OVERVIEW

Red Bull Theater’s Short New Play Festival returns on Monday, June 22, 2026. Six brand new short plays will be selected from an open-submission process and presented in live in-person staged readings alongside two new short plays by commissioned writers, Ken Ludwig (Lend Me a Tenor, Crazy for You) and Betty Shamieh (Malvolio, Roar). The plays will be directed by José Zayas and another to be announced.

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INSPIRATION

We are looking for work with classical inspiration. This year, we are using the word “REFINISHED” as a jumping off point, inspired by George Bernard Shaw's Cymbeline, Refinished. Use this word and idea for your creative thematic juices. We're looking for a wild variety of revised endings to classics. Remember, the play you submit must have a self-contained beginning, middle, and end.  Review our Mission, take a look through our history of Readings and Productions to see the kind of work we have done. Respond to a play we’ve produced or choose a classic of your own to adapt. You might write a new ending for a classic, riff on a classical character, borrow a classical setting, or be inspired to create a brand new style of dramatic verse. Finding inspiration from classics beyond the traditional Western canon is welcome. We hope you will be in dialogue with classical theater in a multitude of creative and surprising ways.

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GUIDELINES

Using the theme REFINISHED, write a short play that:

• makes use of heightened language, and/or is in conversation with a classical theme, style, or story from any cultural tradition.

• is no more than 10 minutes in length.

• is self-contained with a beginning, middle, and end.

• is an original, unpublished, and never previously produced new work.

 

SELECTION CRITERIA

Plays will be selected based on:

• Excellence of the work.

• Relevance to Red Bull Theater’s Mission.

• Incorporation of the theme REFINISHED.

• Utilization of the classical conversation/heightened language guideline above.

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SUBMISSION FEE

There is a $10 submission fee.

Submission fees partially offset open submission processing costs, commissioning fees, and other expenses.

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DEADLINE

SUBMISSIONS CLOSE 12 NOON ET on MONDAY, MARCH 23, 2026. NO EXCEPTIONS

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SELECTED PLAYWRIGHTS...​

• will receive a staged reading of their submission as part of the festival on Monday, June 22, 2026, performed by an ensemble company of some of New York City's finest actors. 

• will receive a commissioning fee of $400.

• will receive a travel reimbursement of up to $400 to attend the festival rehearsal and performance on Monday, June 22 in New York City.

• will be consulted on choices for the shared ensemble cast.

• will have final script approval.

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​FINE PRINT

• Scripts may not exceed 8 pages (excluding the title page and character page) with 1-inch margins all around in Times New Roman font size 12pt. When read out loud - including stage directions - the play must not exceed 10 minutes in length.

• Scripts will only be accepted via electronic submissions in PDF format only. Please use the exact title of the play as the name of your PDF file.

• Playwright's name and contact information must be on the title page ONLY. The title page will be removed for adjudication to “blind” the selection process.

• No exceptions will be made to the submission deadline. 

• Due to the volume of scripts, we are unable to comment on any submissions.

• If you have been selected for 3 previous Red Bull festivals, bravo! However, to make room for new voices, you are no longer eligible to submit.

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CREATE THE CLASSICS OF TOMORROW

Questions? Contact Nathan Winkelstein at nathan@redbulltheater.com.