Thank you for your interest in the In the Works~In the Woods Festival!

The submission period for the 2026 In The Works~In The Woods Festival has not yet opened (January 5, 2026).  We look forward to launching the process and reviewing inspired and exciting new works!  In the meantime, please follow us on Instagram @intheworksinthewoods and @fbplayhouse  - or subscribe to our mailing list to receive news on the festival.  We appreciate your interest!

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IN THE WORKS~IN THE WOODS
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES 2026

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

Our submission process for Plays and Musicals begins January 5th, 2026 and is open until February 16th, 2026. The guidelines and criteria are: 

1) There is a complete (or nearly complete) Draft for submission and perusal.

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

3) The writers (playwrights, composers, lyricists) are available to be present on campus in Forestburgh for the Festival dates (September 13 - September 20, 2026).  Creative teams will participate in Q&A sessions after the first presentation of the new works.  In addition, Festival patrons will visit one or more of the rehearsing pieces to observe a behind the scenes section of that rehearsal.  

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

5) Once Plays and Musicals are determined to meet Festival criteria, they are passed along to our Advisory Committee who all read, assess and then provide the Artistic Director with their top choices in each category. In early-mid April, we will Meet/Zoom with the writers and directors who are in the final round to get a sense of their availability, where they feel they are in the development, and what each team hopes to work on during the week leading up to the Festival. Final selections are made in early May. 

6) Play and Musical submissions should include; 

• A synopsis (PDF, 100 words or less)

• Full Script (PDF format)

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

• Song demos, if applicable (.MP3 format)

7) The CABLAB Performer Selection process consists of: 

• 2 video song submissions (please show some variety here!)

• a short video statement of your ideas for the show’s theme and possible content

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. 

And please let us know how you heard about the In The Works ~ In The Woods Festival!