Stage of Fools 2018 - The Rules

[ardyforshort]

How does it work?

The exchange will be run on an offer/request basis, like yuletide and other similar exchanges. Each participant will get to request a number of plays that they'd like to receive fic for, and offer a number of plays that they feel comfortable writing fic for. Based on this, participants will be matched up. You'll also have an opportunity to leave specific prompts for what kind of fic you want and about which characters, and tell your writer about any triggers/dislikes/DNWs so they can work around this. This is done either by writing a "dear writer" letter, or by specifying "optional details" in your request, or both.
Specifying triggers/DNWs is mandatory this year.


What plays are eligible?

There's a separate exchange for the Histories. I am including the Greek & Roman plays in Stage of Fools this time as there hasn't been an exchange for them since 2014.

Which leaves us with this list:

Comedies

All's Well That Ends Well
As You Like It
The Comedy of Errors
Cymbeline
Love's Labours Lost
Measure for Measure
The Merry Wives of Windsor
The Merchant of Venice
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Much Ado About Nothing
Pericles, Prince of Tyre
Taming of the Shrew
The Tempest
Troilus and Cressida
Twelfth Night
Two Gentlemen of Verona
Winter's Tale

Tragedies (& Romances if you call them that)

Antony and Cleopatra
Coriolanus
Hamlet
Julius Caesar
King Lear
Macbeth
Othello
Romeo and Juliet
Timon of Athens
Titus Andronicus

Plus Cardenio/Double Falsehood and The Two Noble Kinsmen, which were at least partly written by Shakespeare.

What's the minimum word count?
The minimum word count for fics is 1000 words, as in yuletide. All stories posted for the exchange must be finished stories with a beginning, middle, and end. Posting an incomplete story, even one that fulfills the word limit, will be grounds for banning.

What pairings and relationships are allowed?
Request whatever pairing/configuration or lack thereof you fancy - gen, het, slash, femslash, polyamorous relationships, queerplatonic relationships, friendship- or family-focussed fic, orgies, whatever.

Can I request AUs (alternate universes) of the plays? Yes. Requests for AUs of any genre, culture, geography, time period, etc. are allowed and encouraged.

Can I request fic that takes place in pre-existing AUs? Fic taking place in pre-existing AUs may be written for Madness, but not for the main exchange. If you wish to write in an AU not your own, please make sure you have permission from the original author(s).

What about crossovers? Crossovers of the plays with each other or with other early modern texts are fine, but everything else is out of bounds for this exchange. So, you can a fic wherein Benvolio and Horatio discuss what it's like to survive a Shakespearean tragedy; you can't request a fic wherein Hamlet meets the Doctor from Doctor Who. If you do request a crossover in your optional details, please be gentle to your author and give an alternative prompt as well. They may not be familiar with the crossover property you want.

Can I request RPF (real person fiction)? It's fine to request fic based on specific productions, but please do not request actor RPF based on contemporary productions/about living people. Requesting fic about actors who have passed on - say, about Shakespeare playing the Ghost of Old Hamlet - is fine.

Can I request fic based on specific productions or films of plays? Fics inspired by or based on specific productions or films are welcome. The RSC and the Globe have both released DVDs of their recent productions, and other theatres are following suit (who's excited about the Stratford Festival releasing their recent season on demand?). A film version has to use a version of the Shakespearean text to count - so, Baz Luhrmann's Romeo+Juliet or Michael Almereyda's Hamlet would be fine, My Own Private Idaho or any of the ShakespeaRetold films wouldn't. You are welcome to include optional details based on a specific production in your request, but, as with crossovers, please be aware that your writer may or may not be able to accommodate them, as not everyone may have access to the specific production or film version you have in mind.

TL;DR: If you're not clear whether something is acceptable, please ask!


When will I get my assignment?
Assignments will go out as soon after the deadline as possible. There will be a post in the community once assignments have gone out.

The mod has announced that assignments have gone out, but I don't have mine! What do I do?
Please contact the mod.

How can I find out what's going on?
All administrative posts will appear here at stageoffools and the mirror comm on LJ, stageoffools.

Where will the fics be posted?
Fics will be hosted at the Archive Of Our Own. The mod will set up a collection for you to post fics to and there'll be an instruction post.

What's the schedule?
Here's the schedule for the 2018 exchange.