Stageable - Application Guidelines
Inaugural 2024 applications open: Monday 1 July – Wednesday 14 August (6 weeks)
Stageable: Make A Scene is Queensland Writers Centre’s newest addition to our suite of our …able programs, focussing on the development of emerging playwrights. The Program accepts submissions of all forms of unpublished and unproduced plays and writing intended for the stage.
Successful (shortlisted) applicants to the Program will receive consultation with Queensland Writers Centre (QWC) staff and 5 hours of one-on-one mentorship with a matched industry professional, with the aim of sparking ongoing creative and professional connections for writers.
One-on-one Feedback Sessions with QWC staff to receive reader feedback on the submitted script and discuss next steps (regardless of the application outcome), are available as an add-on for all applicants.
To ensure all writers receive value from their application, QWC has committed to providing a relevant development workshop to applicants free of charge during the Program, tailored to address commonalities found by reviewers across the cohort of applications.
Please read the guidelines below carefully before making your application.
How to apply
Applications are accepted only via the online Application Form.
Applicants are required to submit the first 50 pages only of a complete draft theatre script, alongside a 400-word synopsis and other information as requested in the Application Form. (For scripts less than 50 pages in total, submit the complete script.)
Scripts should be presented according to standard formatting:
12pt Times New Roman or Arial font
Left aligned paragraph formatting
3cm margins on all sides of an A4 page
Page numbered (beginning with the first page of dialogue)
Script conventions:
Single line spacing for dialogue
Fully capitalise scene headings (e.g. SCENE 1)
Fully capitalise speaker names
Use italics for stage directions
Above all else, ensure consistent and clear use of conventions and formatting throughout
PDF file format, with the title included in the file name
Do not include your name or identifying details on any portion of the script or synopsis.
For further directions QWC recommends following Australian Plays Transform’s Script Format Example. Other script formats, including experimental forms, may be accepted on a case-by-case basis. Contact the Centre for more information.
Submissions not meeting the requirements outlined in these guidelines may be requested to resubmit or be deemed ineligible, at QWC’s discretion.
Application criteria
Stageable is for emerging scriptwriters and playwrights. For the purpose of the Program, ‘emerging writers’ are defined as writers who have not had works for performance professionally produced or published. Playwrights with credits in community theatre are welcome to apply.
Applicants should be Australian citizens or currently reside in Australia.
Applicants under 18 years are eligible but should contact the Centre prior to making their application. If applicants are under 18 years and are selected for the Program, they will need permission from a guardian to continue.
Applicants should submit their own original, unproduced and unpublished work. Applicants need to hold all relevant rights to the script and its content.
Where there is Indigenous content or participation in the work, applicants should comply with Australia Council for the Arts’ Protocols for using First Nations Intellectual and Cultural Property in the Arts, available via australiacouncil.gov.au/investment-and-development/protocols-and-resources.
Applicants who have entered previous years’ competitions may re-enter, however resubmissions of work without substantial changes are not eligible. Shortlisted writers from previous competitions are ineligible to enter.
Scripts may be of any genre or style.
Scripts should be a complete draft and no longer than 75 pages in total.
Scripts should be for small cast plays (approximately 6 characters or less) and stageable with minimal set requirements.
Scripts can not be part of any current undergraduate, postgraduate or masters’ coursework program of study.
Key dates
Applications open: Monday 1 July – Wednesday 14 August 2024 (6 weeks)
Shortlist notified/announced: Early October 2024 (mentorship commences shortly afterwards)
Development workshop (all applicants): October 2024
Feedback Sessions: Commencing mid-October 2024
Successful applicants will be publicly announced on QWC’s website and Pen & Pixel email newsletter. Applicants will be personally notified of the outcome of their application prior to public announcements.
Entry & assessment process
Applications must be made via the online Application Form – see How to apply.
Once submitted, application materials cannot be modified or amended.
