New Jersey Playwrights Contest at William Paterson University

The New Jersey Playwrights Contest (NJPC) supports the work of emerging New Jersey playwrights and composers by showcasing their work to the public through staged-readings and a full production of the winning play and musical. Unpublished scripts by New Jersey residents are solicited in the summer and through a rigorous process that includes the staged-reading series, one play and one musical are selected to receive a professionally designed and directed production the following spring semester.

All playwrights residing in the state of New Jersey are eligible to enter the NJPC. Students and members of the local community, who have the time and energy to commit to a production, are invited to participate in the process. Open auditions for the staged-readings are held in September/October and then again in December/January for the full productions. Casts vary widely depending upon the reading or show but often include undergraduates from a variety of majors, alumni and other members of the University community as well as local community actors or semi-professional performers. And occasionally professional actors are employed on an as needed basis. The artistic and technical staffs for all NJPC shows consist of fulltime and part-time theatre professionals working in the northern New Jersey area.

The NJPC is coordinated by Edward Matthews and Shari Selke of the University Performing Arts Department, and is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.