Play Selection Process

The Background

The CoPs Play Selection process is that any potential director can submit plays that they would like to direct. We ask directors to submit a minimum of two plays, which should be contrasting in styles: in the event that two directors submit similar plays, we then still have a choice. We welcome new directors, as well as new-to-CoPs directors.

Potential Plays

CoPs welcome all manner of plays, and due to our loyal but relatively small audience, we can often stage plays that are not seen elsewhere. You should try and ensure that any play submitted is either out of copyright, or at the very least, not restricted for public performance. The main UK Rights Holders and their information about availability are as follows:

Look under the Licensing & Materials section on the listing of the specific play you wish to Direct. If it reads “Minimum Fee: £70 per performance plus VAT” and not “Performance right for this title are currently withdrawn in the UK” or similar, then the play is available to perform.

If a particular play as a cost, e.g. “Amateur rights performance fee: £85 per performance“, then it may be available. If there is a mention of “Dates of UK Tour” in the blurb, this may restrict amateur performance rights.

Unfortunately, there is nothing on their site to indicate UK availability.

Please bear in mind however, even if a play is listed on any website, all rights holders state a full application with dates must be submitted to know for sure, so the Committee will need to do this immediately after we have selected the proposed season – and it maybe the rights holders come back and say “no” at that point, so we may need to go back to the drawing board. The PSC (Programme Selection Committee) will make the full application.

Slots

We usually have 5 slots per year: September, November, February, April and June – factors such as Easter can vary actual playing dates. The more slots a director can do, the better. CoPs often struggles to find directors for the September and June slots, so if you can do these slots, it will also play in your favour.

Decision Makers

A Programme Selection Committee (typically 4 people) reads all the submitted plays and puts together a draft “balanced” season, which is then ratified by the Main Committee. Balance must be achieved in terms of genre, male/female split, cast size and staging configuration, and of course we have to take into account director availability for specific dates.

Staging Configuration

CoPs offer two main staging configuration options – Standard Proscenium Arch mode and Thrust/In-The-Round arrangements. Due to audience accessibility, we restrict the number of Thrust/In-The-Round productions per season. We ask directors to specify one of three options for each play they submit:

Only Thrust
Only Proscenium
Would prefer Thrust/In-The-Round, but would accept Proscenium

This last option would maximise your chance of selection by not mandating you only want to do a play Thrust/In-The-Round.

The Submission Process

All submissions must be made via our online form, and not sent via direct email to any committee member.

Timeline

As can be seen from the timeline, no final decision will be made by the Programme Selection Committee or ratified by the Main Committee before January 2o27 at the earliest, so please do not make enquiries about the process with individual Committee Members ahead of this.

Directors’ Evening and Beyond…

Following selection, all successful directors will also be asked to confirm some further details about the staging of their proposed production. All are also invited to pitch their play to interested cast and crew members at a fairly informal Directors’ Evening, to be arranged sometime in the Spring of the New Year. We will get a number of copies of each play for distribution to interested parties. Then each director will hold open auditions nearer the time of their play.

Andy Lee & Angela Reiss
Programme Selection