Submissions for In The Works ~ In The Woods 2026 will be open from January 26 - March 1, 2026. If you have any questions about submissions or the festival, please email itw-itw@fbplayhouse.org.

To stay up-to-date on all festival news, please follow us on Instagram @intheworksinthewoods and @fbplayhouse, or subscribe to our mailing list.  We appreciate your interest!

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IN THE WORKS~IN THE WOODS
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES 2026

The In The Works ~ In The Woods Festival at the Forestburgh Playhouse provides paid opportunities, resources and a week in the Catskills to assist in developing new Plays, Musicals, Theater for Young Audiences (TYA) and solo Cabarets as part of our Catskills CabLab. 

The 2026 submission window will be open from January 26 - March 1, 2026.  There is a $15 application fee.

Submission Guidelines: 

1) The writers (playwrights, composers, lyricists) must be available to be present on campus in Forestburgh, NY for the Festival dates (September 13 - September 20, 2026).  

2) The piece has not yet had a full regional or commercial production.  

3) New works in any category may only be submitted twice to In The Works ~ In The Woods.

4) Each artist may submit up to two pieces per season.

5) Any non-original components must be part of the public domain or you must prove that you have the rights to use it in your specific piece.

6) Cast size for Musicals are preferably 16 actors or under. Cast size for plays: 8 or under.  (Small roles can be doubled to present in a Staged Reading setting). 

7) Play and Musical submissions should include; 

• Synopsis (PDF, 100 words or less)

• Character descriptions (PDF, 1-page or less)

• Writer bios (PDF, 1-page or less)

• Plays - 25 pages from the script, Musicals - 50 pages from the script (PDF format)

• 5 Song demos from the show, if applicable (.MP3 format)

• If selected for the final round, a complete (or nearly complete) script and score will be required for perusal.

Once submissions are determined to meet Festival criteria, they are sent to our Advisory Committee who reads, assesses, and provides the Artistic Director with their top choices in each category. Finalists will then meet with the Artistic Director to discuss where they are in their development process and what each team hopes to achieve during the course of the Festival. Final selections are made in early spring. 

8) The CABLAB Performer Selection process consists of: 

2 contrasting video song submissions (private YouTube links)

A short video statement of your ideas for the show’s theme and possible content (private YouTube link)

Finalists will then have an informal conversation with our CabLab Director and the Festival Artistic Director. The main criteria for CabLab performers is that they are doing a solo cabaret show for the first time. If chosen, they should be able to meet periodically (via zoom or otherwise) throughout the Spring and Summer with the CabLab director - fulfilling an agreed upon schedule for creating song lists and script development. 

If you have any questions about submissions or the festival, please email
itw-itw@fbplayhouse.org. Thank you for your interest in the In The Woods ~ In The Works Theatre Festival!