As someone who has never written a script, "Interior: Hotel Room - Day" left me wondering why this isn't too sparse? I can think of a thousand different hotel rooms - from "Hot l Baltimore" to the suite in "Pretty Woman." Each would impact on a scene. Just wondering. Ir would the room type simply be self-evident by the dialogue?
Unless the set has to be super specific for some reason (to set the exact time or items become key to the plot) it’s generally best to leave the directions more general.
Why?
Theatres have their own requirements. They may be limited by space. Some stages have some funky angles. They may be very wide or very deep. Actors may have to enter from the audience. The audience might be on two sides, or three sides like a horseshoe. Or it's theater-in-the-round. The theatre might be outdoors or in a cafe.
Budget is another concern. If you insist upon an elaborate 13th Century palace correct to the tiniest detail, lots of theatres will pass on your play no matter how great it is.
Trust me, a major consideration in a theatre doing your play is how expensive or demanding it is. They’re much more receptive to say a living room set they can just repaint and redress than having to build Versailles.
Can you do the whole play on one set? Or two? Some playwrights write very fluid scripts with lots of quick scenes, but the sets are just suggested by a piece of furniture or a light cue. COME FROM AWAY ingeniously just uses chairs to act as their many sets. Look for way more community and regional theatre productions of COME FROM AWAY than LES MISERABLE.
And finally, theatres like to be creative. They like to devise their own set designs. As long as it doesn’t detract from the narrative of the play I say go for it. I enjoy seeing multiple productions of my plays with different sets. And some I’ve seen have really been eye-popping. They add a whole new layer to the play.
As a playwright, your objective is to get as many theatres wanting to produce your play as possible. You sure don’t want to be blown out of contention on page one by insisting your set be an exact replica of King Tut’s bathhouse.
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So you don't recommend even a one-word adjective like "luxury" or "budget" to describe the hotel room?
Of course you can use one or two words to describe the class of hotel room.
A flip question occurs to me. I've seen many a play where due to budget, stage space, and/or artistic vision, the expected "Elsinore Castle" or "King Tut's Bathhouse" is blatantly ignored. Is there any blowback on to the production company for ignoring the hyper-detailed description provided by the playwright? Some sort of contract infringement type thing?
I'm currently directing a play set in a hotel suite. "Upfronts and Personal" by Ken Levine. The suite is briefly described as basically being second-tier luxurious, presumably with ample space for farcical movement. We're doing it on a tiny, tiny stage. There is a TV onstage that is used briefly in one scene. Our TV is imaginary and placed somewhere in the middle of the audience, because it's the only place we could put it. Had we gone for a real plasma TV, nobody would see any action happening on the couch.
The original Law and Order returns this Thursday. Joining the cast is Israeli honey Odelya Halevi. Will you be watching, Ken? For the drama of course, not the Jewish babe.
A few years back I was in a production of Barefoot in the Park. Great script, great characters, tons of witty dialogue... But the stage directions in that show were aggressively detailed. Characters constantly sitting and standing and moving seats, all of which the script makes excruciatingly clear exactly where on the stage they are... It was all really frustrating for the cast and crew, and most of it adds little to nothing to the story or characters.
In every other way, Barefoot in the Park is a fantastic show. But boy, oh boy, these stage and set directions desperately needed a chainsaw to cut them down to size.
I feel honored to have my question chosen for a post. Could have sworn I left my name. Thanks fo the thorough response which touched upon many elements that never would have occurred to me.
It's never ceased to amaze me the number of intricate and varied sets that FRASIER used. Of course, most of the show took place in his condo or at the cafe or radio station, but it seems like almost every episode had a novel set location. Not really a question, just an observation.
Ok, it actually is a question. How in the hell did they pull that off? Both in terms of work and budget.
The saying goes that insanity is making the same mistake over and over and expecting a different result. For years, the Oscars telecasts have been exhausting and irritating because of all the pointless clip packages and unfunny comedy moments.
So what do they do to improve ratings? A letter has gone out from the Academy announcing that eight of the categories will be presented an hour before the telecast (meaning attendees will be there for 4 hours total) and then edited and added into the 3 hour live show. The reasoning for this is "In order to provide more time and opportunity for audience entertainment and engagement through comedy, musical numbers, film clip packages and movie tributes."
Yes, because if there's one thing that's been missing from the Oscars it's comedy and film clip packages.
Unfuckingbelievable.
Just gotta share, Ken:
Don't know if people here know, but I consider myself an aspiring screenwriter.
I like what I've written so far, but know I have a long way to go. Thing is though, everybody keeps recommending I read this guy who died a few years back, named Bill Shakespeare.
The stories are good, gotta admit, but what a weirdo! I guess the concept of sequels confused him. Most people write Part 1, then Part 2. Bill wrote Henry IV, then Henry V, and Richard II, then Richard III. Hey man, you start with number one, numbskull!
On top of that, everything he did takes place in the 1600s or so, plus apparently he loved to wear tights and high heels everywhere. That's Hollywood for ya!
Jeff, here's how you handle those room descriptions:
INT. BEVERLY HILLS RITZ CARLTON - KEN LEVINE MASTER SUITE - NIGHT
or
INT. MOTEL 6 ROOM - NEEDLES, CA - DAY
Easy peasy.
"As a playwright, your objective is to get as many theatres wanting to produce your play as possible."
Maybe that's what Thornton Wilder was aiming for.
I have been to plays performed by a local College with minimal sets and they have always been enjoyable.
Here's an unsolicited freebie!
If you ever get the hankerin' to write a play, based on what you know; i.e., the trials and tribulations inherent in producing a play... call it "KING TUT'S BATHOUSE"!
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