Fenimore Art Museum’s Glimmer Globe Theatre is pleased to announce submissions for our 2026 NEXT! Readings of New Works by Regional Playwrights and Write Out Loud performances, both planned to be LIVE in-person early next year.

The museum is currently looking for submissions of plays, poems, prose, short stories, and more for consideration. All submissions can be sent to submissions@fenimoreart.org. The deadline for submissions is January 18, 2026.

NEXT! has continued to garner acclaim over the last seven years, providing one of the few opportunities for playwrights in Central New York to have workshopped staged readings before an audience. Our rehearsal process, audience feedback/talkbacks, and direct collaboration amongst playwrights, directors, and actors have helped numerous regional dramatists develop new work and move careers forward. After the work is selected anonymously by our rotating committee of readers, Fenimore Art Museum’s Manager of Performing Arts Programs will work closely with each selected playwright to assign a director, cast the show, run rehearsals on-site, market the event, and execute the performance. Performances will take place LIVE in February/March 2026.

Now in its sixth season, Write Out Loud mirrors NEXT! in many ways, but is open to other written media – poetry, prose, short stories, etc. A rotating panel of community judges will evaluate submissions individually and anonymously, selecting those of exceptional quality for a special live performance in late winter 2026. Authors will have the option to work with Glimmer Globe Theatre to cast a regional actor to perform their piece, or to perform their own work if preferred.

Fenimore Art Museum is committed to fostering appreciation for the arts in all its forms. This is an exciting opportunity for talented regional writers to gain support and exposure for the important, but often overlooked, work that they do. The program aims to provide people of all ages with a unique chance to witness and engage in the creative process, as well as to develop the perception of theater and literature as essential tools for communication and understanding.

Submitted plays must have a minimum runtime of 30 minutes, and a maximum runtime of 2 hours. (Due to the large volume of submissions, entries are limited to one full-length play or collection of short works per playwright.) Anyone with a residence within 100 miles of Cooperstown, New York may submit. Artificial intelligence may not be used in the writing of these works. Please include NEXT26 in the subject line of the email containing your submission.

Poets may submit up to three poems of any length for consideration. Alternatively, a prose piece /short story may be submitted, but each should not exceed 1,500 words. All genres are welcome. Anyone with a residence within 100 miles of Cooperstown, New York may submit. Artificial intelligence may not be used in the writing of these works. Please include WOL26 in the subject line of the email containing your submission(s).

Please email scripts, pieces, and inquiries to submissions@fenimoreart.org. Pieces must be received by end of day on January 18, 2026 to qualify for consideration for a reading during the coming winter.