tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post1607244332328649239..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Tips for young playwrightsBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-7267926127326482042014-02-13T21:15:38.819-08:002014-02-13T21:15:38.819-08:00As a beginning playwright I was given this advice ...As a beginning playwright I was given this advice by Oliver Goldstick and it has served me well.<br />Sit in the last row of the theatre and watch the audience as they experience the play. They will tell you what works... and what doesn't work.<br />I've never learned as much about whats happening onstage as I have sitting in the back row.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-7797523758215777412014-02-07T03:21:28.238-08:002014-02-07T03:21:28.238-08:00Angry Gamer, plays aren't going anywhere.
1) ...Angry Gamer, plays aren't going anywhere.<br /><br />1) Some art forms work best in front of a live audience; in fact, a friend is in a show this weekend that involves audience participation. A YouTube comments section isn't the same thing. Also, seeing a performer in front of you evokes a different reaction than seeing them on a screen. (Compare an MP3 with a concert, for instance.) A shared experience with many people in front of a stage touches a different reaction than clicking on a video link on your tablet.<br /><br />2) A play requires a different acting technique than a video or film. Stage actors have to project their voices and movements to reach the whole audience, while screen actors employ subtlety (particularly with facial expressions) far more. Actors like switching between the two styles, and want those options kept available.<br /><br />3) Imagination. A play can be performed anywhere, and it lets each theater create its own staging ideas. Whereas, a video may run into trouble if the weather doesn't cooperate, a locale won't allow filming, etc., and you only get one interpretation.<br /><br />4) Best for the playwright, she keeps the rights to the script, unlike screenwriters who sell the script for a one-off fee (plus any negotiated, usually minor, extras). Theater companies only rent the play for a given time, and as long as there's a company anywhere willing to put on the play, the playwright will keep earning royalties on a consistent basis. For writers who prefer a consistent income instead of periodic lump sums, that's an attractive option.Liggienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-66360000071674374252014-02-06T06:38:58.445-08:002014-02-06T06:38:58.445-08:00DBenson: Excellent point. As a struggling actor/wr...DBenson: Excellent point. As a struggling actor/writer myself I know you're right. But if, as you say, Hollywood and Broadway opened their wallets more readily and took more creative risks good acting and writing would be coming in from many places.VincentSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-55561791395113969132014-02-06T05:02:05.895-08:002014-02-06T05:02:05.895-08:00Friday question #2: when you go outside with a mul...Friday question #2: when you go outside with a multi-cam show, does the setup turn into single camera or do you still shoot with 4 cameras? Have you ever directed an episode where you had to shoot outside?Chrisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-28924859891364094692014-02-06T03:51:22.662-08:002014-02-06T03:51:22.662-08:00Friday question: it's obviously easier to writ...Friday question: it's obviously easier to write for a show that already has established characters and running gags than creating your own. <br /><br />Could this be a trap for a young/unexperienced writer? Could it tempt him to write "joke-like rhythms" as you put it and expect the actors to deliver, already knowing they're funny? Has this ever happened to you when you were younger (Writing specs for shows you liked)?Chrisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-25680489359030887692014-02-05T17:30:53.650-08:002014-02-05T17:30:53.650-08:00Writing a theater play to me seems so oh I don'...Writing a theater play to me seems so oh I don't know... so 1500s.<br /><br />I don't mean this as a slam or anything. I am saying this seriously. Why do a play in a time when TV and Film is getting overtaken by new media?<br /><br />For art? <br />For challenge?<br />For fun?<br /><br />All of these might be relevant back in 1562 when Bill was being born. But today?<br /><br />Spiderman The Play! is a cautionary tale and it's interesting someone already commented on it.<br /><br />Perhaps I am too cynical but why would anyone really spend the time and effort to gestate a play to be appreciated with the polite applause of a few hundred? When that same creative talent could be projected to millions via new media?<br /><br />I am a bit biased I DO work in technology... But still the best advice I ever got about being obsolete was this pithy statement:<br />"You never want to be in the buggy whip business when a Henry Ford turns 20." <br /><br />Angry Gamernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-30168904381704462332014-02-05T15:38:34.442-08:002014-02-05T15:38:34.442-08:00Broadway would embrace a great comedy, and not jus...Broadway would embrace a great comedy, and not just the campy over-the-top stuff that never runs long.