Questions and Answers

Our Mission

As part of an ongoing commitment to create a diverse body of work, Words Cubed, a new play initiative at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, nurtures and develops openly-submitted and commissioned-based new plays by providing a professionally supported (i.e. funded) platform for readings, workshops, and fully realized productions.

What Do We Want?

Your as-of-yet unproduced script for development (with an eye toward future production) in the form of a week-long workshop with professional actors on-site at the Utah Shakespeare Festival.

What Will Words Cubed Do for You?

Words Cubed and the Utah Shakespeare Festival will fly you to Cedar City, Utah and provide you a stipend; lodging; tickets to our currently running shows; a cast, stage manager, rehearsal hours, director (maybe you can bring your own!) for your show; and lots of fresh pencils. The week will culminate with a staged reading of your play in front of an engaging audience with a talkback to follow. And maybe a party or two. We do that in Utah.

How’s It Work?

See Guidelines for Submission to get your work into the pipeline.

Wait. Are There Fees or Anything?

Nope. Not even a stamp. As a matter of fact, we won’t accept your script unless it’s sent electronically (details below).

There’s Gotta Be Some Fine Print!

Okay. Yes. You got us. Here’s the deal: The only thing we require is a signed contract with the following agreement: After your play leaves our process, any subsequent production or workshop will contain the following language: “Original workshop and reading, The Utah Shakespeare Festival, Artistic Director Brian Vaughn.”

Guidelines for Submission

Thank you for your interest in submitting plays to Words Cubed. Our submission process for 2022 begins September 13, 2021 and continues until January 31, 2022.

To have your script considered for Words Cubed, please submit an email to words3@bard.org with the following as attachments:

• A one page synopsis of your play (that is, a short description of what happens in your play, not background information on the play or what its theme is).
• A one page character description breakdown.
• Your choice of 15–20 contiguous pages from the play.
• If your 15–20 pages are not the beginning of your play, attach a paragraph describing the events immediately preceding those 15 to 20 pages .

Please put your last name and name of your play in the subject line (for example “Shakespeare - Titus Andronicus”).

You may submit more than one play; however, each submission must be in its own email.

We love musicals; however, our Words Cubed program is not designed to support a sufficient development process for musicals.