Let’s Put on a Show!
Have you ever watched a bad play and thought to yourself, “I could have done better than this”? Well, smart guy, put your money where your mouth is and do the damn thing. “But Claire,” you say. “What’s the point of writing a play if it won’t get produced.” “Just shut up a second and listen?” I say. “Because playwright Ben Winters is here to give you some information on that very topic.” Then I apologize for saying shut up, because I haven’t had my coffee yet.
The classic model of getting a play produced is like the classic model of selling an article as a freelance journalist: You come up with your idea; make it look as professional as possible; send it out to a kajillion producers, theater companies, and agents; and wait to see what happens.
And then, 50 to 70 years later, you die, never having achieved so much as a first reading.
Why? Because all those producers, theater companies and agents are under a constant deluge of scripts and samples, and — the theater being a generally impoverished business – none of them have the staff to read everything. So yours might be the lucky script that gets read, and if so its potential might be recognized…but the odds are heavily stacked against you.
Thankfully, there are other avenues available, especially if you live in New York. As a would-be playwright, you have two jobs: One is writing plays, the other is building the network of connections that will help you get your plays on stage. (Of course, counting your day job, this means you have three jobs; nobody said it was going to be easy). This doesn’t mean using other people to get ahead; it means developing relationships with other artists, for whom your play might be their opportunity.
In my seminar next Monday, I’ll offer some strategies. Here’s one -
Read reviews. Over time, most playwrights will have occasion to develop mixed feelings towards theater criticism, to say the least. But for now, read them. Read everything. Read the newspapers, obviously, but also read the reviews on sites like Aislesay.com, Off Off Broadway Review, Nytheatre.com and Theatermania.com .
When you read about a show that seems to reflect your aesthetic and interests, go see it. Ask the house manager if the director is around, or get his or her email and send a note: “Dear so-and-so: I dug your show. Let me buy you a beer and tell you about my work.” Suddenly you’ve got an ally, someone who can introduce you to the producers and actors she’s worked with, steer you towards good opportunities…maybe even direct a first reading of your show
If you want to know more, take Ben’s mb course “From the Page to the Stage” next month in New York.
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