The Playwright's Process

Posted by Andrea Beca Mar 13, 2009

It's (painfully) ironic that the starting point of your career as a writer is the point at which you need the most support and guidance, and yet it's also the point at which you have not yet had time to develop a network of writers whom you trust and respect.

As an emerging playwright and writer, I find it not only inspiring, but also relieving to learn that other writers, whose work I greatly admire, struggle at times with their craft. It's encouraging to know that they, too, had to start somewhere, and that they, too, often need to write and rewrite their work many times over before they are satisfied.

I had the pleasure of interviewing a number of playwrights from different places and at varying points in their careers about their writing process. Each of them has a different approach to writing a play and all of them have struggled at one point or another with their work. I hope that in reading the following Playwright Profiles, you, too, can glean some knowledge, encouragement, and inspiration about the craft of playwriting!

Playwright Profile - Ellen Chorley

Playwright Profile - Chris Craddock

Playwright Profile - Brendan Gall

Playwright Profile - Karen Hines (Editor's Choice)

Playwright Profile - Nicole Moeller

Playwright Profile - Michael Scholar Jr. (Editor's Choice)

Playwright Profile - Barry Smith (Editor's Choice)

Playwright Profile - Vern Thiessen