Should playwrights be charged submission fees for entry in festivals, contests, etc.?

Question

I do understand the reasoning behind the charging of fees, as the first person to answer my question has so aptly reminded me. My problem is that I find this reasoning to be unjustified and morally wrong. Why should the writer be charged for the upkeep of the event he is submitting to? If an organization is not willing to accept the cost for the work involved in holding such an event, then they should seriously consider not holding said event. As far as having to read tons of "bad" scripts, if you want to have the event, you have to take the work that goes with it.

Answer 1

It depends. Should the poor sap who has to read through the works of countless inept hacks get paid?

The fee funds the event and hopefully discourages those whose work isn't even worth the entry fee from submitting their manuscripts. So yes, it does a lot more good than harm.

Answer 2

Without the fees ther would be far fewer festivals and hence no place to get your work seen. It's not a moral issue at all, just a matter or economics and practicality. There are far more scripts than there are "shows" so you're in a bad position from the start. As an actor I've had to pay in some way to be in a show, whether it's by buying props, costumes, building sets, etc. I was just recently in show that allowed free submissions. They got over 400 scripts chose 17 finalists (these were one acts) and put them on. All but 2 or 3 were pure garbage and these were the best of the lot. After that the theatre decided to charge a $10 fee for submission.