<br /><br />Nel Simon and Wendy Wasserstein proved that a comedy can run for a very long time.<br /><br />Then there's the road, dinner theaters, community theaters, colleges, etc.<br /><br />Lots to be made, but the burden is on you to write it. There are no assignments on Broadway. You need to write it, and be able to sustain yourself financially while you do it.Candanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-75095430820707552692014-02-05T15:29:14.444-08:002014-02-05T15:29:14.444-08:00VincentS: My take is that Broadway is no more shor...VincentS: My take is that Broadway is no more short of writers than Southern California is short of actors. Just as a microscopic number of actors are "bankable", an even more microscopic number of writers / composers / lyricists inspire backers to open their wallets. Hence revivals, jukebox musicals, and a few new (but not too new) works by brand name writers and/or starring somebody who's Hollywood bankable.<br /><br />The new writers and plays will have to come from elsewhere -- regional reps, colleges, festivals, etc. Heck, even known writers are taking those other routes.DBensonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1910531378779319832014-02-05T13:49:03.045-08:002014-02-05T13:49:03.045-08:00Friday question, Ken....the new series of So You T...Friday question, Ken....the new series of So You Think You Can Dance Australia commences shortly, and a lot of the publicity centres on one of the new judges: Paula Abdul.<br /><br />Is thee anything we should look out for when she's on?B Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16618583443442543086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-85422396194429600542014-02-05T11:39:49.957-08:002014-02-05T11:39:49.957-08:00I second the recommendation of "Act One"...I second the recommendation of "Act One" as a great look at how a comedy play is rewritten based on the audience's reactions. (Although aspiring playwrights may be made incredibly envious by the story of how a young nobody suddenly found himself collaborating with George S. Kaufman.) The movie is also kind of fun -- Kaufman is played by Jason Robards, and Hart is played (fairly convincingly) by George Hamilton.BigTednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-59006074119284255442014-02-05T11:08:03.765-08:002014-02-05T11:08:03.765-08:00Plays remain the entertainment medium that's c...Plays remain the entertainment medium that's completely driven by audience popularity and acceptance. The public truly decides when it stops production, not a network executive. And you know it'll be there with no surprise night and time slot changes. Howard Hoffmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05377628524697677407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-39929053790860022242014-02-05T10:59:21.524-08:002014-02-05T10:59:21.524-08:00I'm reading a book about the making of the spi...I'm reading a book about the making of the spiderman musical - which seems quite relevant to this at the moment.. <a rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.co.uk/Song-Spider-Man-Controversial-Musical-Broadway/dp/1451684568</a> rwnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-44729810253252350602014-02-05T09:19:48.729-08:002014-02-05T09:19:48.729-08:00Kinda reminds me of that scene in ED WOOD where Ed...Kinda reminds me of that scene in ED WOOD where Ed meets Orson Wells.Mark in Auburn, NYnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-51716064891251675772014-02-05T06:53:33.997-08:002014-02-05T06:53:33.997-08:00For anyone who wants to read more, I'd recomme...For anyone who wants to read more, I'd recommend Moss Hart's book ACT ONE, which includes an enormously detailed description of the process of rewriting and reshaping a play during try-outs and rehearsal. Hart was, of course, working with the great George S. Kaufman (who on opening night generously gave Hart most of the credit for the final play), which was an undeniable benefit.<br /><br />VincentS: Sadly, London's West End has gone the same way. Twenty years ago, you could see eight new plays in a week. Not any more.<br /><br />wgWendy M. Grossmanhttp://www.pelicancrossing.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-62150895320320479012014-02-05T06:49:22.311-08:002014-02-05T06:49:22.311-08:00Great advice an observations, Ken. Great advice an observations, Ken. Gene P.https://www.blogger.com/profile/04209435755351751743noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-5709582439747203632014-02-05T06:22:15.181-08:002014-02-05T06:22:15.181-08:00I share your hope about TV writers doing plays, Ke...I share your hope about TV writers doing plays, Ken. Here in NYC there is such a dearth or new writing talent. Broadway and Off-Broadway are filled either with revivals or the same three or four well-established playwrights. I know the money and production values are so much better in LA and it's a big risk but it's so rewarding artistically for a playwright to succeed. Where would theatre be if Neil Simon and Tennessee Williams had not emigrated here from Hollywood? And good luck on your new play! VincentSnoreply@blogger.com