Do I have to have a complete screenplay to submit to a producer or will an outline or treatment do?

Generally, if you are a new writer, a completed script is your best bet. The reason is that a screenplay shows the producer or studio that you can deliver a story. Even a detailed, well-written treatment is no guarantee that a writer can execute a feature-length screenplay. For the most part, it is the established writers who sell pitches, story outlines and treatments for the simple reason that they have a track record and the producers can trust that if they buy their idea, these writers will know what to do with it in terms of writing the script. However, if you have a great story idea and can get somebody excited about it, you can certainly submit it to a producer. My one bit of advice there would be to protect your idea legally as much as you can, i.e., registering it with the Writer's Guild or the Library of Congress, and submitting your idea through an agent or lawyer.
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Where do I look for an agent? What qualities do I look for to get a good agent? Where can I learn about the nitty-gritty that should be in an agreement between a writer & an agent?

You can start by looking at the two websites listed below. The first one is the Writer's Guild, and it lists all of the principal literary agencies in Los Angeles and New York. The second one lists agencies that have been known to be hospitable to first-time writers, so you might do well to check a few of them out.

http://www.wga.org/agency.html http://members.tripod.com/~SiberianWolf/agents.htm

Obviously, the best quality in an agent is that he/she gets you work. Other than that, you should look for the same qualities you'd probably desire in any relationship: Do they return your calls promptly? Are they enthusiastic about working with you? This last one can be tricky, since agents are rather legendary for their hype and hyperbole. Remember, it costs the agency NOTHING to sign you, so if you make money for them, great, but if you don't, it's no skin off their back if you're out of work, and you will soon find it difficult to get them to return your phone calls. An enthusiastic agent is a great ally for you, but so is a knowledgeable one. Talk to them and find out what their plans are for you - who they plan to send your work out to - and how you fit into THEIR plans.

You also will need to decide whether to go with one of the larger, well-established agencies (William Morris, ICM, CAA, etc.) or with any of the dozens of smaller 'boutique' agencies. The larger agencies carry a lot of clout, and if they are high on you, your work will receive a lot of exposure. There is a factory-like aspect to these agencies, however, and some clients can find themselves lost in the shuffle. That's why many first-time writers prefer signing with a smaller agency, since the chances are much greater that you will receive a lot more attention from your agent.

Contractual agreements between clients and agencies are not very complicated, so your real focus should be on how well you relate to the agent who is pursuing you. You can find lots of additional information related to agents and agencies at the following website:

http:://www.teleport.com/~cdeemer/Agents.html
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Is it true that you have to have an agent to get your screenplay read? Are there any other ways to get it to producers, or people like you who might recommend it?

No, there are several other paths to get your script read that do not require you having an agent. One way is to approach the studios or production companies directly. You can try calling the offices of various development executives, or the story editor, and try to convince whoever you speak to that they should read your script. You will most likely talk to an assistant, but if you can get them to accept your script, your script will be read by the same studio readers who read all of the studio's official submissions. It's not a bad route to try, and probably a combination of letters and phone calls will be necessary. Two things to remember: 1) Don't waste your time sending your script to a studio or producer without contacting them first. Unsolicited material will either go straight into the wastebasket or will be returned to you without having been read. Studios do this to protect themselves from material that might be plagiarized. 2) If you do find a friendly ear at a studio, you should be prepared to have a lawyer submit your script for you. Any lawyer will do - it doesn't have to be an entertainment lawyer, and you should be able to easily find a lawyer who will send your script in with a cover letter from their office, and the charge to you will be relatively painless.

Another way to get your script read is to submit it to any of the various screenwriting competitions around the country. Most of them will charge between $20.00 and $35.00, so you'll want to be particular in choosing which ones to select. Mainly, look at the awards and the judges. If the first prize is $5,000, that's always a nice thing to receive, but what you really want is to have well-placed industry people reading your script. You want producers or agents to be on the jury, or you want to know that the winners will be somehow publicized in Hollywood - probably an announcement in the trade papers Variety or the Hollywood Reporter.

I know one writer in Los Angeles who, frustrated with trying to get her script read, rewrote it as a play, found a theatre to produce it, and invited every agent and studio executive she could think of to opening night. She eventually optioned one of her scripts.

Finally, yes, people like myself can act as a conduit between writers and producers or agents, but there's no established route here. It would mainly be a situation where I might happen to personally like a script well enough to want to get behind it and pass it along to an agent or producer in Los Angeles.
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Do script readers really have influence on what films get produced? Or are they just there to get through the slush pile?

Readers absolutely have an influence on which films get produced. Certainly they have an influence on which films don't get produced - a PASS written at the bottom of script coverage (which is the reader's report on the script) usually means the end of the line for that script. There are many scripts that get hyped before they even reach the reader, so the producer or studio executive may take a look at the script even if the reader passes on it, but there are so few scripts that merit a MAYBE or, God forbid, a YES, that the studios pay close attention to the scripts that catch the reader's eye.
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When you're reading a screenplay, what do you look for? What determines whether you recommend it or not?

I look for a story that makes me forget that I'm reading a screenplay. I look for a script that makes me want to continue reading after the first 10 pages (script analysts are endlessly reading scripts, day after day after day. Don't underestimate how important the first 10 pages are to sparking the interest of your reader). What's the hook of the story? Is it an engaging angle? Or, as most screenplays are, is it flat and predictable? Do I get a clear sense of the main character? Do I want to root for this character? Do I want to know more about him/her?

The thing that most determines whether I recommend it or not is the personality of the script. Even if the story-line is not earthshakingly original, if the characters have depth and believability, if the overall feel of the story has resonance, then I would certainly recommend it. But it is very nice to read a script that keeps you guessing.
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Can you describe how you work with a writer in developing her/his script? Do you remain involved with a project from beginning to end (i.e.., premiere)?

Every project is different, but in general, the work of a development executive begins with writing story notes on the screenplay. This is a highly detailed analysis of the script which can run anywhere from 15 to 30 pages. Some people are better at this than others. Some will determine exactly which aspects of the script need improvement, whether it is the overall story-line, the characters, the dialogue, whether the script would work better as a contemporary story rather than as a period piece, etc., - and this person would make suggestions as to how these improvements could be made. Others, and this is normally the case, only say what they feel is wrong with the script without proposing any alternatives. For me, that's just a waste of everybody's time, since there ARE always many different alternatives, and unless the writer knows just what the producer wants, he/she is going to deliver a rewrite that doesn't necessarily satisfy the producer. So the clearer a development executive can be, the better.

So, after the writer reads these notes and incorporates them into the script, the process is repeated again and again, until either a shooting draft is reached, or until the script has improved to the point where the producer decides he/she can submit it to the studio for financing.

In general, it is the development exec's job to figure out the strengths of each different writer and to decide exactly what he/she can or cannot do. And yes, you do attend the film's premiere, but your job on the project generally ends at the beginning of filming. That's to say, once you've shepherded the script to the point where physical production of the film begins, you're on to the next project.