Definitions of "Non-Produced"
Submission
Best Practices
DG Definitions for Submissions
Published Work
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A dramatic work (play, lyric, libretto, or musical composition) that has been
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Fixed in a tangible medium (including digital formats)
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Reasonably capable of being copied and/or distributed
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Either commercially distributed by a third-party publisher
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Self-published with at least 1000 copies sold via commercial distribution
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Unproduced Script/Non-Professional Production
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A script that has not been “professionally” produced
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Definition of a Non-Professional Production
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Readings, staged readings, AEA workshops, developmental productions, amateur productions, concert versions, etc.
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Professional Production
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Fully-staged, royalty-paying, public production
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Utilizes at least one performer who belongs to a live performing arts union or guild (e.g., AEA, AGMA, AGVA), employed under such performer’s union or guild contract
Premiere
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The first royalty-paying professional production in a territory
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Presented for no less than twelve performances
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An official press opening
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Tickets sold to the general public, including subscribers
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O'Neill Definition for Submissions
A professional production means:
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The artists working on the show were compensated for their time
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All of the theatrical elements that one hopes to see — light, set, sound, costume, etc. — were present.
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If your piece has had a reading or a workshop, or if scripts were still in your actors’ hands at the time of a performance, we would not consider that a “professional production.”
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If your piece was produced but the production lacked significant and necessary theatrical elements — a Zoom or virtual reading, stage lighting, projections, or puppets, for instance — we do not consider that a “professional production."
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If your piece has been produced by a college or university theater, we would not consider that a “professional production.”
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If your piece was fully produced but the artists were not compensated, we would not consider that a “professional production.”
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If your piece has been produced, but the production lacked significant and necessary theatrical elements — stage lighting, projections, or puppets, for instance — we would not consider that a “professional production.”