Rochdale-based M6 Theatre Company are launching a monologue competition, open to all writers over the age of 16, under the title of Love in the Time of Corona.
During this time of isolation, distance and fear, our relationships with each other, our families, friends, the world around us and with ourselves has never felt more important.
Written specifically for children or young people, ten winning monologues will be chosen by a diverse panel consisting of M6 staff, professional playwrights, directors, actors and young people from Rochdale. The competition will generate 34 paid opportunities in total for freelancers during this time of uncertainty.
Details and How to Enter
10 prizes of £350 each to the competition winners.
Deadline for submissions: Monday 27 April 5pm
Winners announced: Monday 18 May
Your character should be in lockdown and feel compelled to speak. They may be using technology to communicate.
Entrants must be over 16 years of age.
The submitted monologues or single voice plays should be NO MORE than 10 minutes in length. (Plays that run longer than 10 minutes will not be shortlisted, so do a timed reading before submitting your entry)
They must be original, previously unperformed and unproduced.
Each entry must be suitable for an audience of children or young people and fall into one of the following targeted age range categories:
Cat A: 7-11 yrs
Cat B: 12-14 yrs
Cat C: 15-18 yrs
(N.B This doesn’t mean that the protagonist has to be the same age!)
Please send your scripts in a word document to comp@m6theatre.co.uk along with a completed cover page and equal opportunities form (available in the download section on this page) using the subject: LOVE IN THE TIME OF CORONA.
Hard copies cannot be accepted.
To make the judging process as fair as possible please make sure the attached script has no identifying information on it.
Title the script and use a pseudonym. This will enable the panel to read the monologues equitably, with no knowledge of who you are.
Please mark the script with your audience target age range.
M6’s administrator will not be part of the judging panel and will ensure the emails used to send the scripts remain anonymous to the panel of readers.
Please use an email address you check regularly in case you win one of the prizes!
The 10 winning monologues will be chosen by a diverse panel consisting of M6 staff, professional playwrights, directors, actors and young people from Rochdale and will in total give 34 paid opportunities to freelancers during these difficult times.
M6 will present a rehearsed reading of each winning entry online, performed and directed by theatre professionals.
Any scripts awarded prizes will remain under option for M6 to produce for a period of 18 months from the announcement of the award. The prize money will form part of the fee for any future developments.
Some Tips
Who is your character speaking to? Someone they love, or should love more? A family member? A friend? Someone far away or just downstairs. Themselves? Directly to the audience? The possibilities are endless.
Do they have a dilemma? Are they under pressure?
What is it they need to say or explain?
They might be angry, sad, triumphant, delighted, desperate, apologetic, defensive, tempted or torn.
Is something important at stake? Or are they just taking a moment to reflect.
Remember this is a dramatic monologue and not prose enacted. They are looking for stories that move or amuse, that connect not divide, that help to see things and each other differently. Stories that give hope and courage.
‘Our experience of working with young audiences, gathered over many years, is they are no less able to recognise truth, beauty and honesty than an adult audience. They can understand nuance and appreciate layers of meaning. They can empathise with characters even when they don’t approve of them. They are a challenging but compassionate audience who deserve to experience the very best work on offer.’
Prize: 10 winners will receive £350 each and their monologues will be presented online, performed and directed by theatre professionals.
Deadline: Monday 27 April
For more information visit www.m6theatre.co.uk
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