Pitch Guidelines

Thank you for your interest in Theatre Bay Area magazine, founded in 1976 and published 12 times a year. Theatre Bay Area is the source for what’s new and exciting in the third-largest theatre center in the country. You’ll find a bit of everything from features on the hottest world premieres and other shows to new talent to keep an eye on, from interviews with local stars to a behind-the-scenes look at special effects, plus other news for and about our 360-plus theatre company and 3,000-plus individual members. Theatre Bay Area is a must-read for theatre professionals, hobbyists and aficionados alike.

We publish special issues including a season preview issue (September), a youth issue (April or May), a theatre training issue (every other August) and others.

If you are interested in submitting listings for shows, auditions and so on, see our advertising guidelines.

**All staff e-mails are found @theatrebayarea.org. In an effort to slow the pace of virus e-mails that find addresses on web sites, we've broken the addresses up in this way.

The magazine contains the following departments:

Letterbox

Theatre Bay Area welcomes comments from readers and is happy to publish them. Letters may be edited for clarity and space. Mail letters to Theatre Bay Area magazine, Theatre Bay Area, 870 Market St., Suite 375, San Francisco, CA 94102.

Deadline: The first business day of the month prior to publication.

E-mail: tba

Community News

Written by the magazine staff, Community News are short news items about local companies and artists. Topics include grant and other awards to information on benefits and fund-raisers to wedding and birth announcements to breaking news to staff changes and more. Almost any news is Community News, as long as it’s topical and timely. We always welcome photos with Community News items. Community News is written by magazine staff, with contributors Kathryn Roszak Castle (dance), David Templeton (North Bay) and Lee Kopp (South Bay).

Deadline: Six weeks before publication.

E-mail items and press releases to: tba

How Did They Do That

Written by Russell Blackwood and published every other month, How Did They Do That is a technical feature focusing on special effects, costumes, lighting, stage design and more. Past articles described how to restore a vintage stove, how to build a carousel horse, how to make stage blood and more, but can also include more general topics like how a woman can dress like a man or how to make stage fog. Articles can be, but don’t have to be, timely. How Did They Do That shines a light on the creative, ingenious but often forgotten backstage talent whose contributions are vital to every show in the Bay Area. We welcome suggestions for How Did They Do That from publicists, companies and artists. We do need good, clear photos that illustrate the topic.

Deadline: Three months before publication.

E-mail suggestions to: tba

Keep An Eye On

Each month we select an up-and-coming individual who’s starting to garner lots of positive attention and who destined to be a remarkable part of Bay Area theatre. We’ve covered actors, directors, artistic directors, designers, technicians, playwrights, administrators—just about any position in the theatre industry. Keep An Eye Ons aren’t necessarily young, but are poised to be the next big thing. We welcome Keep An Eye On suggestions—you can even suggest yourself, but please give us a compelling reason to select the person in question. Keep An Eye On is almost always written by magazine staff.

Deadline: Two months before publication.

E-mail suggestions to: tba

Editors’ Picks

Each month we select up to 10 shows opening that month for Editors’ Picks, which are 200-word (roughly) previews that run with our production listings. We strive to include a range of work, from new plays to old, from big houses to community theatres and children’s theatres, from dance to circus and from all points of the Bay Area. Editors’ Picks must include a photo. We welcome all pitches, but almost all Editors’ Picks are written by magazine staff.

Deadline for pitches: Six weeks before publication.

Deadline for photos: Four weeks before publication.

E-mail pitches to: tba

Encore

Published each month on the last page of the magazine, Encore is a 800-word interview with any professional theatre worker who’s connected with a show closing that month or with a special issue’s topic. Whereas Keep An Eye On features up-and-comers, Encore features well-known individuals. Past Encores have included Beach Blanket Babylon’s Val Diamond, ACT’s Rene Augesen, Children’s Musical Theatre San Jose’s Kevin Hauge, dancer/choreographer Anna Halprin, playwright Octavio Solis, just to name a few. We welcome Encore suggestions, but the interviews are almost always conducted by magazine staff.

Deadline: Two months before publication.

E-mail suggestions to: tba

What Kind of Features Do We Publish?

Each issue contains about three to five features that either have a strong local theatre angle or contain pertinent information for our field. A look at our archives (not complete) reveals everything from audition tips to interviews with locals to previews on new shows and articles on legislation and other government issues that affect theatre and the arts. We cover companies large and small, from community theatre to small experimental theatre. We cover new and veteran artists, from actors to directors and playwrights to technicians and designers to arts administrators. We are looking for the latest, hottest trends, insightful reporting and new angles on “old” stories.

Features run 800 to 1,200 words with a pay rate of $200-250.

Features are assigned at least two months prior to publication.

Who Should Pitch a Feature and How?

We welcome feature pitches from publicists, artists and companies—just about anyone in the field. Any pitches we accept from the field will be assigned to a freelance writer or to the magazine staff. We do not pay for those ideas.

We also welcome pitches from qualified freelance writers with published clips and who are well-versed in Bay Area theatre. We especially welcome writers with a strong knowledge of technical theatre and design.

Successful pitches are compelling, focused and timely, and are developed especially for Theatre Bay Area magazine. Please do not send pitches that are unfocused and general (“How about a piece on box offices?” “How about a story on our company’s 14th anniversary?”) or are a laundry list of topics. Please do not send completed features for publication consideration. We highly suggest reading our magazine to be sure you aren’t pitching something we’ve already covered. In fact, your pitch should reflect that you are extremely familiar with the magazine.

Send pitches to editor-in-chief Karen McKevitt. E-mail: karen