Please indicate which show you are submitting to in the title of your piece.

Produced by So Say We All, a 501c3 literary and performing arts nonprofit based in Southern CA, The VAMP Storytelling Showcase is a highly-produced, non-fiction, multimedia reading series. Each showcase revolves around a different theme, which is heavily open to interpretation by submitting writers. Out of each round of submitting writers, a cohort is selected to work together over the course of 3-4 weeks in read-and-critique sessions, provided with writing and performance coaches, and finally provided with a live showcase to perform their original true stories.

READ FIRST BEFORE SUBMITTING:

  • You can submit to ANY of our upcoming VAMP Showcases at any time.
  • Submit here for So Say We All's monthly San Diego VAMP Storytelling Showcase only. Please include a brief bio and your e-mail in the comments section when submitting. VAMP live performances are usually, unless otherwise noted, held on the last Thursday of the month.
  • Work should fall between 7-10 minutes in length, however we will consider any length within reason on the understanding that the work will be edited down as close to this length as possible while maintaining its integrity. Between 140-160 words per minute is an average guide. Style, voice, and literary form can vary widely, but we're looking for true, non-fiction stories that usually involve a transformation (of you, a character, a place, etc.) and offer an insight that we can relate to.
  • All stories submitted are considered first drafts, but should contain a beginning, middle, and end, no matter how rough. Bullet points / outlines will not be considered.
  • Please be aware that there is a coaching and critique process for all accepted VAMP submissions. Coaching sessions & crits are MANDATORY. If your piece is accepted and you can't make scheduled sessions, please let us know right away. All reasonable accommodations will be made. We want you to give the best performance possible when we put you on stage.
  • So Say We All does not claim any ownership or first-time publication rights to pieces submitted to the VAMP Storytelling Showcase. VAMP is a writing workshop and performance forum. We accept previously published/ performed work as long as the submitter is willing to participate in the rewrite process.

All scripts are read and voted on by a blind peer review panel comprised of individuals who have performed at previous VAMP Showcases, to ensure bias or nepotism does not affect the selection process. Therefore, please: DO NOT PUT YOUR NAME ANYWHERE IN YOUR SCRIPT OR FILE NAME. SERIOUSLY.

VAMP stories are selected around 5.5 weeks prior to each showcase date (e.g.: stories for a June 29 showcase would be chosen around May 23). Stories will not be selected prior to 6 weeks before show date.

Thanks, good luck, and please don't be disheartened if you aren't selected. A rejection is not a statement on the quality of your writing or your personal worth. There are dozens of factors at play when putting a show together, and we want it to always be a reflection of community at large and the people who comprise it.  

Best, 

So Say We All


Produced by So Say We All, a 501c3 literary and performing arts nonprofit based in Southern CA, The VAMP Storytelling Showcase is a highly-produced, non-fiction, multimedia reading series. Each showcase revolves around a different theme, which is heavily open to interpretation by submitting writers. Each round of selecteed writers work together over the course of 3-4 weeks in read-and-critique sessions, are provided with writing and performance coaches, and finally perform their original true stories together at a live showcase.

READ FIRST BEFORE SUBMITTING:

  • We aim for the final versions of stories falling around 10 minutes in length; you can submit a story of any length as long as you know eventually it must get cut down to meet it. 
  • Style, voice, and literary form can vary widely, but we're looking for true, non-fiction stories that usually involve a transformation (of you, a character, a place, etc.) and offer an insight. The short hand of this, is to say: care about your audience and make sure your story has something for them.
  • Please be aware that there is a coaching and critique process for all accepted VAMP submissions. Coaching sessions & critis are MANDATORY. If your piece is accepted and you can't make scheduled sessions, please let us know right away. All reasonable accommodations will be made. We want you to give the resources that allow you to have best written and performance pieces possible when we put you on stage. 
  • Be humble and kind, be willing to help the other people you'll love to meet and graciously accept feedback from if you're accepted. There is nothing you have done that will excuse you from participating in our little process. No show boats, nothing about being an author, nothing about winning a storytelling competition, no IMDB or Linked-in credits. Enjoy the comradery. 
  • You own the rights to your story in all ways. So Say We All does not claim any ownership or first-time publication rights to pieces submitted to the VAMP Storytelling Showcase. VAMP is a writing workshop and performance forum. We accept previously published/ performed work as long as the submitter is willing to participate in the rewrite process. We only claim the right to the video and audio we record of the performance.

All scripts are read and voted on by a blind peer review panel comprised of individuals who have performed at previous VAMP Showcases, to ensure bias or nepotism does not affect the selection process. Therefore, please: DO NOT PUT YOUR NAME ANYWHERE IN YOUR SCRIPT OR FILE NAME. SERIOUSLY.

VAMP stories are selected around 5.5 weeks prior to each showcase date (e.g.: stories for a June 29 showcase would be chosen around May 23). Stories will not be selected prior to 6 weeks before show date.
Thanks, good luck, and please don't be disheartened if you aren't selected. A rejection is not a statement on the quality of your writing or your personal worth. There are dozens of factors at play when putting a show together, and we want it to always be a reflection of community at large and the people who comprise it.

Best,
So Say We All

Submission deadline: Midnight, Sunday September 28th

Show date: Saturday, October 25th @ 7pm. - YOU MUST BE AVAILABLE TO PERFORM IN-PERSON.

Location: Little Bird Brewing, 3176 Thorn St, San Diego, CA 92104

Hitch Deck is back by popular demand and just in time for cuffing season. Storytellers will take the stage equipped with a kick-ass slide deck on why audience members should get to know their friends. Are they single? Pitch why someone should date them. Do you just wanna spread their love? Give us your pitch for that. Here's what to do:

  • Submit your story here about why you think someone should date / befriend your friend. Stories should be a maximum of 5-minutes in length. It's ok if the first draft goes long, we'll help you edit it down. Go for funny, touch on your friend's best attributes, give examples, stories, surprises, touching moments, etc. Try to do a little showing over telling where possible. At the end of the day, they're all love letters to your person.
  • The friend you're pitching MUST be aware you're standing up for them, MUST be present at the show with you, and CONSENT. This is not the place for surprises.
  • Any photos you use of your friend must also have their consent, but you don't have to worry about that at the submission stage.
  • If you're accepted to participate, you will be required to work with a coach and respond to the feedback provided to you on your story. and attend one group critique session. We want to make sure this is the best experience for everyone involved, and you're fully supported.
So Say We All