Frequently Asked Questions

WRITERS

ACTORS

MISCELLANEOUS

RIPRAP ENTERTAINMENT TV started as Riprap Writers' Playhouse in 1999. We read writers' original works with professional actors on television, condensing them all to a half-hour and gave each writer a copy of the tape. We have evolved since that time and have our own brick and mortar theatre space in North Hollywood, California (since 2001) and new and updated weekly half-hour television broadcast concept. However, we still promote writers - also actors, filmmakers and directors. RIPRAP ENTERTAINMENT TV is an entertainment program designed to discover fresh material for possible production on our stage in North Hollywood. Our stage is Riprap Studio Theatre, a sixty-seat intimate theatre on Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood. Our half-hour weekly broadcast on KVMD TV airs every Friday at 3:30PM in approximately 3.5 million homes reaching a potential of eight million viewers in the greater Los Angeles area from San Diego all the way up to Santa Barbara and of course the center of Hollywood, including Beverly Hills, Malibu, Santa Monica, and the world via our web distribution. Our weekly broadcast includes skits, parodies, interviews, and GIRL TALK! with Sandy (host) Cindy Marinangel and Rachel Sorsa Khoury. Each week on SCRIPT ANALYSIS our judges Rachel Sorsa Khoury and Donaco Smyth read and critique a new script - submitted by you - and discuss the possibility of production at the theatre, giving the writer tips where needed and the audience a colorful and engaging synopsis of the story. After 13 weeks Donaco, Rachel and Sandy decide on one submission to be produced on stage at Riprap Studio Theatre. Join us every Friday and submit! We accept original works WORLDWIDE - we only ask that all scripts are submitted in the English language. Go to our SUBMIT page and follow the rules and send all material with the proper RELEASE!

If you have a basic cable contract in Southern California you likely have KVMD TV an independent television station. If KVMD is not Channel 23 with your cable carrier, go to your TV GUIDE channel and look for KVMD instead. Or print our channel listings. I know it's on channel 31 on DISH TV. Just scroll through to your TV GUIDE channel and you'll find it. You can also go to their web site for channel listings at KVMDTV.com. Our TV Guide listing is Riprap Entertainment TV every Friday at 3:30 PM and Channel listings in PDF format are also here. If you don't live in California just check out recent clips here on the web site updated regularly. We expect to have the entire episode available for download here on the site soon.

RIPRAP ENTERTAINMENT TV
Riprap Entertainment
PO Box 55221
Sherman Oaks, CA 91413
Telephone (818) 990-7498
Remember, you must enclose a release.
Scripts sent without a release will not be opened.
Why the Po Box and not the theatre? Because the PO Box is closer to my office and there is so much traffic at the theatre I prefer the privacy of a PO Box where I know they won't get lost or "borrowed" if you get my drift.

Yes. We recently read a play written by a woman in ROMANIA and we have another on deck from a gentleman who lives in Israel. We have received original scripts, screenplays and novels from almost every continent to date. We only accept submissions translated into the English language. Thanks in advance!
Send to:
RIPRAP ENTERTAINMENT TV
Riprap Entertainment
PO Box 55221
Sherman Oaks, CA 91413
Telephone (818) 990-7498
Remember, you must enclose a release.
Scripts sent without a release will not be opened.

No. We accept HARD COPY SNAIL MAIL submissions ONLY. I cannot afford to print scripts. Simply multiply the cost of paper and ink by the potential hundreds of scripts and you can answer your own question. Am I cheap? No, this program exists because of my commitment to help writers, not to support their paper, ink and mail costs. If you do send an email with an attachment, the attachment will not be opened. The email itself will probably not be opened.

The writer always retains his or her copyright.

Approximately $.07 per page in copying costs (if you live in California); approximately $3.00 U.S. Mail along with registration fees and/or copyright costs, which expenses you would pay anyway should you send your script to an agent for representation. Get the picture? You don't have to pay us one red cent.

Never. I cannot afford to hire the people required to fill envelopes and mail them. Nor can I afford the time required to stuff a bunch of SASEs. For me to be here for writers, actors and filmmakers, I must keep my costs as low as possible. If I can't pay the overhead, the concept is doomed. Get it?!

