Our Home States

Our Home States 2024 – Eastern States Edition

Deadline: April 30, 2024

There are all sorts of states. States of matter, states of being. And here in this country, we’ve got 50 supposedly united states.

Funny how those boundaries can create states of mind. 

Cross a river. Cross a highway. Go over an imaginary, arbitrary line. 

Suddenly, you’re in a different world. Different laws. That crime you just committed on the other side of the line can’t be prosecuted here. That vice you couldn’t indulge over there is a virtue over here. 

Lie down in the desert, and each limb can be in a different jurisdiction. 

Broom Street Theater in Madison, Wisconsin is working on a multi-year short play project to try and make sense of states. 

Every summer for the next several years, we’re going to run a short play festival based on the states.  Our inaugural festival was in 2023.

Here’s how it works: 

You’re from a state. You passed through a state. You left a state. You love a state. A state left its mark on you. 

Write us a short play. Something to do with that state.

This summer, we’re looking East. We’re accepting plays about these states, and especially looking for plays by denizens (or former denizens) of these states: 

  • Connecticut
  • Maine
  • Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • Vermont

The MAX is ten minutes. We prefer five. 

Here’s how to submit:

We’ve got a short Google form. https://forms.gle/1nSFG4FAuv83susWA

Once the form is filled out, attach your script to an email and send it to  Submissions@bstonline.org. The subject line should be [STATE NAME] TITLE OF PLAY. 

(If you’re unable to fill out the Google form, it’s okay to only send your play to the submissions@bstonline.org email; the form just makes it easier for us to find your play.)


We are offering a $25 prize for each play produced. That will buy you a gallon of gas in California or a five acre farm in Nebraska.

Learn more about Broom Street Theater at https://bstonline.org/history/ .

The deadline for submissions is April 30, 2024. Authors may submit a maximum of two scripts.