
How It Works:
New Voices for the Theater is a statewide playwriting competition that provides an opportunity for Virginia 8th-12th grade students to develop their submitted one-act plays in collaboration with theater professionals and their peers.
In the spring SPARC selects youth playwrights to participate in the two-week New Voices program. The first week features virtual playwriting workshops led by a professional playwright as facilitator and mentor. In the virtual workshops students will revise their winning plays, develop new works, and learn about the craft of playwriting.
In week two of the program SPARC brings the playwrights together for a live, shared experience in Richmond, VA hosted by SPARC. Here, the chosen playwrights will work side by side in rehearsal with professional theatre directors and actors in preparation for live, in-person staged readings of their winning plays at SPARC’S Sara Belle November Educational Theater.
All playwrights who submit to the program, regardless of their selection status, will receive meaningful feedback from SPARC to support the further development of their plays.
Virtual Auditions for the Acting Company
We are now accepting virtual audition submissions for the New Voices Festival of New Works. Submissions will be accepted through June 16. Click the button below for full information.
Stage Management Cohort
Each year, the New Voices Festival of New Works features the work of stage managers in grades 8-12. The Stage Management Cohort is an integral part of the rehearsal and performance process for the program. As part of the production team, stage managers will facilitate rehearsals, assist with minimal sound and light cues, and keep communication flowing between all members of their assigned play.
Students who are interested in stage managing for the festival do not need to have any prior stage management experience; the Stage Management Cohort is trained and supervised by SPARC production staff members. This is a low-stakes opportunity to learn about this important production role or strengthen the skills a student already has.
Helpful Information for New Voices:
When is the deadline to submit a one act play?
How many plays can I submit?
Will I receive feedback on my play?
When do I find out if I am a finalist?
How are the finalists and winners selected?
If my play is selected, will there be a fee to participate?
What happens during the virtual workshops in first week of the program?
What happens during week two, with the in-person rehearsals?
How are the plays that will be produced at the Festival of New Works selected?
What is the Festival of New Works?
Is there a cost to the Acting Company or Stage Management Cohort?
There is no cost to participating in New Voices as an actor or stage manager.
Major funding for New Voices for the Theater is provided by:
E. RHODES AND LEONA B. CARPENTER FOUNDATION
Additional Support Provided By:
Altria, Community Foundation for a greater Richmond, Dominion Energy Foundation,
the R.E.B. Foundation, Robins Foundation, and Holly Rice & Vince Gilligan