The 2004 festival, the brainchild of producer Arielle Tepper, spotlighted 18 shows by unknown and little known playwrights and composers during a 28-day-long fest which began July 5 at midtown Manhattan's Theatre Row. Tepper was sole producer of the musicals and plays. The festival covered production costs of all the shows, making it a much cushier environment for artists than, say, the New York International Fringe Festival, in which participants pay a nonrefundable $500 fee and pay for all aspects of mounting the show, save renting a space. Additionally, the festival held no rights to the shows at any times.

The 2005 affair will run July 5-31. Submissions will be accepted from Oct. 1, 2004 to Jan 15, 2005. All submissions are to be sent via spfnyc.com only (one per writer). Scripts mailed to the SPF offices will not be considered or returned. Information regarding guidelines will appear on www.Spfnyc.Com on Oct. 1. There are no submission or entrance fees.

Submissions will only be taken from playwrights who have not received a legitimate production (anything above an LOA contract) of one of their plays in New York. The productions selected for inclusion in the festival will be drawn from individuals, as well as agents and managers. Only the first 400 plays and 100 musicals from un-represented writers will be accepted.

The plays and musicals that are selected for the Summer Play Festival will be announced on April 15, 2005.

* The first SPF fest has begun to show some fruit. Two of the plays presented, Brooke Berman's Sam & Lucy and Gary Sunshine's Sweetness will be given further workshops at the National Theatre Studio in London. The workshops will occur in December 2004.