Get Involved

I firmly believe that one major factor in my growth as a playwright, more than any other, is my continued involvement with local theatre groups. Since 1980, I have acted, directed, worked backstage as technical director and stage manager, built sets, moved sets, put together costumes, devised props, taken tickets, ushered, and cleaned up after the show.

Too many playwrights these days put unrealistic demands in their shows and then wonder why no one is interested. In reading plays for publishers, producers, contests, and festivals, I come across numerous instances of plays calling for working kitchens, multiple detailed sets, and even a sand dune with a hot springs at the foot of it!

For a regional or first-class professional theatre, such budgets may occasionally be able to handle such extravagance. But for smaller theatres, community, amateur, and schools, it's unlikely that such lavishness will ever come to life. And it's these theatres that are the focus of my playwriting efforts. Fame and fortune may accompany the Broadway playwrights, but only a small percentage ever reach that pinnacle. In fact, I don't write for that market; my plays are directed at the thousands of small groups around the world who also pay standard royalties to do my shows.

I have worked in the Denver theatre scene for almost 19 years now, appearing in over 60 productions, directing about a dozen more, and have had 14 of my plays produced by various local companies. All of these groups have limited resources - both human and financial - with which to put shows together. My experience with such groups helps me plann plays that are not just doable and practical, but really attractive to these sometimes struggling playhouses.

Sets

Although the drawing-room or living room comedy is somewhat of a cliché, there is much that can be done with a single set. If multiple sets are truly required (as I did with Miracle on 34th Street, The Talk Show Murders, The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg, and The £1,000,000 Bank Note), then it is even more important to make the characters the focus of the audience's view, rather than the background furniture. A pretty set does not make a good play; it is what happens on that set that defines good playwriting. A groundbreaking show of this type was Man of La Mancha, which transformed scenes in a sparse jail cell to castles and windmills with just a few suggestive pieces and the words of the characters.

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