SUBMISSIONS NOW OPEN FOR THE 2026 SEASON
Please carefully read the following eligibility requirements before applying to the festival. ​
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ELIGIBILITY & FEES​​
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Straight plays
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New work only (Your play cannot have been commercially-produced, meaning no tickets were sold.)
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Runtime: 90 minutes maximum/60 minutes minimum
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No intermission
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7 or fewer actors (doubling roles is acceptable)
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Solo shows accepted
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Musicals/performance pieces
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Unlike straight plays, musicals take a different development path than straight plays. Musical submissions CAN be works-in-progress, with the following stipulations:
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Musicals with less than a two week run in an Off Off Broadway theatre, regional or community theatre
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Musicals that have had independent developmental workshops, a small showcase concert of its songs, and/or staged readings
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Musicals that have NOT participated in any local (tri-state) theatre festival
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Runtime: no more than 110 minutes
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Optional: 10 minute intermission (must be included in total runtime)
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7 or fewer actors (doubling is acceptable)
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Performances include either a live, up to 4-piece, ensemble OR high quality produced tracks that you provide
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$50 - Submission Fee (All Plays)--
A nonrefundable reader fee for all applicants. In return, you will receive a critique of your play by several readers, regardless of acceptance.
$1000 - Acceptance Fee (Straight Plays)
$3000 - Acceptance Fee (Musicals)
A one-time, non-refundable fee that applies ONLY if your show is accepted. This fee covers your 4-6 hour tech (depending on whether it's a play or musical) and three full performances, complete with front of house services, including box office, ticket sales, marketing and ushering. We also provide a tech supervisor, microphones, keyboard and drum kit, orchestra loft that fits up to four musicians. This fee also includes our trademark training: intensive one-on-one dramaturgical sessions, full tech support and all the education and advise playwrights need to effectively and affordably produce your play. Our commitment to you is to not let you fail.
Please note: The costs associated with your production are separate and are your responsibility. BBTF strives to keep these costs low by recommending proven directors, stage managers and actors willing to work within the parameters of the festival environment. Playwrights MUST keep their sets minimal and forgo elaborate costuming. Upon acceptance, we provide you with a templated budget to help keep your costs down and give you a legitimate range for line item costs. In addition, our professional team will work with you during the entire production process so you will always have support. ​​​​
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KEY DATES
for BBTF 2026​
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March 10, 2026
Submission and application deadline 5:00 PM EST. All submissions must be made through this web page. (Late applications, applications mailed via the postal serve, e-mailed or via social media will not be accepted – no exceptions.)​
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End of March 2026
Finalists interviews and selection.
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April 1, 2026
Acceptance offers for participation.
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April 10, 2026
Announcement of the 2026 Season.​
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Memorial Day, 2026
Tickets go live!
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A blind submission process allows for the selection of the highest caliber of writing. All selections are based on the merits of the submission and do not allow the process to be lead (whether consciously or unconsciously) by the expectations inspired by the author's institutional affiliation, reputation, gender identity, race, ethnicity, religion, abilities, age, sexual preference or orientation.
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All submissions are read in full by the Festival Director and members of our reader panel, all professional playwrights and theatre producers with published and produced works. (BBTF does not only read the first 10 pages, as other festivals do.)
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All submissions undergo careful scrutiny. Upon completion of the decision-making process, BBTF will email you a critique of your script, which should help you understand the reason your play was or was not selected. Our critiques provide dramaturgical advice and professional feedback of your work. ​​
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Critiquing Rubric: Each play is vetted using the BBTF critiquing rubric. It consists of two categories: Plot Development and Character Development. The third category is where we share our non-prescriptive advice on how to make your play stronger. A fourth category for musicals includes an analysis of the musical score.
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BBTF will never put our stamp on any of the shows it co-produces. We neither require any acknowledgment in future productions as other festivals do, nor do we take a percentage of future revenues nor require the distribution of producer points.