DRAMATICS  The magazine for students and teachers of theatre
PUBLISHED BY THE EDUCATIONAL THEATRE ASSOCIATION

3368 Central Parkway
Cincinnati, OH 45225
USA
FAX:513-559-0012
PHONE:513-559-1996
CONTACT: Don Corathers
E-MAIL: pubs@one.net
WEB address: None

WRITERS' GUIDELINES

EDITOR: Don Corathers

THE MAGAZINE AND ITS READERS
Dramatics is an educational theatre magazine published since 1929 by the International Thespian Society, a non-profit honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of  secondary school theatre. (In the '80s ETA was formed to oversee the Society as well as a distinct professional association for teachers.) Dramatics is published nine times a year, September through May.  It has a circulation of about 35,000.  Approximately 80 percent of its readers are high school theatre students; about 10 percent are high school theatre teachers.  Other subscribers include libraries, college theatre students and teachers, and others interested in educational theatre.

The primary editorial objectives of the magazine are: to provide serious, committed voting theatre students and their teachers with the skills and knowledge they need to make better theatre; to be a resource that will help high school juniors and seniors make an informed decision about whether to pursue a career in theatre, and about how to prepare for a theatre career; and to prepare high school students to be knowledgeable, appreciative audience members for the rest of their lives.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR CONTRIBUTORS
We buy four to eight articles for each issue, general length 800 to 4,000 words.  Articles are accepted on any area of the performing arts, including film and dance.  A typical issue might include an interview with someone who has made a significant contribution to the theatre; an article describing some innovative approach to blocking, costume design, or set construction; a survey of leading theatre schools describing what they look for in students; and a photo spread, with copy, on some ground-breaking performer or theatre group.  Short news items, book reviews, and humor pieces (if they're funny) are also part of the mix.

The test we apply, in deciding whether to accept an article, is whether it would engage an above-average high school theatre student and deepen his or her understanding and appreciation of the performing arts.  We also look for pieces a theatre teacher might use in the classroom, studio, or rehearsal hall, although articles of this kind are more likely to be published in our quarterly journal Teaching Theatre, (see separate guidelines).

PLAYS
We print at least five one-act and full-length plays a year.  We do reprint plays, but prefer that they be unpublished.  Plays should be performable in high schools, which places some restrictions on language and subject matter; however, we tend not to publish children's theatre pieces, teen angst dramas, and overtly didactic "message" plays.

We buy one-time, non-exclusive publication rights to plays.  The playwright retains all other rights.

GRAPHICS
Photos and illustrations to accompany articles are welcomed, and when available, should be submitted at the same time as the manuscript.  Acceptable forms: color transparencies,  35mm or larger; black and white prints, 5 x 7 or larger; line art (generally used to illustrate technical articles).  Unless other arrangements are made, payment for articles includes payment for photos and illustrations.  We occasionally buy photo essays.

RIGHTS AND RETURNS
We buy first publication rights (unless we make other arrangements with an author), pay on acceptance, report in six weeks (or notify authors if a longer period is needed for review), and return all material that is accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope.

QUERIES AND SAMPLE COPIES
We prefer to see a finished manuscript but will respond to query letters.  Phone and e-mail queries are discouraged.  Sample copies of the magazine cost $2.50. Subscriptions cost $18 a year.

PAYMENT
Honorariums of $25 to $400 are paid for accepted work.  Payment is based on quality of work, amount of editing or rewriting needed, length of work, and inclusion of photos or graphics.  Contributors also receive five free copies of the issue in which their piece appears and may obtain additional copies at a minimal charge.

MS SPECIFICATIONS
We edit manuscripts to conform to the Chicago Manual of Style.  Manuscripts should be typed double-spaced on a sixty-character line.  Photocopies are acceptable as long as they are clearly legible.  Contributors should keep an exact copy of any manuscript submitted.

Once articles are accepted, authors can score big points with the editorial staff by supplying their work electronically via e-mail (our address: pubs@one.net) or on IBM-compatible diskettes.

All submissions are subject to editing, and we try to involve authors in that process as much as possible. Whenever time allows, we send galley proofs to authors for review-usually by fax.
 

A CONTRIBUTOR'S CHEAT SHEET:
WHAT MAKES US CRANKY
*  Writers who are too lazy or careless to do basic reporting and research.  Very few articles are complete with only one quoted source.
*  Writers who misrepresent themselves as experts, or are not up front about if and where a piece has been previously
published.
*  Submissions that ignore or misunderstand our audience; articles that either talk down to our readers or are way over their heads. (If a piece has footnotes, it's probably too academic for us.)
*  Contributors who create an impression of conflict of interest by writing about an organization in which they themselves are involved-although we do sometimes publish first-person accounts.
*  Would-be playwrights who do not understand the basic conventions of playscript format, or even the basic conventions of the stage.
*  Writers who are impossible to get ahold of, or who do not return messages.

WHAT MAKES US HAPPY
*  Writers who really understand our audience.
*  Writers who bring lots of strong, specific article ideas to the table, and keep abreast of topics recently covered by the magazine.
*  Contributors who submit written queries or complete articles, rather than interrupting our work to make a sales pitch by phone.
*  Writers who understand the need for editorial input, and can make and/or accept necessary changes gracefully.
*  Writers who can provide publishable photography to go along with their pieces (snapshots are not publishable).  Illustration ideas are also appreciated.
*  Writers who include student voices in their pieces when appropriate, as well as a variety of other sources.
*  Writers whose work is well organized, factual, and clean.
*  And if nothing else: Writers willing to work for what we can afford to pay.
 

3368 Central Parkway - Cincinnati, Ohio 45225
Phone 513-559-1996 - Fax 513-559-0012

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