As part of the ongoing celebration of the 75th anniversary of Our Town, and in recognition of Thornton Wilder's position as one of the preeminent chroniclers of American life, Playscripts, Inc. and the Wilder Family will launch the Wilder Wilder Everywhere Video Contest on October 8, 2012.
The contest will invite the online community to create a short video inspired by one of Wilder's playlets- three-minute plays contained in Thornton Wilder's Playlets published by Playscripts, Inc. The playlets will be made available for free for a limited time on Playscripts.com.
"The playlets are very theatrical, and the perfect length for a viral video," said Rosey Strub, Programs Director of The Thornton Wilder Family. "It was just like Wilder, who did such revolutionary things on the stage, to have created theatre pieces perfectly suited to this exciting and now essential tool for transmitting culture."
Contestants will have a two-week window in January to upload their video. They can encourage their peers to vote by simply "liking" their video on the contest event page. Videos with the most likes will advance to the finals and be eligible for the $1,000 prize.
"We hope to use this contest and the occasion of Our Town's 75th anniversary to bring attention to these largely undiscovered gems of the Wilder canon," said Sarah Bernstein, Literary Manager of Playscripts, Inc.
Playscripts, Inc. brings new plays and musicals to professional, school, community, and college theaters to perform, read and enjoy. These plays represent a great diversity of voices, styles, and stories and offer a fresh perspective on the human experience. The current catalog contains 1,802 plays from 878 authors that have been enjoyed in 102 countries.
Full contest rules will be posted on the Playscripts, Inc. blog: http://www.playscripts.com/blog/
Contact
Lane Bernes, Playscripts, Inc. Marketing Director
lbernes@playscripts.com
