Directing a world premiere short play for Collaboraction's Sketchbook Festival is a unique experience. If you are selected, you will be one of up to 16 directors bringing world premiere sketches to fruition. You will be part of a directing ensemble, so you will need to be able to work effectively within a large community and framework of over 150 artists. You will need to be both a leader and a part of a large team. You will need to give direction and take direction. You will collaborate with a diverse and talented pool of writers, directors, actors, designers, and producers. And just as prominent and upcoming playwrights alike contribute to Sketchbook, so do both established and early-career directors; every member of our artistic community has a different level of experience. We appreciate your interest in our Festival.

Deadline for Director Applications: February 18, 2007

If chosen as a Semifinalist, a director applicant must submit vision proposals (maximum of 4). Proposals may be in any medium (written, recorded, drawn or diagrammed), but must be submitted electronically unless other timely arrangements are made. Even if a director is interested in only one play, they MUST submit a vision proposal.

When writing your proposals, be specific, but more importantly be concise. Keep in mind that this is a Festival of very short work.

Do not submit proposals for plays you feel you cannot direct to perform in less than seven minutes.

We encourage directors to collaborate with their playwrights on exciting world premiere work.

THE FESTIVAL

The Festival will in June 2007 at Steppenwolf’s Garage Theatre as part of the Visiting Company Initiative. The plays will be divided into two separate programs and will alternate performance nights. On the final night of the Festival, all of the plays will run during a 3 hour performance before a large audience and a committee of distinguished judges from Chicago's theatre, literary, and arts communities. This committee will help select this year's "Best of the Fest".

THE PROCESS

A reading committee reads all submitted plays (between 300-500). Quarterfinalist plays are read by a second reading committee comprised of the Collaboraction's Executive Artistic Director and Sketchbook producers. That committee selects roughly 35 plays which will be read by the 35 Semifinalist directors (selected through a similar process). Each Semifinalist director will be required to craft separate vision proposals a maximum of 4 plays. From these vision proposals, Sketchbook Seven will be born.

PLAY SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

• All styles and genres are accepted.
• Plays can be no longer than 7 pages in length. Any plays that do not adhere to these restrictions will not be read.
• Plays cannot have been produced anywhere in the world except as readings or workshops.

DIRECTOR’S AGREEMENT

If you are chosen as a Semifinalist director:

• You agree to keep all Sketchbook and Collaboraction operations and process, the Semifinalist plays, and online passwords strictly confidential.
• After reading the 35 semifinalist plays you agree to submit vision proposals. You also understand that no play in the Festival shall be over 7 minutes in performance, and so any proposal you submit must reflect that and hold true to that in performance.
• If one of your proposals is chosen, as a participant in a prize-granting competition, you agree to direct that piece for the Festival at no pay.
• Collaboraction reserves the right to withdraw participants from the Festival who disregard any of the aforementioned rules.
• If you are chosen as a semifinalist director, you understand that after reading the 35 semifinalist plays you may elect not to proceed to the proposal process. If you do choose not to proceed, you must inform Collaboraction as soon as possible.