What is ALAP?

The Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights (ALAP) is a service and support organization dedicated to protecting the rights and addressing the professional needs of the Los Angeles playwriting community. Founded in 1993, ALAP has a large and diverse membership of area playwrights ranging from students and beginning writers to established professionals. ALAP is all-volunteer, and is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.

Click here for a 2021 video interview with Board President, Mona Deutsch Miller on ALAP's programs.

Among the events and programs ALAP sponsors are the Annual Reading Festival, which features rehearsed readings of members' plays chosen by a panel of judges; the Pride Play Reading Festival, supported by the City of West Hollywood as part of LGBTQ Pride Month festivities; a major annual one and now two-day event - Dramapalooza, Dramageddon, Dramapocalypto, and Drama Lama Ding Dong have been some of the tongue-in-cheek titles - which may include programs such as the Producer/Director/Dramatist Exchange, Monologue and Scene Slams, the Playwright's Playpen, and varied workshops and professional panels; the In Our Own Voices series, in which member playwrights read from and share their work with other writers and theatre professionals; symposiums and panel discussions; and networking and social events such as the Annual Meeting and 12th Nite Party, the Spring Cocktail Party, and the Summer Picnic. 

ALAP also hosts a series of regular gatherings we call the ALAP Happy Hour, currently on Zoom but previously held in a member's home, which combines a brief business meeting with discussion of a topic of interest, and informal socializing over snacks and champagne. We hope to soon revive our program where writers have a chance to gather periodically at a cafe and write among colleagues (with ALAP picking up their first drink!), The Write Out.

The New Works Lab, in which a local theatre company (we rotate among some of the best groups in the area) does a non-public table reading and moderated discussion of a script, helps members develop their plays in a safe environment, while at the same time introducing them to groups with an interest in new writing. Click here for submission guidelines. 

ALAP's website includes Meet Our Members, where members post their credits and a photo; a Script Catalogue, where members list their plays available for production to theatres and producers around the world; Sample Contracts which can serve as templates for production contracts and agreements for readings; as well as links to the current NewsFlash and a listing of upcoming ALAP events. The ALAP Email List keeps a wide audience posted on upcoming ALAP events and member productions and play readings. Click here to sign up for the ALAP email list. 

The Members Only area of the site includes the Members-Only Email List, which alerts members to discounted or free tickets to shows, as well as submission opportunities from theatres and festivals; the ALAP Actor Database, with photos and resumes of actors who have indicated interest in being considered for readings and productions of new work; the ALAP Director Database, with resumes and statements by directors interested in helming new works; and the ALAP Support Worker Database, where those looking to assist our members with office work, research or other support tasks can place their resumes and statements.  Listing in the Databases is free.