All you need is an idea!

When Angela, Emma, and I are working on Scripts, one of the most common phrases that comes up in planning sessions is, “I have an idea!” Some of our biggest successes have come from a willingness to dream, to open ourselves to voicing an idea, and to put effort and positive thinking toward an end goal.

This is true with the creation of the George B. Miller Award. We had a deep desire to honor our friend and mentor, and wanted his legacy to live on in a way that promoted new works of theatre. Once the nugget of an idea was there, the connections followed- which brought us into partnership with Youth Theatre Ireland. In working with Alan King at Youth Theatre Ireland, we appreciatively took on his expert advice and together brought the idea to fruition. Sometimes being brave and voicing an idea is the first step to making big things happen.

We are currently looking for submissions for the George B. Miller Award, and we ask playwrights to be brave and voice your idea. For this project, you do not have to have a completed play. We are looking for ideas for plays that can be fleshed out and molded into a final work. Do you have a character in your mind that is longing to be brought to life? Then this award is for you. Is there a social conflict facing teens that you can’t stop thinking about? Then this award is for you. Do you have a page of fast-paced dialogue that is tense and driven, but don’t know where it should go next? Then this award is for you.

Plays that are chosen will go through a mentoring process with Pete Mullineaux, with the main goal to mentor and nurture new works for performance opportunities with YTI. As a way to streamline submissions, we’re specifically looking for ensemble pieces for 11-14 year olds. For your submissions, just give us a page description of what your idea is, and a small sample of dialogue. We’ll help you do the rest - to bring your idea to life from the page to the stage.

For details on how to submit go to https://www.scriptsireland.com/georgebmilleraward. Take a chance and voice your idea. We’re ready and waiting to help bring it to fruition.

As I tell my theatre students on a daily basis, be brave, be bold, and go for it!