When we contact you by phone, mail or email and we don't always do that. As of March 23, 2007, I have a created a STATUS PAGE on our forum with a KEY that writers may check regularly to find out if your work has been selected, received, videotapes but not aired, etc. This STATUS information is updated regularly now and we are archiving THREE YEARS of information, so PLEASE BE PATIENT AND CHECK REGULARLY. Please check out or FORUM REGULARLY and I PROMISE we'll chip away at it until everyone is informed! Please understand that we will have to get a back log of over a year's worth of material up on that STATUS page and you must be patient. Check the web site regularly. Please do not call and write asking if and when your story has been, or will be read. Scripts are read in two days to a year depending on the back log. Remember, I am also a writer. I know it's frustrating, but send it and forget about it. But any positive posts or threads that you would like to contribute to our forum are welcome.

Why wouldn't you? When I adapted LITTLE WHITE LIES for the stage we got a call from HBO asking for the original screenplay for reivew. I worked with actor John Amos when I first moved to New York and he told me of a play that he performed in as an actor many years ago which later became a huge hit on film which is why he had the rights to the play he produced and in which I performed FOREVER MY DARLIN' in New Jersey when I first got to New York City. I learned at a young age that the seeds of films and television are planted on stage and it's also a place to get immediate exposure and feedback. My question to you would be why WOULDN'T YOU ADAPT FOR THE STAGE?

Our judges Rachel Sorsa Khoury and Donaco Smyth read the scripts that are passed on to them by our readers.

Each week they discuss an original work on the broadcast and we air the UNCUT version on this website in addition to the edited version that airs on our weekly broadcast. The premise is if the first ten pages capture our readers' interest they read on. If we know who the characters are and what they want as well as what the story is about by the end of Act One and we really want to turn to the next page and the next until we read "fade out, the end" - chances are it's going to be nominated for an award. Do you believe in your work? If so, send it in. Our goal is to give the writer constructive, positive feedback and to educate and entertain our viewing audience.

Once your original work is received, it will be considered with all other works for one full year. We encourage you to send as many quality scripts as possible. You may even submit a PREVIOUSLY SUBMITTED script. Times change and material that may have been overlooked may fall on the right eyes and you're back in the running. But I wouldn't submit the same script in less than a year's time period.

YES. As of March 23, 2007 we do. It's called SCRIPT DOCTORS and it is TOTALLY UNRELATED to our broadcast - in other words, you need not utilize our script doctor service in order to submit, submitting for the broadcast is FREE. This is an additional service for those writers who want to prepare their work for the public and we have more information on this service coming soon.

Yes! We have discussed several on the broadcast already that are about 10 minutes or less.

Yes.

You may. We accept short stories, articles and poems for our e-zine, The Coffee-zine Scene! and the short stories that we publish in said e-zine will automatically be nominated for a Riprap Award. For guidelines click here. This is a paid opportunity. Remember, if your story, in any form could be adapted for stage, send it in! Sandy adapted her screenplay for the stage and the play ran eight weeks and HBO requested a copy for review for possible production, it could happen to you too!

Easy - check out our awards page.

When we hold auditions or if someone I know personally is holding auditions at my studio and they want to get the word out - I post the notices on the web site and on our new forum. We at Riprap Studio Theatre audition for each project individually, we do not have an ensemble but I do ask actors that I like to come back again and again. You should also join our mailing list by scrolling down to the bottom of any of our web pages and join Riprap Studio Theatre as an ACTOR or email Sandy and ask to be added to the Riprap Studio Theatre / Riprap Entertainment TV mailing list and when I know about auditions from a trusted source or we're having auditions at our theatre you will be included in the mailing. We always accept submissions year-round at our PO Box. Riprap Entertainment, PO Box 55221, Sherman Oaks, CA 91413.

Depends on the production and I always list union status with the auditions on our audition page. To date, all of our plays are produced under at least the Equity 99 seat plan.

We are located at 5755 Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood, California 91601. For directions, information and pictures click here. I have a PO box for privacy. Too many people are in and out of the studio Theatre I don't want mail delivered there and the PO Box is closer to my home and office.

If you want to submit first make sure that you have perused our guidelines thoroughly. Be sure you have read the entire FAQs page - twice if necessary. If you still have questions, email Sandy at Riprap Entertainment, and let me know if there's anything I should add to this page! You can also write or call.