Playwriting Contest

Old Town Playhouse and the Village at Grand Traverse Commons are excited to announce the Northern Michigan Asylum Playwriting Contest. This new creative event invites playwrights to submit original works inspired by, connected to, or thematically centered on the history, architecture, culture, or personal stories associated with the Northern Michigan Asylum (also known as the Traverse City State Hospital). Qualifying submissions will be reviewed by a committee, and the winning entry will be fully workshopped and produced by Old town Playhouse, with performances taking place in Kirkbride Hall, located in Building 50, one of the original Asylum buildings.

Writers of all experience are invited to submit and must be at least 18 at the time of submission. All entries should be written in English and co-authored works are permitted.

Works may be dramatic, comedic, historical, speculative, or musical in style, but all submissions must honor or explore the site in a meaningful way. Formats allowed include one act plays, two act plays and musicals.

The contest is open now and will run through December 31, 2026. To read the contest rules in their entirety, access a curated list of source material books about the Northern Michigan Asylum, and instructions on how to submit your work, please download the contest guidelines here.

Download the Contest Guidelines

Questions?

Send email to contest@oldtownplayhouse.com, or call Wes Curry, OTP Artistic Director, at 231.947.2210 extension 108.

Research and Background Reading

Playwrights are encouraged to use the following works to learn more about the Northern Michigan Asylum. Note: Copyrighted works listed here are intended for inspiration and may not be adapted, dramatized, or otherwise used as source material without permission from the rights holder.

• Traverse City State Hospital (Images of America) by Chris Miller
• Beauty is Therapy by Earle Steele and Kristen M. Hains
• A Man Against Insanity by Paul de Kruif
• Northern Michigan Asylum: A History of the Traverse City State Hospital by William A. Decker, M.D. – This book is unfortunately out of print but can be found used on eBay, Amazon, or at the Traverse Area District Library. This is a great resource for facts and timelines. 
• How Thin the Veil by Jack Kerkhoff – A memoir of 45 days in the Traverse City State Hospital.
• Lucy Greene by Richard VanDeWeghe – Historical fiction.
• Jimmy Quinn by Richard VanDeWeghe – Historical fiction.