Playwriting

The continuing interview with Helen Trencher and Sondra Singer about the ancient art of storytelling, including their sources of ideas, methods of writing and rehearsing, and how they prepare for performances.

It is a craft older than drama, certainly much older than movies. It dates back earlier than written language, as old as humanity, and the chief method of communication for thousands of years. It is also the basis for today's plays, movies, and novels. It is storytelling.

Moliere had one. Shakespeare had one, too. It was an acting troupe they each worked with regularly. And wrote for. Regularly. What a benefit for a playwright!

It's the most cost-effective method of getting the word out about your plays. You can cover a lot of territory, both geographically and throughout the industry. Here are some ideas and examples for writing queries for stage plays.

They attempt to be funny. Sometimes they're clever. Frequently they're simply annoying. They're advertisements. Radio, television, billboards, and the internet are all clogged ... I mean, filled ... with them. Most people have no use for them. But they can hold a valuable lesson for the playwright.

Send a query letter with an SASP. If they're interested, they'll respond using the SASP. Then you send a script. If they like the script, they'll publish it. If they don't, you may get a rejection letter, or you may never hear from them again, even though you included ample postage ...

Ain't tecknolojee wunnerful? These days, you can literally write anywhere ... anytime ... and there are tools beyond paper and pen, now, too!

You've slaved over this script for months. It flows well, has good characters, all the correct elements. But it's too short. A full-length play should run about 90 to 120 minutes, but your script is not that long. What do you do?

"Success breeds success." "Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence." "The more you get published, the more you get published." Cliches? Maybe. But they've become realities in the world of theater for me.

Writing, while fun to talk about at social gatherings, is really a lonely craft. But working with another writer can be a blessing ... or a curse.