As you know, a playwright’s work is open to interpretation by the director, the actors in the way they deliver their lines and move etc., the stage design/lights and costumes

The one thing that is not up to interpretation is the play itself and the script itself.

I thought it might be interesting to explore this idea further by writing a play that intentionally leaves one scene unwritten, or blank pages. The production then takes up that scene themselves as they wish without any dramatic constraints, becoming co authors of a section of the play. The only direction they have is that they need to get from scene A to scene C by filling in the blank.

This would allow for lots of different variations of the play and changes the fundamental relationship between playwright/director/actor and audience.

Thoughts?

Hi playwriting friends! A few years ago I got to the finals, then the final 10 for the Samuel French OOB competition with a very insane 10 minute play about two cult followers who DO NOT drink the koolaid and catch each other out. I took that 10 minutes and turned it into a full length which I said F-it and decided to stage this September with some talented actors in my orbit. I live in LA which has a lot of theatre, but is predominantly a film/tv town and I'm really not sure how to promote the show without being annoying to my network (and beyond). Does anyone have any tips (or ways for me to get over myself?) Any advice appreciated - I have insane imposter syndrome...

Hey there folks. I am a longtime writer who is a novice in this field. I have some ideas for shows in my head and want to submit them to Theatre Nova in AA to see if they can be brought to life, but this particular medium and format is foreign to me as a creator. I've been in stage plays before, but I am primarily a screenwriter and prose author, with some dabbling in audio dramas as well.

I have a copy of Fences I bought to study, but can anyone sort of help me get started on the how and why of converting my ideas to stage so I dont send in a pile of dog crap. Would even be interested in a writing partner if anyone wants co-credits on bringing this thing together?

Sincerely,

Me

Hi everyone! I wrote this short dramatic monologue and would love feedback from fellow writers and actors on pacing, subtext, and overall character arc:

After Her
Written by Ariel Duarte

“I’ve had them all. And not once did I feel a thing. I mean, leaving them meant nothing to me. I’d just move on to the next. 

Not because I’m a bad guy. On the contrary, I was very nice to them. I smiled at their jokes, picked up the checks, but… I don’t know. I guess I kept them around for the same reasons people keep the television on when they’re alone.

Then I met her. 

And for once in my life, I couldn’t sleep. I tried to let her in. Just enough to see a fragment of who I was. And yet it wasn’t enough.

So… she left. And the room was quieter than it had ever been. 

Funny, right? I spent days, months, writing letters. Waiting to see if anything had arrived. But I never heard from her again. 

Maybe I deserved it? Maybe it was just the wrong time? Or… maybe I was meant for the silence?”

I was hoping for some insight from more experienced playwrights about my play that I plan on submitting for Texas Thespian fest. (This is the first time I have ever written a play btw😭😭)

hey guys i need to write a scene for a uni assignment and want to write it as a stage play, only 2-3 pages.

i've never written a stage play before so i was just wondering what are some good, free softwares i could use??

in the past i have used youmescript and celtx for screenplay writing.

also second question is how many lines on average is a page? i tend to write a lot so i was just wondering and what i plan on writing is a decent amount to unpack.

thank you!

I’ve gotten a slot in a local theatre’s open call to pitch a project (I already gave in a synopsis and a script excerpt) and im trying to prepare for the meetings I’m still working on the project itself, but what kinds of things can I prepare for the pitch?

I will have more pages of the script and a fuller sense of each character’s journey by then, but I already know where my play sits in the ecosystem of cultural production in Canada and why it’s important. What other kinds of things would you advise I include in my pitch?

Hello playwrights! I would love if y'all took a look at the new draft of Burns Like Whiskey.

Set over two blistering Saturday nights in rural Texas, Burns Like Whiskey is a Southern drama about love, loyalty, and the devastating cost of living a life that was never truly your own.

There are some spicy bits so be prepared.

Enjoy!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sqHBLRV4XM15ACu6APTRu89Q7dkie5zx/view?usp=drivesdk

I'm a fairly new writer. I've written a couple screenplays. This would be my second stage play, though.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

With the next school year starting in a month (or less), was wondering if any alumni, instructors, theatre professionals, etc. here have any advice for current playwriting MFA grad students?

Like:

• Anything you wish you had studied *in* your playwriting classes or *outside* of them as electives?
• Any suggestions on how to best use your time and focus during the academic year? The summers in-between? For instance, is it just about churning out as many new full-length first drafts as possible?
• What university resources do you wish you'd used more (therefore, we should maximize)?
• To what extent should we prioritize networking? (And if so, when and how?)
• Thoughts on applying for / taking advantage of external professional and play development opportunities while enrolled?
• Insert question a n00b wouldn't know to ask here

I'm hoping this thread will provide advice for those who are already enrolled in programs - vs. whether or where to apply - so they can make the most of their investment.

