Submissions Open November 15: Valley Players’ 2027 Summer Staged Reading Series

Valley Players is searching for short, one-act, and full-length plays to be showcased during the 2027 Summer Staged Reading Series. Submissions are open November 15 through December 31, 2026. The series will span at least four weekends with 1 to 2 performances each evening, featuring one or more plays. We are specifically interested in original, unproduced work. While all submissions will be considered, certain factors may increase the chances of selection:

  • Strong roles for women over 40
  • Themes of importance to mature women
  • Previously unproduced

We welcome submissions from any genre except musicals. Valley Players aims to bring exciting plays to the stage that resonate with today’s audience and potentially inspire future viewers.

Each submitted play will be read by at least 3 readers on our selection committee (pulled from our staff, our talent base, and our audience base). Each reader will rate the submissions in the following categories:

  • Theme
  • Style
  • Characterization
  • Plot
  • Dialogue
  • Ending
  • Overall Impression

Due to the financial challenges of producing a full slate of staged readings, we are asking for a small submission fee to help cover some of the costs associated with reading and evaluating each play and then bringing the chosen plays to the stage. In exchange, we offer every playwright, regardless of selection status, comprehensive feedback from our selection committee as a token of our appreciation for your submission. View a sample of this feedback here.

A few of the responses from playwrights whose work was not chosen for the 2026 Series

I found these responses very helpful in continuing to improve my script. I enter a lot of contests and submission opportunities. I have never received input that was this constructive and relevant to my efforts. —Gordon B.

I just wanted to say this this is one of the most thoughtful and HELPFUL write-ups I’ve ever received on one of my pieces. I was literally all set to take this play off of my NPX page and stop claiming it, but you and your readers have validated the work I’ve done and shown me the way forward in terms of tightening the piece. I can’t thank you enough and will definitely be submitting to this opportunity again in the future. —Leah B.

Thanks so much for this! Very useful! I really appreciate the time and effort provided by the readers and the thoughtful manner it was put together by the dramaturg staff. Very well done. —Mike B.

Thank you for this incredibly thorough and insightful analysis of my play. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate the time and effort that went into it. —Brad W.

I have never received such a thorough assessment of any piece I’ve submitted over the many many years of writing plays. Not only was the assessment thorough, specific and sensitive, it was impressive that your people took the time and energy to evaluate and dissect my play. —Connie E.

Thank you very much for the detailed, insightful, and actionable notes you sent back. Please relay my gratitude to the readers as well, they have done a marvellous job! I will use these notes to inform the next draft of the play, which I am of course already working on. —Patrick B.

Thank you very much for the thoughtful and thorough feedback… I appreciate the sophistication of the analysis and the effort it must take to provide responses to every submission. The whole process only makes me more eager to have an opportunity to work with Valley Players in the future. —Paul D.

Thank you so much for the feedback! This is extremely helpful, and I very much appreciate all the hard work you and the readers put into it! Thank you! —Abhisek B.

We understand that even a small fee can be a barrier, so if you’re experiencing financial hardship, please request a fee waiver. Our goal is to make this opportunity accessible while balancing the costs required to make these readings possible.

Fee Structure:

  • Plays that are 30 minutes or less: $5
  • Plays that are 31 – 60 minutes: $10
  • Plays that are longer than 60 minutes: $15

The deadline for submissions is December 31, 2026. Playwrights of chosen plays will receive proportional royalty as compensation.

How Your Scripts Are Handled

Your script is your work, and we treat it that way. Submitted scripts are stored in a private directory that is closed to the public. Only two groups can access it: the administrators who run the series and the specific readers assigned to evaluate your play. Because scripts are anonymous, readers evaluate your play without knowing who wrote it. Your script is never shared with other playwrights, other organizations, or anyone outside the selection committee. We do not upload, paste, or otherwise feed any submitted script into an AI tool or large language model for evaluation, summarization, or any other purpose. Every script is read by people, and your submission is used only to consider your play for the series.

How to submit

  • Go to valley-players.com/readings/ and begin a submission. We’ll email you a verification code to confirm your address.
  • Fill out the submission form with your contact information and play details. Each play needs its own form, and you can submit as many plays as you like. Please read the full guidelines, and check the box agreeing to the Submission Agreement, before you submit.
  • Upload your script, preferably as a PDF (Word documents are also accepted).
  • Go to checkout and pay your fee: $5 for plays of 30 minutes or less, $10 for plays of 31 to 60 minutes, $15 for plays over 60 minutes. If you’ve submitted multiple plays, you can pay in one lump sum. If the fee would be a hardship, check the hardship box at checkout and it will be waived.
  • Watch for your confirmation email.

Guidelines:

  • Plays should run no longer than two hours. Musicals can’t be considered at this time.
  • Scripts must be entirely anonymous. Put only the title at the top of the first page, followed by the script. Please leave off your name, contact information, synopsis, awards, prior productions, and any backstory about the play. We want readers to meet the work on its own merits.
  • Original, unproduced plays, strong roles for women over 40, and themes relevant to mature women may have a slight advantage.
  • While unproduced plays are preferred, a play that has had a non-professional production (community theater, school, workshop, or reading) is still welcome. Plays that have been professionally produced are not eligible.
  • Co-written plays are welcome.
  • Previously submitted scripts are accepted, provided they have undergone a revision since the last submission.

We look forward to reading your work!

Valley Players is based in Napa Valley, California, and their mission is to foster collaborative, socially relevant, positive, and engaging live theatre productions that inspire and entertain diverse communities while extending our long-standing emphasis on supporting women artists over 40 to other under-represented groups in theater. In 2018, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026, they were voted the Best Theater Troupe in Napa County by the readers and writers of the North Bay Bohemian newspaper. They were also voted Best Theater Company in Napa County for 2023, placing second in 2024 and 2025 by the readers of the Press Democrat.