Autumn/Winter 2023 Pitches Open

OTG is opening pitches for our 2023 Autumn/Winter productions.

We are delighted to open applications to direct a production for our Autumn/Winter Season 2023. We are keen to hear from as many potential directors as possible.  We would be pleased to hear from you, even if you have no directing experience.  Below are some of the key points to guide you in making your decision.

Number of shows:  In the past we have offered either one or two productions for this season, depending on the availability of production-team members as well as actors.  We like to offer as many opportunities as possible but have to be careful not to spread our resources too thinly.

Venues:  The range of venues for these productions is considerable. We have performed at the Maths Institute, the Old Fire Station and the Wesley Memorial Church in recent years but we are by no means limited to those venues. If you have ideas for other spaces that we can explore, we would be very interested to hear of them, particularly if you have contacts that would make securing a booking more likely.  For 2023, we have already secured a week at the OFS at the end of October.

Repertoire:  We have always viewed these productions as our chance to be more experimental. This does not mean that more established plays will not be considered but we are able to consider a broader range of titles than we can for the Playhouse or Garden show slots.  If you have a piece that you are passionate about, we would like to hear from you.

Production team:  We ask that you give consideration as early as possible to people you would like to work with on your production team.  We are not asking you to arrive with a complete crew list but having a few key roles filled, at least in principle, would be very welcome.

Directing experience:  If you are unsure about any aspects of the pitch process, please do email in and we will assist all we can.  Whilst previous directing experience is valuable, it is by no means essential.  This is an ideal opportunity for a first-time director to test the waters.

New writing:  Please note that OTG has a separate new-writing review and submission process: all new scripts should be submitted in full to the committee via pitches@oxfordtheatreguild.com, well in advance of any pitch deadline, to be considered for production.  Additionally, we ask that a director who is not the author be nominated for such productions.

Timetable

The timetable for applications is as follows:

6 February – Applications open

We welcome any preliminary indications of an intention to pitch (to pitches@oxfordtheatreguild.com) at an early stage, and can provide any needed practical advice along the way. It is essential that directors check with rights holders ahead of preparing their pitches to be certain that a production would be possible in the second half of 2023.

19 March – Deadline for pitch documents to be sent to pitches@oxfordtheatreguild.com

For more details of what to include in your pitch, please see the attached notes. Please note that unfortunately we cannot guarantee to consider any late applications owing to the short timescales.

In the event of there being fewer than two candidates submitting a pitch, the pitch process will be automatically reopened for an additional two weeks.  The committee reserves the right to create a shortlist of candidates to be invited to the interview stage.

5 April – Interviews

Interviews will be held with the committee online, or in central Oxford, in the evening.

If you have any questions about the process or would like help in putting together a pitch, please get in touch with the Guild Secretary Martha Zumack (secretary@oxfordtheatreguild.com) and she will be happy to talk to you about it.

Working with OTG

Creating a safe and supportive atmosphere is important to us as an organisation so we ask that everyone who is involved in OTG activities takes the time to read our Statement of Values, our Bullying & Harassment policy and our Audition policy. Directors also need to join OTG for the duration of the production (£12/year or £6 concessions).

OTG statement of values

Oxford Theatre Guild (OTG) is a charity registered in England and Wales and is run wholly by volunteers to promote the advancement of the art of drama. We believe that all OTG’s members and volunteers have the right to be healthy, happy, safe, valued and respected. OTG collectively strive for best practice in health and safety and an environment free from bullying, harassment or discrimination.

OTG’s committee will work pro-actively to prevent or tackle anything that contravenes our values. Any actions, speech or behaviour in breach of these values should be brought to the attention of the committee.

Click to read our Bullying & Harassment Policy.

Click to read our Safeguarding Policy.

Click to read our Audition Policy.