Author Bio
A Wisconsin native and graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Jeff worked for many years in radio ad sales and advertising creative in Milwaukee and Cedar Rapids, winning three ADDYs as part of the creative team at Parsons Technology in Hiawatha, IA. He began acting in Iowa, appearing in various productions at Theatre Cedar Rapids, including The Glass Menagerie as Tom (Ovation winner), 17 Days as Jeff, Starmites as Space Punk and A Chorus Line as Don; at Riverside Theatre in Fool for Love as Martin, Blood Brothers as Mickey, and Jack and Jill as Jack, Follies at the Paramount Theatre and HAIR at Mabie Theater. After moving to Los Angeles in 1998, Jeff appeared in stage productions as The Narrator in Willy Russells Blood Brothers at the Westchester Playhouse and Knightsbridge Theatre Los Angeles, and in the films Silent Killer with Joe Lando and Michael Gross, The Last Breath with Bruce Boxleitner, Terminal Error with Michael Nouri and Tumbleweeds with Janet McTeer. Jeff began playwriting shortly after moving to Los Angeles. His first play, THE GOLGOTHA CRUX., had its premiere stage reading at the Urban Theater Project of Iowa in May 2004, and went on to become a finalist in the Dayton Playhouse Futurefest 2004, a semi-finalist in the Wagner College Theatre Departments 2004 Stanley Drama Award competition in New York, and received an Honorable Mention in the 73rd Annual Writers Digest Writing Competition/2004. Other writings include: CHROMOSOME 21 (Heuer Publishing Co., August 2007); STANS ADDICTION (Heuer Publishing Co., 2006), which was the featured full-length play in an evening of staged readings at The Stray Dawg Theatre Company, Belfast, Ireland, in April 2006; HELLO ENGINE, IM JAKE HOLMAN, a stage adaptation of the film, The Sand Pebbles, and a collection of ten-minute plays for childrens theater. Works-in-progress include: THE METAMORPHOSES OF AN ASHCAN (or The Dominican, a Satyr and Nymph, Two Vaudevillians and a Clown Discuss Matters of Substance Over Goat Cheese and Tea); KILL THE BOY!, THE TRIAL OF DANIEL E. SICKLES, and two plays on Frank Lloyd Wright. Jeff is the quintessential Green Bay Packer fan, a Beach Boys groupie, is learning to play the Irish tin whistle, and would rather be bow hunting or fishing than doing whatever hes doing at this very moment. [More about Jeffrey James Ircink]

Having just slogged through 76 10-minute plays and selected 18 for this years festival I thought it would be beneficial to let those of you out there in on what goes through the producer's/reader's mind when they are receiving and reading your scripts.

Read the submission guidelines
I got a lot of submissions from people who either didn't read or didn't think the submission guidelines were important. When a festival asks for two copies of a script and you send one, they have every right to ignore your submission. I didn't, but I was very tempted. It shows a lack of respect for the organization that will hopefully be putting on your work. Also, when the guidelines stipulate that there are only certain set pieces allowed, don't send a script that needs a grand piano, 1/8 scale statue of George Washington or cream cheese covered replica of Bo Didley.

Send a cover letter
Whether you are sending by email or snail mail just your script is not enough, [MORE]

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