This past July marked the end of the second annual Summer Play Festival (SPF) in New York City. Now, I can't speak about the festival from personal experience (since I've never been there) but I can rave about the concept. Wow. Cool idea and opportunities!

The festival takes place during the month of July at the Theatre Row Complex on 42nd Street. The Complex houses four small (under 99 seats) theatres and, during the festival run, showcases 16 new plays.

Part of the stated mission of the SPF "is to give emerging writers, directors, and producers an opportunity, at no cost to themselves, to work on their material in a protected environment, guided by established professionals."

Unlike most festivals, who have to charge their creatives, each production is given a budget of $10,000 to put on a production (SPF markets the shows as part of promotion of the festival). Artists of all kinds are encouraged to come, get involved and gain valuable experience. In addition, once an emerging writer has been part of the festival, he/she can ask for career guidance or financial assistance from the festival organization as needed.

The festival was founded by Broadway producer Arielle Tepper (co-producer of such shows as Spamalot, Avenue Q, and John Leguizamo's Freak) and just this year became a not-for-profit organization.

Theatre tickets sell for $10 each and as a result, the shows sell-out quickly. New play submissions will be accepted on their website soon and tickets for next summer can be ordered via the website once the new play schedule is set.

I may be in NYC next summer and if so, I'm certainly going to make a point of checking it out!