Monday marks the arrival of the 2014 New Play Festival from The Players Theatre. Next week, every night except Sunday and Friday, Players will host a reading of a new play, written and directed by local artists. But as much as the audience may get out of the festival, the contest is nigh invaluable to local budding playwrights.

Every year, around 35-40 plays are submitted for consideration by local playwrights. The plays are typically 2 acts, clocking in at around 50 minutes per act. They have to be new; any publication or professional performance disqualifies a play for consideration. Submissions are given to a panel of 6 anonymous but qualified readers - some with doctorates in theater, all artists in their own right – who recommend their picks based on a series of criteria ranging from creativity to narrative structure.

In the end, only 5 will be selected to run at the festival. This year’s varied selections include Marvin Albert’s One Magic Moment, Ron Pantello’s Grandpa Knows Best, Mark Kenneally’s Hot Air, Bernard Yanelli’s Not Our Time and last year’s winner, Llywelyn Jones, returns with Anatomically Speaking, an extended conversation between a man and his own vital organs as he undergoes risky surgery.

Jeffery Kin, artistic director at The Players Theatre and festival organizer for the last 12 years, reads the top 10-12 and has the final say, but largely defers to the readers.

The 5 selected playwrights are then paired with a local director and the two construct a cast. They are allowed only 2-3 read-throughs, with very minimal blocking and no sets or sound effects. The point of the festival, from Kin’s perspective, is not about polishing a production, but testing the raw power of the words themselves. That’s why the festival hosts readings, not productions.

“All of the responsibility is up to the playwright and the director,” said Kin. “The playwright gets the most out of it, but the director also grows in their way of thinking and their dynamics as a director.”

Each reading is followed by a moderated discussion between the playwright and the audience, giving valuable feedback and a real-world test of their art, with opportunity for improvement.

Every contest needs a prize and the New Play Festival is no different. When the final line has been delivered and a winner emerges, the playwright has approximately 6 months to polish, nip and tuck, before the show goes into production for a full performance – set, sound effects and all – on the Players’ main stage the following fall.

But according to Kin, it’s a productive experience for all the artists involved.

“All of the plays are winners because the people actually sat down and did the work. They had the idea for a play and they didn’t just talk about it, they did it,” said Kin. “The 5 finalists are the ones that get that feedback from the audience, which, from a playwright’s perspective, is invaluable. To be able to watch an audience watch your play and see how it moves them or doesn’t move them or when they lose interest is invaluable.”

In a way, attending the festival is more than just entertainment. Each audience member has the chance to express their views and influence their local artists with their own sensibilities and opinions.

“It’s a cool process,” said Kin “It’s been changing, it’s been growing and no place else really does this for local playwrights, except for us.

The New Play Festival starts next week with readings July 21-24 and July 26 at 7:30pm at The Players Theatre. Tickets are $10 for individual shows, $24 for any three or $35 for all five. Go to www.theplayers.org for more information or to purchase tickets.