Words Cubed

Words Cubed is part of the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s new-play program that seeks to nurture and develop openly submitted, solicited, and commissioned plays by providing a professionally supported platform for readings, workshops, and fully realized productions as part of an ongoing commitment to create a diverse body of work.

Playwrights spend a week at the Festival in rehearsals with our actors and directors refining and rewriting their plays. At the end of the week, the revised plays are presented as staged readings or workshops, followed by a lively, interactive discussion between the playwright, actors, and audience.

Submissions for 2024

Our submission process for 2024 begins September 18, 2023 and continues until November 30, 2023, or when we have received 200 plays, whichever is earlier. Please note this deadline is a month earlier than previous years. 

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

• The whole play, but designate 15-20 contiguous pages to be read as an excerpt. You can designate these pages in the email with your submission. 
• A one page synopsis of your play, that is, a short description of what happens in your play (NOT background information on the play, its theme(s), a log-line, or a “teaser”).
• A one page character description (include any suggested doubling).

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

PLEASE NOTE:

Do not submit adaptations of works for which you have not already secured the rights.  

For Words Cubed, we are not looking for the ‘best’ play submitted, but rather a good one that will benefit from, and fit into, our process. Also, we consider how the plays complement one another – two are selected each season – and complement the season in which they are workshopped is part of our selection process. Additionally, a play that is very similar in theme or plot to recent Words Cubed selections are less likely to be chosen.

Plays requiring 5 or fewer actors, with doubling, may be prioritized. 

If you submitted a play in the last three years, please do not resubmit. 

Please, only one submission per playwright.  

While we love musicals, our Words Cubed program is not designed to support a sufficient development process for musicals.