8 to the Bar 2026

Announcing “Eight to the Bar” – GreenMan Theatre Troupe’s Annual
10 Minute Play Festival for Playwrights

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As of 12:55 p.m. on Saturday, December 6th, submissions are closed for the 2026 production of 8 to the Bar - Lights! Camera! Action!

We received 150 plays. Thanks to everyone who submitted!
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GreenMan Theatre Troupe is in its twenty-second year as Elmhurst, Illinois’ community theater. From classics (Macbeth) to musicals (Urinetown) to dinner theater mysteries (Murder on the DeLorean Express) to outside-the-box choices (Monstrous Regiment) to audience favorites (Blithe Spirit), GreenMan’s track record is impressive and consistent. 


GreenMan will be presenting Eight to the Bar, an evening of eight 10 minute plays. The prompt is “Lights! Camera! Action!” The show will be performed in July 2026 in Villa Park, Illinois. Eight plays will be selected. Cash prizes for the selected plays will be determined by the audience voting on their favorites during the run of the show:
1st Place - $200.00
2nd Place - $100.00
3rd Place - $50.00
Also: a free subscription to Play Submissions Helper (www.playsubmissionshelper.com) 


PLAY SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
*** SUBMISSIONS ARE CLOSED ***

1. Playwrights may submit one play at forms.gle/hAL5nG7sqQgXqTjA7 from 9:00 a.m. (central time) December 6, 2025 through 9:00 a.m. (central time) January 6, 2026 or until the quota of 120 plays is received. NOTE: for the 2025 production, the quota was reached within the first eight hours. Selected plays will be announced on June 1, 2026. Regional restriction: None. Playwrights must be currently residing on the planet Earth. Scripts with previous performances are permitted, but must be unpublished.


2. Do not include playwright name or contact information anywhere except the cover page.


3. Prompt – “Lights! Camera! Action!” Actions speak louder than words. It’s a small space, so a three-person-swordfight is a bad idea. Think outside the box.  


4. Content – Anything rated G to R. No nudity or excessive violence, but other than that – go for it.


5. Restrictions – No more than six actors per script will be cast. Doubling of parts will be permitted. Keep the set and props simple. A table or two and some chairs. Easily obtainable props. If your script requires six foot tall carnivorous pigs, we will be unlikely to do it justice. But you can go the Second City route: chairs can become car seats, couches or six foot tall carnivorous pigs.


6. Format – Limit: eight pages. Plays must be written in English and must be submitted electronically as PDF files. The playwright’s name must not appear anywhere but the title page; the judging is to be completely blind. Stick to standard play format: one inch margins, 12 point Courier or Times font. Title page (containing playwright’s name, address and e-mail), cast list page with brief descriptions of characters, followed by no more than eight pages of script. The judges will read the finalists out loud to get a timing; anything longer than ten minutes will be disqualified. A sample format is found here; don’t stray too far from this:
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/52f9468ce4b0a6dd2f9f0607/t/606a0b885e4fca448604045b/1617562504281/Playwriting+Formatting+Guidelines.pdf 


7. Genre – Comedy, drama, mystery, tragedy, farce… pretty much anything except monologues, musicals or children’s shows. Also, we’re looking for original works. Adaptations are permitted, but the original source must either be in the public domain, or have adaptation rights secured in writing by the playwright.


8. Quota – We will read up to 120 plays. No more than 120 will be accepted.


9. Entry Fee – There isn’t one.


10. Royalties – None; prizes only. Comps – the playwright and one friend will be admitted free, as many times as they want to come.


11. Rights – GreenMan Theatre Troupe will have the right to perform your play for this production only. Photographs will be taken, and unless requested not to by the playwright, plays may be video recorded for online viewing on YouTube, Facebook, etc. All other rights are retained by the playwright.


12. Directing – Director submissions will be open on April 1, 2026. Playwrights may submit to direct.


13. Selection – Sixteen plays will be chosen for the final list. Eight directors will be selected, who will read all the scripts and choose three plays he/she would like to direct. In most cases, directors get their first or second choice. So you might get to direct your own play, but don’t bet the ranch on it.


If you have any questions, please direct them to [email protected].


We look forward to reading your plays!

Thank you to Playwright Submissions Helper - www.playsubmissionshelper.com - for their support and free subscriptions awarded to the three winning playwrights.