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Stageplays.com

Jul 11, 2007

Open Letter to Theater Companies Who Charge Fees

To Whom It May Concern:

Thank you for your invitation to send my script for
you to read and consider for production.
Unfortunately, I see you charge a submission fee. I
don't send scripts to theatres who charge fees. In
fact I have begun charging fees myself. You see
administrative costs being what they are, I can no
longer afford to continue to let people read my plays
for free.

Not only are things like paper and staples and
internet access expensive but the rising cost of
health care and my insane student loans from
playwriting school have made it impossible for me to
continue to offer my literature for free. I assure
you, however, that my work is of the highest quality.

I will be charging 20 dollars per page. Please let
me know what play(s) you would like to read and send
along your payment to the above address. (I also take
paypal) I will respond in a day or two with the
requested pages. If you find this is a play you want
to produce, (and I know you will) please contact me
for rights and I will consider if you are a producing
organization I wish to be associated with.

Thank you. I look forward to working with you.

Yours in solidarity and in the theatrical community,

Adam Szymkowicz

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's awesome.

Adam Szymkowicz said...

thanks, Lucas.

Anonymous said...

Amen - I wrote about this in a post called NEVER DO THIS - here tis http://writerjoshuajames.com/dailydojo/?p=87

Anonymous said...

What would really be fun to find out is how many of these theaters that charge fees actually pay the people who allegedly read the plays -- or do they rely on a volunteer corps of "readers?" So in other words -- how much is it actually costing them to have someone scan your script?

Kerry Reid

Adam Szymkowicz said...

Kerry, i imagine most readers are unpaid but even if they are paid, why shouldn't their pay be a part of the show budget?

Anonymous said...

yeah, fuck those douchebags.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, the readers should be paid, and that should be part of the budget. I mean, actors don't have to pay to get into auditions with them or to submit their headshots and resumes, do they? And they're auditioning in front of people who get paid for being there, yes? Why should writers be treated differently?

Kerry

Anonymous said...

Bravo, Adam. You're my kinda artist, and absolutely, my kinda writer.

Cheers, Gary Garrison

Adam Szymkowicz said...

thanks, Gary. I really appreciate it.

Anonymous said...

Bravo, Adam!

I'm glad there's a groundswell of playwrights rebelling.

Best,
J.D.

Adam Szymkowicz said...

thanks, J.D.

This isn't J.D. Salinger, is it?

Anonymous said...

Oh you caught me.

*rolling my eyes*

D said...

Well done!

Adam Szymkowicz said...

thanks! hope you enjoyed the decemberists. I like them.

D said...

they were awesome!

I blogged about 'em a little bit, but it's all lost in the long, rambly eyesore that is my blog right now

...

by the way:

CONGRATULATIONS!

WAHEY WAHEY!

D said...

oh, plus, at the concert, Larry did an awesome impersonation of you skanking.

It was pretty damn funny.

Adam Szymkowicz said...

I'm a good skanker. you don't even know.