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Think of this as a National Enquirer title: You too can master the Hidden Secrets of, etc. etc. you can think of this as "Things they may not tell you in school."
*Failure is inevitable.
In fact, it’s necessary for your growth. You will learn as
much from failures as from success. Because you will fail, over
and over.
*See plays.
By all means, read the classic literature, the major works for
the stage. But: you will learn as much, or more, from seeing bad
plays and bad productions as from seeing good ones. You will generally
learn more easily from other people’s failures than from
your own, because they hurt less.
*Try anything once.
A monologue play. An epic. A verse play. A short musical. An adaptation.
Be bold, daring! Go ahead, break all the rules. When you fail,
and you will, learn from it. My favorite paraphrase from John
Kander and Fred Ebb: "What makes us professionals is that
we don‘t make the same huge boneheaded mistake in production
after production; instead, we make new ones."
*Toughen your skin.
Criticism - the public kind - is inevitable. Playwrights get more
direct feedback than almost any other kind of writer, because
you can be in the room with people experiencing your work. You’ll
hear them laugh, cry, be rapt - or, alternatively, fidget, cough,
or stream out.
*Learn how to listen to advice.
"There are 3 basic human needs," says Romulus Linney,
"Food, sex, and the desire to rewrite someone else’s
play." Learning how to deal with feedback is one of the most
difficult and necessary things a playwright needs to develop.
Many people’s advice tells you how to turn your play into
the play they would have written, if they were writing about that
subject/characters/themes. The most useful advice is that which
tells you where someone "unhooked" from your play and
why. Remember: all advice/critique is subjective.
*Volunteer to learn.
Playwriting isn’t a discipline you learn at your kitchen
table. You learn it in a theatre. Expect to put in an apprenticeship
somewhere. It is golden.
*All experience counts.
Put the shoe on the other foot, and often. Cross-genre and cross-discipline
experience counts even more. The more theatrical roles you have
experience in, the better your plays will be. This doesn’t
mean you have to be good at the other roles, but you have to understand
them, and preferably from the inside. Direct a staged reading
of someone else’s play. Act. Help build a set, and focus
lights. Write a press release. All these are invaluable skills
that will improve your work.
*Persistence furthers.
If you’re a playwright, and/or want to be one, you’re
in it for the long haul. It’s about writing all the time;
marketing all the time; staying connected; learning your field
- its literature, its practitioners.
*Do it yourself.
The people I know who have a history of significant productions
didn’t set around waiting to be "picked". Many
made a number of them happen themselves. The more original you
are, the more DIY is a must.
*Know - and try to love - your collaborators.
Hate actors? Resist directors? Despise audiences? You will not
be a happy camper. The proper care and feeding of your colleagues
will not only get your plays done more often, they’ll be
better plays.
*Know your audience(s) and market(s).
Who are you writing for, trying to reach? Theatre is a public
act, not a private one. Most of the big theatres listed in the
sourcebooks have a particular demographic - suburban, upper middle
class, over 50-to-70's. Is that whom you’re writing for?
*Understand theatre ecosystems.
They are, more or less, the same in every city. Think global,
act local. Be an information junkie about theatre scenes.
*Contacts matter.
Yes they do. They really matter. Remember people’s names.
Practice the Golden Rule. Keep abreast of research - read American
Theatre. Go to conferences. Take busman’s holidays, and
see theatre when you are on the road. File correspondence and
address/phone/email addresses.
*Learn about the business
of playwriting as well as the craft. The two are, in fact, inseparable.
You can write wonderful plays but if you don’t know how to
market them, or the etiquette of how theatres operate, you will
torpedo your chances for successful productions as surely as if
you were writing poorly.
*Don’t expect a regular income
from playwriting. People practice it because it is emotionally
and spiritually satisfying, not because it is economically sound.
To make money, you’ll need to do other things. You may work
elsewhere as a writer: in film, TV, journalism, whatever. You
can work in a theatre, or teach. There’s temp work, there’s
welding, or financial support from your family. Job(s) that allow
you flexibility, access to arts decision-makers, and time to think
and travel are a plus.
*Cultivate support systems.
Get yourself a gang: actors, directors, other writers. This isn’t
a solo activity, it’s a team sport. Supportive relationships
will help your career and life. Join organizations.
*Develop a sense of proportion
about the field’s frustrations: its glacial waits, the ups
and downs of acceptance, rejection, its patent unfairness. A meditation
practice helps. Learn how to ride the roller-coaster. Thinking
of small victories - a positive comment scrawled on a rejection
letter, a round-the-table reading - as "clipping coupons"
helps.
*Be confident and pro-active.
This counts double for women. Don’t be a "good girl".
99% of what’s on every stage in the world, including the
huge prize winners, is something playwright/critic Geralyn Horton
calls an IBFD: an Interesting But Flawed Drama. Assume that yours
are as worthy as anyone else’s. Confidence and optimism will
take you farther than shyness and pessimism. Learn to toot your
own horn.
Linda Eisenstein is a playwright, composer and critic based in Cleveland. Her new musical Holiday Hotline opened in November in Detroit Avenue Arts. www.lindaeisenstein.com
Reprinted from Playwrights Forum newsletter
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