Midtown International Theatre Festival 2013 Symposium December 18, 2012

The Midtown International Theatre Festival (MITF) presents the fourth annual MITF Symposium on Tuesday, December 18, 2012 at 6pm at The June Havoc Theatre in the Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex, 312 W 36th St., first floor, NYC. Admission is FREE but reservations are requested (E-mail to midtownFestival@gmail.com).

This year’s Symposium will feature a panel of Festival staff and previous Festival participants. The panel will discuss the Festival and why to produce in it. There will be a short presentation followed by a question-and-answer session; the panelists will also be available after the Symposium to address individual concerns. The Symposium, true to its name (“drinking together,” in Greek) will end with a wine and cheese reception in the upper lobby of the theatre.

“The panel will illustrate for self-producing artists and would-be Off-Broadway producers why the MITF is a valid alternative to bigger festivals,” said John Chatterton, executive producer of the MITF. “I also want to spread the word of all the free stuff we’ll be giving away this season. Theatre, even at the lowest level, is too expensive to produce in New York City, and we’re doing everything we can to make it easier.” This year’s Festival will offer, for the first time, the following FREE items:
• 20 hours FREE rehearsal time
• FREE external storage, availability permitting
• FREE marketing consultation
• FREE showcase insurance
• NO side letter with Equity, so NO hidden costs
• Festival participants COMPED to each other’s shows
• FREE wine and cheese (while supplies last LOL)

The Festival accepts submissions in all genres – any sort of stage play, musical or otherwise, new or classic, mainstream or specifically focused on an ethnic or cultural niche. To be eligible, each show must have a producer and production team attached to the project. In addition, the MITF will include a Short Subjects division, much expanded from previous years.

Mr. Chatterton created the MITF in 2000, a Midtown alternative to other theatre festivals, as a way to present the finest off-off Broadway talent in convenience, comfort, and safety. The MITF’s artistic emphasis is on the script itself, and therefore the Festival focuses on minimal production values.

The 14th season will run from July 15 – Aug. 5, 2012. Application forms are available online at www.MidtownFestival.org (see the Festival Manual, “Application Process”). Applications must be completed online. Scripts must be sent by e-mail. A non-refundable reading fee of $30 must be mailed or sent by PayPal (no reading fee for Short Subjects). All submissions must be e-mailed or postmarked by January 21, 2013 to guarantee consideration for the 2013 Festival. Financial plans for shows are flexible, depending on the resources and ambitions of applicants.

The 2013 Festival will take place at the June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor; the Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor; the Main Stage Theater, 312 W. 36th Street, 4th floor; and the Jewel Box Theater, 312 W. 36th Street, 4th floor.