Back Stage West

5055 Wilshire Blvd., 5th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90036. P(323)525-2356. F(323)525-2354. Email: bsweditorial (at) backstge.com. Website: http://www.backstage.com. Rob Kendt, Editor-in-Chief. 20% freelance. "A weekly actor's trade paper for Los Angeles and the West Coast, with coverage of employment opportunities, craft issues, and the local theatre scene." Welcomes new writers. Circ. 15K. Weekly. Pays on publication. Publishes ms 2-3 weeks after acceptance. Buys all rights for 6 months. No reprints. Responds 2 weeks. Sample purchased by phone or local LA newsstands or online. Subscription $89; $9.95/month online. Guidelines N/A.

CURRENT NEEDS: "L.A. based theatre critics and good writers on the craft of acting." Pays about $0.15/word for features of 1500-3000 words; flat fee of $20 for theatre reviews of 400-500 words. Submit query, cover letter and applicable writing samples.

PHOTOS/ART: "Send portfolio. Prefer photojournalists to portrait or headshot photographers." Pays $50-$60 a shoot.

HINTS: "It's best to familiarize yourself with the publication for about a month and look for areas you don't think we're covering that are within our coverage area. That's a good way to pitch us features, or at least pitch yourself as a feature writer. For prospective feature writers, I need to see GREAT clips, by which I mean well reported, sharply and pointedly written, opinionated when appropriate. Though we do print Q&A interviews with celebs on occasion, DO NOT SEND Q&A INTERVIEWS AS CLIPS. Send something that shows YOUR writing (which could include quote-heavy but well-constructed features). Prospective theatre critics, which we are always looking for, must have theatre clips, preferably of local (L.A. or Orange County) theatre."