[NEohioPAL] In re: Kentucky festival waiving entry fee

[David Seth]

The following was recently reported to members of Dramatists' Guild.

The Kentucky Women Writers Conference inaugurated its first playwriting contest in the Spring of 2011 that included a $10 entry fee. There was an immediate outcry from the playwriting community across the nation. The conference director Julie Wrinn received numerous emails from playwrights that were critical of the fee. Subsequently, Natasha Williams, Artistic Director of the Balagula Theatre (producer of the contest winner) and Herman Daniel Farrell III, Kentucky Representative of the Dramatists Guild, lobbied Wrinn to rescind the fee policy.

As noted below, the fee has been eliminated and playwrights who already submitted the fee will receive a refund. "The lesson to be learned from this," stated Farrell, "is that when playwrights speak up, individually and collectively, we can have an impact on policy decisions." Here is the press release from the KWWC:

We Heard You: Kentucky Prize for Women Playwrights to Waive Entry Fee.

In an unusual move, the Kentucky Women Writers Conference has decided to waive the $10 entry fee in its ongoing Prize for Women Playwrights. “This is a new contest for us, and a new partnership with Balagula as the producing theater, and frankly we were pretty naïve about this issue,” explained Julie Kuzneski Wrinn, conference director. “In poetry and fiction contests, entry fees are widely accepted as a means of defraying costs. But I’ve learned that the playwriting community has almost zero tolerance for entry fees. It’s impressive how playwrights have reached such a widespread consensus on this point, both to level the playing field for emerging writers and to honor the professional integrity of more established writers. Changing our policy was the right thing to do, and changing it next year wasn’t good enough. The fee is gone, and refunds will be sent to anyone who already entered.” Scripts must be postmarked by July 1. For submission guidelines visit www.kentuckywomenwriters.org.

~ Herman Daniel Farrell III, DG Kentucky Regional Rep
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