FESTIVAL OF UNFINISHED WORK
Our fifth annual Festival will take place in June 2026 and feature six short scenes from original full-length plays currently in process, written by Chicago-based playwrights.
Submissions Will Open in November 2025
Details
During the Festival, the audience will have the opportunity to vote on which pieces they are most interested in seeing developed further. This voting process will impact which pieces will be given a workshop and public staged reading by Bramble at a future date.
Your submission will be read and evaluated by Bramble Theatre Company’s FOUW Literary Manager and Literary Committee. We will notify you by the end of March 2026 if your work has been selected to be produced in the Festival or not. Playwrights will be given a stipend for their script's inclusion in our festival.
Submissions will officially open at 10am CST on Friday, Nov 14th and will close at 10pm CST on the same day.
What We’re Looking For…
We are looking specifically for original new work currently in development that is passionate, nourishing, challenging, and inspires hope and empathy.
We will not consider ten-minute plays, one acts, musicals, or adaptations. Plays that have already been published or fully produced are not eligible; readings and/or workshops are fine.
What to Submit
A single scene (or cut of a scene) that is 10-15 pages long from an original unfinished full-length play. Max number of four actors needed for the scene submitted.
The current full draft of the play from which the scene comes.
Resume (optional)
To Submit:
This will be a blind submission process, so please be sure to remove your name from the attachments you submit (other than your resume). The application form will ask you for the following:
Name
Pronouns (optional)
Email
Title of Piece
Logline (1-3 sentences)
Number of actors needed
Character breakdown
PDF or Word Doc of your scene. Pages must include a title page (playwright name omitted) and a full casting breakdown. Note: title page does not count towards the 15 page limit.
PDF or Word Doc of the current full draft of the play. It does not have to be finished! We just want to see where the script is currently at in its development.
Website link (optional)
Playwright resume (optional)
“You can expect a little taste of everything at the Festival”
— Spencer Huffman, FOUW Literary Manager (2021-2023)
What people are saying about the Festival of Unfinished Work
Audience Member
Leaves you wanting more and really looking forward to the plays that are fully produced!
Cassie E.
Audience Member
So inspiring to see such a variety of creativity and energy packed into one evening. And to be a part of the selection process is thrilling. I am always amazed at the talent in Chicago, and Bramble doesn’t disappoint.
Carol G.
Audience Member
From a playwright's perspective, this was a very effective showcase of several works contained within one show. Each scene was incredibly individual, from the writing to the acting to the staging, but the show as a whole felt very coherent. I'm excited to attend (and maybe even apply for) the next festival!
Perse G.
Audience Member
A fast-paced and delightful dip into theatre-to-be!!!
Lucia M.
Audience Member
This was my first time at the Festival of Unfinished work, and I had a blast! New play development is one of my favorite types of theater, and Bramble delivered.
Morgan K.
Audience Member
This is a fantastic way for playwrights to see what they have - what works, what doesn’t.
Shariba R.
RONA FORTUNAE by Rammel Chan (2025)
FOUW Artistic Company (2025)
NEXT DOOR by Hanna Kime (2025)
BLOOD OF MY MOTHER'S by Karissa Murrell Myers (2024)
TOP GIRL; OR THE CHEERLEADER PLAY by Evalena Lakin (2024)
GAZSCHEBET by Skyler Tarnas (2023)
THE RED FORTUNE COOKIE by Karissa Murrell Myers (2023)
MILLENNIAL CHURCH by Leah Roth Barsanti (2022)
Matthew Lunt at our first Festival (2022)