Applicants may submit more than one manuscript to the Program (i.e. multiple submissions). However, each submission requires a separate application (and fee).
QWC staff and trained readers will assess all submissions.
One-on-one Feedback Sessions (up to 30 minutes) with QWC staff are available as a paid add-on, for applicants to receive reader feedback on their script and discuss next steps. All feedback is constructive and the opinion of the reader/s.
Any advice given will be based off the submission and synopsis, and is provided to allow writers to work through the rest of their script.
QWC will select up to 4 applicants, at its discretion, for the Program shortlist and to continue in the mentorship program.
QWC reserves the right to ask applicants to submit full works (within 72 hours of being notified). Please note that this submission is required for proof of completion, and may not be read or assessed in its entirety by QWC’s reading team.
For shortlisted writers: once matched with a mentor, the format of the meetings and usage of the mentorship time will be agreed upon by the writer and mentor. QWC will continue to monitor progress.
Correspondence with QWC will be a mixture of remote and in-person communication depending on availability. All required elements of the Program will be made available in an online format.
QWC is committed to providing a relevant development workshop, delivered by an industry professional, to all Program applicants free of charge, regardless of application outcome. QWC will endeavour to tailor the content of the session to address commonalities found across the cohort of applications.
Fees & charges
Standard application fees:
Member application fee ($55)
Non-member (standard) application fee ($60)
Application fees with add-ons:
Application fee + One Year Membership ($115)
Application fee + Feedback Session ($104)
Application fee + One Year Membership + Feedback Session ($164)
Fees include GST. Fees contributes toward administration expenses of QWC in administering this Program.
Discounted member application fees are available to current members of state writers’ centres in the National Writers’ Centre Network. If you’re not a member of QWC, you may be asked to verify your membership of another Centre.
After applications close, Feedback Sessions may be available to book separately at full price ($99) for a limited time through QWC’s Writer’s Consults program.
Participants will be required to arrange and pay for any other expenses throughout the Program, if applicable, except as identified by QWC in written agreements. Any elements of the Program incurring additional expenses would be optional.
Additional terms
QWC does not guarantee the future production of scripts submitted to or developed during the Program.
Application materials (scripts) will be disposed of securely once QWC completes the selection process. QWC will record and keep information provided on the application form.
The final numbers selected for the Program shortlist are to be at QWC’s discretion, and may depend on the quality and number of applications received. A minimum of two places on the shortlist may be reserved for Queensland writers. A minimum of one place on the shortlist may be reserved for applicants to the Youth Category.
Every effort is made to ensure an appropriate and mutually beneficial match between shortlisted writers and mentors. However, QWC acknowledges creative relationships are subjective and may not always be found to be suitable for both mentor and writer; in these circumstances QWC will negotiate for the best possible mutual outcome but is unable to guarantee the provision of mentorship hours or further administration, additional to what is ordinarily provided to participants as part of the Program.
QWC reserves no rights over works submitted to or developed during the Program. QWC allows writers to share and/or submit their work to competitions, courses, or producers prior to, during or following their participation in the Program, but should notify QWC if they are successful elsewhere and withdraw their application if required.
QWC does not take a percentage of any future royalties or sale of submitted work, and all rights and intellectual property remain with the author at all times, regardless of their final placement in the Program.
Successful applicants are expected to promote and support the Program and QWC online and in other forms of media. Successful applicants may also be requested to provide a testimonial.
Any credit offered to QWC and the Program should comply with any direction given by QWC, approved graphics used, and notification given of intention to credit QWC.
Whilst not obligated and ultimately at the applicant’s discretion, if successful in future due to exposure or experience gained from the Program, appropriate credit and acknowledgement of QWC’s role is expected.
QWC may offer unsuccessful applicants the opportunity to participate in a tailored Program at a cost additional to the initial application fee.
These Application Guidelines were developed and updated for the 2024 Stageable Program.
Queensland Writers Centre reserves the right to amend application guidelines for this and future Programs.