SoHo Playhouse presents The 4th Annual Lighthouse Theatre Series:
A competition first of its kind. This spring we are turning on the beacon to let artists across New York City know to COME THIS WAY!
What will this series entail? Oh, the usual—just a collective celebration of the best 15-20 short plays, monologues, or one-act shows around the town over the course of three weeks this spring.
What are the rules? We will accept just about anything: short plays, long monologues, a series of monologues, a longer scene from a full length play, you’re own one-act—anything! We are creatives here, not referees! The only catch is the time limit: the submission (when performed) cannot exceed 30 minutes. And of course, it isn’t you that has to perform—maybe you have a short play you’ve written, and have incredible actor friends who will perform the piece for the series. You create—we showcase. Simple as that.
Who can apply? Any and all young, emerging artists based in the New York City area that will be here this spring. No age limit, but we are looking for college students, recent grads, and people with stories to tell.
When is the deadline? The deadline for applications for the 2025 Lighthouse Series is March 1, 2025.
When will the competition take place? Performances will be held at the SoHo Playhouse over two weeks, April 1st through 14th.
Who decides the winner? You! And also us. Each selected piece will have three nights to perform over one of the two weeks in April. Each night, three or four selected pieces will perform. At the end? The audience will vote. After the two weeks are up: We will have the winners. One from each performance group. If we feel like there was one show we just simply can’t let go of…we will pick more. Those winners go on and have the ability to expand their pieces for the next round of performances in June/July. Those productions will also make a portion of box office sales in the second round. There's more? Yes, from that group an overall winner is picked and that productions will have the opportunity to perform their full production sometime in SoHo playhouse’s next season.
What will you get? Other than an Off-Broadway credit, a three night performance of your piece, and the chance of extending? The LightHouse Theatre Series will be an incredible, power-packed few nights of theatre. We want to bring talented, young artists together: not only for our benefit to scout talent and be immersed in new work, but to bring you all together…who knows, maybe the next Phoebe Waller Bridge and Donald Glover duo will meet and write a show together.
Why are we doing this? You. We want to know who the next culture-shifting, cutting-edge, brave young artists are in New York City right now. We know how hard it is to get started in this industry, and we believe in throwing your fears to the wind and workshopping your creations. We want to be a home for you to explore your voices, not just now—but always. The LightHouse Series is just the beginning.
ONCE YOU PAY YOUR APPLICATION FEE HERE YOU WILL RECEIVE AN EMAIL ON WHAT MATERIALS TO SUPPLY AND WHERE TO SEND THEM.
Questions, Comments, and Enquiries? Email us at lighthouse@sohoplayhouse.com
FAQ’s
What does the Lighthouse Festival provide?
We provide free space for two hours of tech and 3 performances in our 178-seat house. Any additional time needed in the space for additional tech time or rehearsals will be available at a heavily discounted rate. We will also provide use of any props/set pieces in our inventory available for use, an experienced technical director who will serve as a board operator/projectionist who can also advise on lighting design and other technical elements, a “deck” stage manager during performances to assist with scenic transitions and cueing each group before they are about to go on, an in-house publicist to promote the series, as well as mentorship on producing/advertising from members of our team available to you at no additional cost. Each group in the first round will be given the chance to have an Instagram takeover on Soho Playhouse’s social media channels to promote their pieces, and we will also accept pitches to promote your piece through other social media platforms (TikTok, X, Threads) and repost on our accounts.
How do ticket sales work?
For the first round of the Lighthouse Series, artists will not receive any proceeds from the box office. For those who are invited back for a second round, there will be a box office split of the proceeds.
How many pieces do you accept?
12 to 15 for the first round, 6 pieces for the second round. There will be one final winner for a run at some point during the 2024-2025 season either during our international Fringe Encore Series or for a solo run.
What is the competition-based element of the festival, and how does it work?
The Lighthouse Festival is divided into two parts to choose one, final winner for a multi-week run during the 2025-2026 season. For the first round, the audience will have the opportunity to vote ranked choice on the pieces they saw that evening. Each piece will be given an equal amount of performances to ensure fairness in being exposed to a pool of different audiences. Based on the results of the votes in the first round, your piece may or may not be voted back for a second round. If it is voted through, you will be invited back to perform in a second round, where you will also have the option to expand your piece if you would like. During the second round where the winner will be chosen, voting will be determined by members of Soho Playhouse staff and other invited industry professionals.
What is needed to submit?
We will not provide actors or production personnel for your individual project, so this is a self-produced, bring-your-own-production festival where the artist submitting will be responsible for all elements of the production. Once you agree to pay the fee, that will take you to our submission form. On our submission form, we ask for all the necessary information on your piece: title, genre, number of cast members, script, relevant production materials, and production history (if applicable). We will also ask for any information about you as an artist: CV/resume, and reference materials in the form of pictures or videos of past work.
If my piece has already been performed at another venue, am I eligible to apply?
Yes. We accept work that has been previously produced, as long as the works are not licensed by a publishing house which requires royalties.
How long are our works allowed to be?
During the first round, all pieces performed will need to be no longer than 30 minutes. You are allowed to present a piece specifically suited for this length, or an excerpt from a longer piece.
If my piece is a full-length piece I want to show an excerpt from, should I send the whole script, or just an excerpt?
Whichever is the best reflection of which you want to present. If you are unsure what excerpt you’d like to present, you may submit the full script and indicate that you have not decided on a specific selection on the form under “Production History”. If accepted, you will need to decide on a final excerpt of your choosing.
What are you looking for in terms of content?
We are looking for original works of all kinds – in the past, we’ve presented small cast comedies and dramas, genre pieces (suspense/thrillers/horror/sci fi), autobiographical works, satire/parody/transformative works, and musicals. We accept pieces in all modes of development.
Who should submit?
Any and all young, emerging artists based in the New York City area that will be here this spring. No age limit, but we are looking for college students, recent grads, and people with stories to tell.
If we submit, when should we accept to hear back?
All applicants will be notified of their status by March 14, 2024.
Any additional questions can be forwarded to lighthouse@sohoplayhouse.com