Wednesday, June 30, 2004

For Immediate Release What's Your Genre? Major CBC Radio Drama Proposal Call Announced! CBC's Radio Arts & Entertainment department today announced its biggest-ever call for drama proposals. A & E is seeking adventurous new radio dramas in any number of popular genres, to be produced and broadcast in a Saturday evening slot beginning in January, 2005. "We are looking for fresh, genre-based material, and we are interpreting that as broadly as possible," says A & E's Director Gregory J. Sinclair. "We will consider absolutely any kind of genre, including supernatural thrillers, speculative fiction, boundary-breaking new mysteries, westerns, romantic comedies, radio noir… there are no limits." The broadcast slot will be early Saturday evening and this is a good time for experimentation, with a huge audience up for an aural challenge. Says Sinclair, "We only ask that you think as far outside the traditional box as you want. Don't limit yourself. Shoot for the moon and let us supply the hardware." Proposals should be three to five pages and outline the general story or stories, the genre chosen, and the approach writers intend to take to make their drama or series work as unique, rule-breaking radio. Original proposals geared to the medium of radio will be given priority. Writers can submit a proposal for a one-of drama in a specific genre, and A & E will group similar genre pieces from other writers in a mini-anthology - or simply program that lone drama as a stand-alone series of one. Or, writers may wish to propose an entire series of four to eight related dramas. The dramas are to be a half hour in length. CBC's Radio A & E Department commissions dozens of writers each year from across Canada. Past proposal calls have focused on themed series, such as this past January's Winter's Tales series (popular half hour dramas delving into the supernatural), Immigration Stories, and 'Hot Spots' (Canadians who find themselves in international hot waters.) Production of radio dramas and payment are in accordance with the CBC-Writers Guild of Canada standard contract agreement. It is not, however, necessary for writers to be a member of the Writers Guild. As with its past proposal calls, Radio A & E hopes to commission a mix of established writers and writers who are new to the radio drama form. Issue date of this proposal call: Wednesday, June 23, 2004 Deadline for submission of proposals: Friday, July 16, 2004 Notification of winning proposals: Friday, September 3, 2004. E mail notification of unsuccessful proposals will be sent out that day as well. Got questions? Call Dave Carley, A & E's Script Editor, at 416-205-6015 or e mail sunshowcase@cbc.ca If e mailing, please clearly identify your query as "Proposal Call Query". Address for submission of proposal calls is also sunshowcase@cbc.ca Please clearly identify your submission as "CBC Proposal Call". Good luck! - 30 - Sunday Showcase CBC Radio www.cbc.ca/showcase 8:11:25 AM    comment []