We Want Your Stories!
Got a funny story to share? We’re actively seeking featured playwrights and storytellers for the Stories Found podcast!
Our episodes feature funny stories, plays, or sketches written by talented humorists and comedy writers. Is that YOU?
If so, then submit your funniest material for an opportunity to have a high-quality audio production of your script performed by professional actors and recorded and edited by an experienced audio engineer.
We’re elevating audio theater and offering a professional digital stage for comedy performances. We’d love to have you join us!
Current Submission Calls
- Stories!
- Coming Soon: Holiday-Themed Plays
Make sure to sign up for our newsletter to be the first to know about our open submission calls and other opportunities!
Submission Guidelines
We receive hundreds of submissions with every open call. In order to have the best chance of being selected for the podcast, here’s what we’re looking for:
PLAYS
- A comedy. It can be a farce, satire, romantic comedy, even a dramedy. Any kind of comedy is fine, it just needs to be funny.
- Around 10 minutes. We’re not sticklers on this, but we love a good ten-minute comedy!
- No more than four characters
- Must be suitable for audio production
This will be an audio performance, not a staged reading, so your script can’t rely on stage directions, visual gags, or physical movement. The story should be understandable with the just the characters’ lines and sound effects. - An SFX list or notes in the script are always appreciated! Our audio engineer will review your script and add additional sounds to help bring your story to life, but he loves to have a basic starting point from the playwright.
Some of our favorite plays:
STORIES
- A funny personal story. Maybe the kind you’d bring out at a party or when you want to let people know just how weird/ridiculous your life is — the odd situations that you stumbled into the middle of, your weird encounters with other humans, or your embarrassing, but cathartic moments.
- Around 10 to 15 minutes
- Good stories should have a beginning, middle, and end. True stories aren’t always as neatly packed as fictional ones, but there should still be an overall arc.
Some of our favorite stories:
- Am I Willing to Punch a Peacock by Ava Love Hanna
- The First Time I Got Naked in Front of a Bunch of People I Didn’t Know by Max Langert
- Off-Target by Jonathan Wickremasinghe-Kuhn
MICRO MONDAYS
- A funny one-minute play
- 1 to 2 characters
- We LOVE micro plays. They’re tiny plays, but they’re still plays, so they should have a beginning, middle, and end.
Some of our favorites:
Need more inspiration? Check out Gi60 International: The One Minute Theatre Festival
How to Submit
1. Submit your story to us at submissions@storiesfound.com
2. If your story is a great fit, we’ll reach out and tell you how awesome and funny you are.
3. We’ll set up a time for a short recorded interview about you and your play/story.
4. If it’s a play, we’ll get started casting and arranging for a professional recording of your script. If it’s a story, you can record it on your own and send it to us, or we can help you record it.
5. That’s it, you’re famous now.
FAQ
- If my play or story is selected, will I get paid?
In addition to the instant fame and adulation you’ll receive the moment your episode goes live, we send all of our full episode playwrights/storytellers a gift box and a small honorarium. Generally, the honorarium is in the form of a gift card, but we can scrap the fanciness and give you cash instead if you prefer. Right now, the podcast is a labor of love, so the payment won’t make you rich, but our giftboxes are pretty dang cool and people seem to really like getting them.
We believe that paying writers, actors, and crew is always the right thing to do.
We’ll be selling ads and sponsorships in order to increase the amount we pay in the future. Micro Monday storytellers are sent a gift, but not an honorarium, yet. - Will you change my script?
Nope! At Stories Found, we #DontChangeTheWords! Ava is a playwright and a member of the Dramatists Guild, so Stories Found follows Dramatists Guild guidelines. We won’t change your script and we ask our actors to perform the script as written. If there’s ever a need for a change — generally only to make something more audio-friendly — we will get your permission first. - Do I need to be a professional playwright or storyteller to submit a story?
Nope! Some of the funniest stories we’ve ever heard have come from people with no background in writing or performance. Also, we LOVE to feature new and emerging voices in comedy. We don’t care how many productions you have or haven’t had, we’re thrilled to offer a platform for both experienced and new and undiscovered comedy writers. - My play/story is funny, but also serious. Is that okay?
Of course! Just because a story is funny doesn’t mean that it can’t have heart or that an important lesson wasn’t learned. - If I send a personal story, am I telling the story to you while you record it?
Not unless you want to! Most stories are recorded on your own time, in the privacy of your own home and then sent to us. It’s so easy. Do it in one take or 50, it’s up to you. Feel free to record your story in front of other people and bask in their laughs and applause, OR if we’re helping you record your story, we can include a few extra people in the session as an audience. It’s your preference. Alternatively, if you’d like your story read by an actor, we can arrange that for you. - If I send a play, do I need to send a recording?
Nope. Once your play is selected, we take it from there. We will cast it, direct it, record it, and add sound effects. You’ll receive a professional audio performance of your play performed by members of the Stories Found company. - Can I send you a prior recording of one of my stories that I told in front of an audience?
Yes! As long as you own the rights to the recording (or can get permission) and the quality is high enough, then we’d LOVE to use your prior recording. - Never told a story before and need help or encouragement?
No problem! Ava is a public speaking/performance coach and she’d be happy to give you some free pointers. We can walk you through the process from outline to recording. You can do this! We want your story! Email Ava at hello@storiesfound.com
Listen to the Stories Found Podcast
