Their style. Their sensibility. The kinds of stories and voices they keep coming back to. Then…say so in your cover letter!
HARRISON: According to this artistic director, a line like one of these can be genuinely useful to the person reading:
A.D.: “This play is in the style of your previous productions of [X] and [Y].”
“My work is similar to [a playwright you’ve produced] in that it’s very [quality].”
HARRISON: A statement like this proves you’ve done your homework; that you know this theater and are submitting to them for a specific reason. It also makes your reader’s job easier and, if you do it right, will help predispose them to being more open to your work. There’s just one non-negotiable catch: Your play had better actually be in that style. (But you already knew that.)
HARRISON: Of course, none of this research is possible until you know which theaters are worth researching in the first place. That’s where PLAY SUBMISSIONS HELPER comes in. Their curated, up-to-date list of theaters, contests, and festivals actively seeking scripts will help make sure you spend your time studying the right theaters (instead of hunting for them).”
HERE IS A LIST OF THE JULY 2026 submissions available:
