Eight 10s in Tucson
A new works ten-minute play festival
Like speed dating, but it's theatre.
Eight 10s in Tucson is an annual celebration of new voices and budding playwrights, told through the lens of local directors and artists.
Each year, out of hundreds of submissions, a committee of dedicated script readers select eight ten-minute plays to present at Eight 10s.
Submissions for this year are now open! Read guidelines at the link below.
Tickets available soon.
I fell in love with the 10-minute play format through the “8 10s at Eight” festival in Santa Cruz, California. It offers great variety to audience members, sort of like live action Tik Tok videos - a little something for every taste. A 10-minute play is also good for playwrights, forcing them to find the most concise way possible to tell their story. When I arrived in Tucson, I just knew this community would respond well to this festival, and I’m extremely happy to see its return."
- Chad Davies, Member Emeritus, 2025
2027 Script Submissions
After an exciting and highly successful 2026 festival, we are thrilled to open submissions for the next collection of bold, funny, moving, surprising, thought-provoking, and unforgettable ten-minute plays.
SCRIPT SUBMISSION
This year, we are expanding our submission cap and will accept up to 500 scripts from playwrights in Tucson, across the United States, and around the world.
Whether this is your first play or your fiftieth, we can't wait to read what you've been writing. Submissions ARE NOW OPEN.
HOW THE SELECTION PROCESS WORKS
Every script submitted to Eight 10s in Tucson enters a blind review process designed to give each play a fair and thoughtful evaluation.
Submissions are read by a cultivated team of volunteer readers representing a variety of theatrical backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Each script is read by multiple readers and advances through several rounds of consideration before final selections are made.
Once we reach the finalist pool, our focus shifts from evaluation to curation. Our goal is to build a festival that showcases a dynamic mix of voices, styles, themes, and theatrical experiences.At the conclusion of the process, eight plays will be selected for full production as part of the Spring 2027 festival.
WHY EIGHT 10s?
Eight 10s in Tucson brings together playwrights, directors, actors, students, educators, and theatre companies in a celebration of new work and fresh voices.The 2026 festival featured artists from Winding Road Theatre, Live Theatre Workshop, Scoundrel & Scamp, and Pima Community College Theatre Arts, creating one of the most collaborative festivals in the event's local history.
We look forward to continuing to create spaces and share stories with our local arts community, telling stories about our shared human experiences.
Know before you submit
To keep the process fair, accessible, and manageable for our volunteer readers, we ask that all submissions follow the guidelines.
The Guidelines
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Blind submissions only. Please remove all identifying information from your script.
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Include a title page containing only the title of the play.
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Include a separate page with a short synopsis and logline.
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Plays should run approximately 8-10 minutes in performance.
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Original works only.
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Please submit plays that have NOT been produced for a paying audience.
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All genres, styles, and themes are welcome.
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Scripts must be submitted as PDF files.
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Standard Dramatists Guild play formatting is required.
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One submission per playwright.
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Playwrights are responsible for securing rights or permissions for any third-party material.
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