2257 NW Raleigh Street, Portland, OR 97210 map 503.220.2646 email Lindsay@CoHoProductions.Org
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2010-2011 Season

2010-2011 Season Submissions

The submission process has anded and CoHo is currently in the selection process. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for a season announcement!

The entire contents of this page can be downloaded in a pdf file here.

About CoHo Productions and the CoHo Theater

CoHo Productions, Ltd. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) whose mission is to foster, nurture and support Portland area-based theatre artists through a model of theatrical co-production.

CoHo is different from many other theatre companies in that we operate on a unique model we call co-production. This means we partner with you to put on a show. Each year CoHo receives submissions from the Portland theatre community. These submissions usually come with key personnel (producer, director, lead actors) attached. CoHo picks three, and the shows are produced at the CoHo Theater in Northwest Portland. Essentially, CoHo provides the venue, the budget, and the marketing. You, our co-producer, provide the show.

Unlike most theatre companies, CoHo does not have an artistic director or team. Submissions are selected by an all-volunteer working Board of Directors.
CoHo's administration and operations are managed by its sole staffmember, Lindsay C. Chamberlain, Managing Director. Lindsay does not have a vote in the submissions process, but works alongside the board in the submissions process.

CoHo was founded in 1995 by Gary Cole and Robert Holden.
In 2001, CoHo opened the 98-seat black box CoHo Theater, to great audience and critical acclaim. Located at 2257 NW Raleigh Street, just off the busy NW 23rd corridor in Portland's thriving Nob Hill neighborhood, the CoHo Theater features a three-quarter configuration, just three rows deep, providing an intimate theatrical experience for our patrons.

CoHo has garnered critical acclaim and 16 Drammy awards for our productions over our distinguished 14-year history. From world premieres to innovative interpretations of older scripts, CoHo has an exceptional track record of excellence in our unique co-production model.

CoHo plays run for six weeks, with performances on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings at 8:00 pm and Sunday matinees at 2:00 pm. Each production generally runs for 22 performances, with the opening performance on a Friday and the closing performance on a Saturday.

Application Guidelines for Prospective Co-Producers

  • December 7, 2009 - Submissions due
  • January 11, 2010 - First round selected
  • February 1, 2010 - Second round selected
  • February 15, 16, 17 2010 - Interviews with final candidates
  • March 15, 2010 - Season selected

The work at CoHo Productions is done on a co-production model. Co-producers in the past have been actors, writers, or directors. In brief, co-production means that CoHo enters into an agreement with an individual (or sometimes, several individuals or a group) to produce a particular script. Co-producers are active partners with CoHo: they organize an artistic and technical team, oversee the implementation of their designs, prepare a budget, and take responsibility for many of the details of production. We act as co-producer and share responsibility for the production.

To clarify the division of labor between co-producers:

CoHo provides (all pro bono, as part of our co-production model):

  • Financing for the production. Budgets have ranged from $7 - $14K, depending on many factors.
  • Use of the 98-seat CoHo Theater for rehearsals (limited) and all performances.
  • Marketing and media relations resources (hard-copy marketing collateral, i.e. posters, postcards, brochures; active website; email newsletter; press releases, etc)
  • Co-Producer liaison from CoHo Productions
  • Assistance from CoHo staff
  • Coordination with Co-Producer for production meetings, planning, etc.

Co-producer provides:

  • The vision for the production.
  • A high level of artistic leadership, commitment, and professionalism.
  • The personnel. You audition, hire and coordinate all technical, production and artistic staff and cast.
  • Continuous, clear, timely communication with CoHo throughout the process.

Your proposal packet to CoHo needs to include:

  • A one-page summary that gives the following information:
    • Your name(s) as co-producer
    • Your contact information including phone and email
    • The name of your script, its author, and the date of its first production (if any)
    • A concise plot summary of your script
  • Production narrative (approx. 1000 words)

    Provide a brief outline of the proposed production, and comment as to why the script you are proposing (or your proposed production of this script) is noteworthy, artistically exceptional, unique and especially timely or relevant. Discuss your vision for this production, name and tell us about your proposed artistic partners (i.e. actors, directors, designers, etc). Please also provide a brief production history, i.e., has this production/script been seen in Portland previously? If it is a new work, what sort of advanced readings or workshops has it enjoyed? If the play has been previously produced, we strongly encourage you to submit copies of reviews. A range of comments would be most helpful to us.
  • Marketing description (approx. 500 words)

    Discuss interesting or unique angles your proposed production may have, and any ideas you might have for the media and marketing aspects of the production. Specify any Portland connections to the production.
  • Budget