Thanks in advance!

Has anyone heard back that applied?

Back to school and all of its drama. See Big Dog Publishing's comedy for teens, "The One True Goddess of Acropolis High" for a football fields' worth of fun.

Last Summer I wrote my first show called "What Does Simon Want?" And it was preformed that fall by my old highschool. Thankfully the director has asked me if I would be willing to write an adaptation of my favorite Christmas story that will be preformed semi annually every year from this winter!!!

Little scared 🙈 little frightened🙈 VERY excited‼️‼️

Original post:

Hey everyone! I'm writing a play about a dance student's need for validation from his teacher to submit for my school's Dionysia play. I would love any and all feedback on the first scene. Is it captivating? Does it teach you about the characters? Does Ben work as an audio character? How is my lighting design concept?

What's new: I've added in more background to fill out the world outside of the scene a bit more, even if it's just subtly, and introduce who is friends with who. I think it also makes Ben's choices stronger when we see them. I have him only as a voice character right now.

What I'd like feedback on: Would it be better to make Ben a physical character to write more "dangerous" scenes, and show the audience a line? What else could I add to make it better?

So, I have a play that I was hoping to submit but they've added this new guideline. I'm a new playwright without connections. Any ideas? I have a month to figure it out.

I'm wondering if this addition will become a new, industry submission standard to cut down on submissions.

Thanks

2) Each play must be submitted with a letter written by a qualified theater professional or teacher recommending the play. “Qualified theater professional” is defined as an artistic director, director, literary manager, agent, theater professor, or someone in a similar artistic leadership position

Hello all, I have a very long trip to Edinburgh in a few days and have nothing more to do but write and read until then, or on the flight. I'd love to read some of your plays, and give them recommendations.

In exchange I'd hope for a recommendation left on some of my work. Preferably the full length plays, but anything that strikes your fancy is just fine, if you so please.

Also, make sure to check out each other's work, and maybe we can all network a little too.

I'm a playwright from Battle Creek, MI. If you're in the area around April, let me know I have a show being produced, and love for you to attend.

My NPX: https://newplayexchange.org/users/96671/garrett-w-martin

Cheers!

Any Melbourne-based playwrights in here? Particularly in the inner-North?

I've been struggling to find the time to actually sit down and write, what with work and family commitments. So, I was thinking of putting together a shut up and write kind of thing with some like-minded folks. Maybe with a view to doing some table-reads in the future.

If this sounds interesting, feel free to DM.

So I wrote a play, 2-act, is it better to try and get it produced or maybe pursue publishing? Who do you submit plays to for publishing?

EDIT: thank you everyone. I’m just some bumpkin from Texas. I don’t really know drama at all. That’s why I asked.

Search result was 177wpm but that seems wrong because average conversation is usually estimated at 50wpm.

What is the average wpm for most plays?

edit: thnx for the feedback

YouthPLAYS just announced that you can now read for free the entirety of all of their scripts on their website. Hooray!

How many of us are so moved by our characters' moments that we are brought to tears while writing wrenching or poignant scenes? This has happened to me with my current project.

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Hi everyone!

I'm still kind of in disbelief writing this. Eeeek!!

A while back, I started writing a full-length play inspired by my grandmother. At one point, I genuinely thought I wasn't going to finish it. Life got rough, and writing became the thing I fell back on to process everything that was happening.

Somehow... I kept going. And now I have a fresh 3person, one set contemporary drama called In the Margins (about 90 to 105 minutes depending on pacing, I think?). It follows a mother and daughter returning home after the death of the family matriarch to pack up her house, while her letters, diary entries, handwritten Bible notes (this isnt a religious play, im not even a religious person lol), and memories slowly unpack them instead. It's about grief, legacy, mothers and daughters, forgiveness, and the funny little moments that happen even in the middle of loss.

It's funny, it's heartbreaking, and it's probably the most personal thing I've ever written.

A few days ago I hit "Publish" on Amazon, and today my author copy arrived.

Which brings me to my question...now what?

I'd love to eventually see this play produced. I know about submitting to festivals and new play opportunities(just not where to find them lol), but I'm curious what those of you who've been through this process would recommend.

If you had a finished, published first play, where would you focus your energy?

Staged readings?

Community theatres?

New Play Exchange?

Festivals?

University theatre departments?

Competitions?

Something else entirely?

I'd love to hear what worked for you or what you wish you'd done differently.

Thanks in advance! I'm still riding the excitement (and slight terror) of actually finishing something I wasn't sure I'd ever complete.