About

Baltimore Playwrights’ Brew is a regular but informal gathering of folks who are working on things for the stage: plays, scenes, monologues, and other pieces that don’t seem to fit a category but want to be performed. The idea is to get works in progress spoken out loud and into the atmosphere, and to encourage each other to keep writing!

How it Works

This is an open mic/cabaret style event, where playwrights submit pieces to share and actors show up to read them onstage. If you don’t consider yourself a “playwright” or an “actor” but have interest in writing and/or performing, this is still for you! If you want to come and just watch, that is also great.

All are welcome, and no experience or rehearsal is needed to participate.

Guidelines for Writers

Pieces in all stages of writing/revising/rewriting are welcome. No piece is too small or too rough.

Advance sign up is strongly recommended, as each event is limited to 8 pieces. Signing up and submitting your piece in advance also allows us time to post your piece on the Script Page for actors and audience members to access. Sign up for a spot by sending an email to bmoreplaywrightsbrew@gmail.com.

Time limit: Max 10 minutes– which generally works out to about 10 pages of scripted dialogue. If you are working on a longer piece, that’s great! Bring a new scene or section to each session.

Content: In the spirit of goodwill, care, and mutual respect– no content that in any way advocates for cruelty, hate, or bigotry. Please refrain from content that is degrading, overly explicit, or could put actors in compromising positions. Remember that actors will be doing cold readings and can’t review the scripts beforehand- so let’s not spring anything extreme on them. If you would like to offer a content disclosure for anything in your piece, you’ll have an opportunity to do so at the event, along with any words of context/introduction you’d like to share.

Writers are welcome and encouraged to come regularly with updated/revised drafts of pieces. We love to see work in progress and we love to be part of the process!

Guidelines for Actors

Basically: Just show up. It is ok if you have never acted before. Seriously.

Bring your smartphone or other device so that you can access the scripts on the Script Page.

Logistics

Writers:

Before the open mic, you’ll want to either 1) prepare copies of your script for the actors to read or 2) send a copy to bmoreplaywrightsbrew@gmail.com so that we can upload it to the Script Page on this site. Once it’s uploaded, actors will be able to access it via their smart phones for the reading. After the event, we will remove your script from the script page.

We encourage you to invite actors/readers whom you would like to see perform in your piece! We try our very best to cast the staged readings according to each playwright’s character descriptions, and it helps when we have lots of actors of diverse identities and talents attending the open mic.

Actors:

When you arrive, or in advance, you’ll sign up to participate. When we announce each play, we will also announce the actors who will be reading it. If a playwright has invited you specifically to read their piece, note this when you sign up.

If you’re a writer AND an actor and want to perform in your own piece—also cool!

We’re excited to see you!