    Use the following template to create a budget for the production. Approximate figures will do.
    • Royalties $600 - 2000
    • Director $800 - 1000
    • Stage Manager $800
    • Light Designer $400 - 600
    • Set design and construction $500 - 700
    • Costume design $25 - 500
    • Sound Design $250 - 350
    • Board Op/Equipment Rental $200
    • Set materials $200 - 800
    • Costume materials and maintenance $25 - 200
    • Lighting materials $0 - 100
    • Sound materials $0 - 100
    • Props $0 - 100
    • Equity Actor $2600-$2900
    • Non-Equity Actor $400 - 1500 (per actor)
    • Publicity $500-1500*
    • Box Office $400*
    *These items are CoHo's required performance expenses
    Note: Outside of the required expenses, numbers above are rough estimates only and are based on productions over the last few years. They are not meant to be definitive. You should replace them with your exact figures.
    NB: A standard Equity "umbrella" contract for a 4-week rehearsal/6-week performance run for one actor is approximately $2,600. A 6-week rehearsal process is approximately $2900.
  • Co-producer(s) biography (approx. 500 words)

    Tell us why you feel qualified to lead in a Co-Producer capacity, and why this might be important or meaningful to you at this particular time in your career. We are interested in knowing what level of commitment, professionalism, and savvy you bring to the Co-Producer role with your proposed production. Also, detail any former producing experience you might have.
  • Statement of Rights Availability

    It is vital that you inquire into rights for your project before you submit it to us. Please contact the relevant organization and confirm the rights are available for your show.
  • The Script

    We strongly and emphatically encourage you to submit your materials (including the most important thing, the script) electronically. It enormously simplifies the process if you do this. We will accept hard copies from the electronically challenged, but we would much rather have the materials in electronic form. If you have a Word doc, that is fine. Otherwise a scanned PDF will do. Send via email to 20102011submissions@cohoproductions.org.
    Otherwise, send your proposals and materials by regular mail to:

    CoHo Productions
    2257 NW Raleigh Street
    Portland, OR, 97210
    Attn: 2010-11 Submissions

    Valory J. Lawrence will handle the submissions process. Submission materials will not be returned. Contact Valory J. Lawrence at 20102011submissions@cohoproductions.org for additional information and clarification.

Important considerations for co-producers:

  • CoHo does not have a permanent rehearsal space or set construction shop. Rehearsals will be accommodated as often as possible in the CoHo Theater, but you should plan on finding your own rehearsal space. Sets should be constructed prior to load-in.
  • CoHo rents out its space for many uses during the run of your show. To accommodate late night performances and day time activities, there is an 8 foot set rule. The permanent set left in the theater during the run of the show may not extend farther than 8 feet from the rear wall. Obviously, during the show the set may extend farther.
  • We take our role as a community arts organization seriously. Since our beginning, we have worked closely with area high school groups, colleges and the like. We would expect our co-producer and other artists to be willing to take some time to visit classrooms and/or participate in post-show discussions and panels to talk about the production.
  • Our performance slots are generally October/November, January/ February/March, and May/June. If you know you or your key collaborators will be unavailable for a particular slot, let us know.
  • CoHo does have the ability to contract with Actors' Equity to hire Equity member actors. The maximum number of Equity actors CoHo can accommodate per production is two (2).
  • There is no profit-sharing for CoHo's full season shows, and co-producers will be required to sign a written agreement stating that all production revenues are for the benefit of CoHo.

Submission Guidelines for Playwrights

If you are a playwright with a script, but you do not wish to be considered as a co-producer, we suggest you follow the guidelines as stated above. Please state in your cover letter that you are the author of the play that you are submitting.

Frequently Asked Questions

What has CoHo produced in the past?

  • World premieres
  • Works by Portland-area-based or Portland-reared playwrights.
  • Old plays and new plays (ranging from "A Doll's House" to "Tales of Ordinary Madness")

What won't CoHo produce?

  • One-act plays (unless the proposal is for an evening-length assortment of shorter works)
  • Unfinished or in-process scripts
  • Musicals and non-traditional theatre works (i.e.: dance theatre, spoken word, cabaret, unscripted works) have not been produced in previous seasons, but could be produced if the proposal is of high artistic merit

Criteria for Proposal Selection

  • Artistic merit of proposal
  • Professional qualifications of applicant and related artistic partners
  • Evidence of innovation, creativity and timeliness of proposed production
  • Availability of script rights

Application Checklist

    • Summary
    • Completed proposal
    • Script
    • Reviews, feature articles or other press relating to show and to applicant (include as attachments)
    • Biographies and/or resumes of applicant and production partners (include as attachments)

    All applicants will be notified as to the status of their proposal as our deliberations progress from January – February, 2010.

    Thank you for your interest in CoHo Productions, and we look forward to receiving your proposal.