AboutArlene Schulman Expertise As a professional stage director and dramaturg, I have worked extensively with playwrights, lyricists and composeres in new play development. My areas of expertise are in character development, relationships, plot structure and stageability. I`d be happy to answer any questions in these areas, as well as in the process of getting a play from the page to the stage - including the stages along the way, director/playwright collaboration, the playwright`s place in rehearsals and so on.
Experience I am a professional stage director and dramaturg who has worked extensively in collaboration with playwrights, lyricists and composers on new plays and musicals. I have worked closely with them in the developmental process, helping to shape and edit their work - particularly in the areas of character development, relationships, plot structure and stageability - and acted as dramaturg and sounding board. I have brough these new plays to the stage in staged readings, workshops, showcases and full productions.
Organizations Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers - associate member Literary Managers & Dramaturgs of America - associate member Shakespeare Association of America The Shakespeare Institute -MA Candidate, "Shakespeare & Theatre"
Question Hi, I understand how broad my subject is, sorry! I am a high school student, but am a published writer of inspirational quotes and sayings, but my true writing passion is with novels as well as children's books. I have been offered the job of writing the student- produced play next year and I know pretty much nothing about what I am supposed to be doing. I have a great knowledge of proper storytelling form and creating and interesting plotline, my only problem is I have very little comprehension about what a play entails. Basically my question is about the differences of a play and a novel and how to incorporate everything needed to make is successful. What are the general guidlines of writing a play?
Answer Hi Amy,
Wow... you certainly don't ask simple questions.
I really have no way of answering this question for you in the kind of detail that would be helpful to you. I am a director, not a playwright, although I work with playwrights all the time, have worked in the development process for a number of plays and I am very familiar with play structure and creation. There have been many books written on the subject, and I'll suggest a few that you can take a look at. But to try to explain how to write a play in a short post here is near impossible.
Let's see if I can try to put some ideas into words...
The first thing a playwright has to realize is that theatre is a collaborative art. A novel is entirely created by one person. A play is a synergy of the vision of many people - the playwright, the director, the actors, the designers. Each of their visions contribute to the whole. A novel is meant to be a whole - detailed description of the setting, the time and place, the characters, what goes through their mind, the action and the dialogue. The script for a play is the foundation that everything else builds on, but it is not the play itself. The script for a play consists of a simple general description of place, setting, characters, occasional simple stage directions and, mainly, the entire dialogue of the show. It is up to the director and the actors to take that dialogue and, from it and their own imaginations, deduce the background of the characters, their relationships, and the action and movement of the play. In a novel the author's words create the story in the mind of a single reader. In a play the playwright tells us what the characters say, and, from this, the director, actors, and designers create the world of the play with their set, costumes, lighting, sound, props, actions, vocal delivery, interactions, relationships, and this interpretation of the dialogue written by the playwright is then perceived by an audience of (hopefully) many people at a time, each bringing their own personal experiences to their understanding of the play.
Like a novel, a play needs a dramatic arc. There needs to be a beginning, a middle and an end. The characters should change and grow from the beginning to the end - the action of the play should change them. But in the case of a play, everything we know needs to be conveyed through the dialogue (which is why theatre is said to be a verbal medium). So one of the problems a playwright needs to deal with is plot exposition, which needs to be there, but needs to be "camouflaged" in the dialogue so as not to be obvious or boring.
There is so much to know that I really don't know where to go from here...
I strongly suggest that you check out your local library and read a number of plays to give you an idea of how a play is structured and how dialogue works. The hardest trick, of course, is to make the dialogue sound natural, giving each character his or her own voice and style. Reading plays will help you get the idea of how this is done.
As I mentioned, there are a number of very good books on playwrighting, written by some excellent playwrights and teachers. I'll include some here - you may find more in your library, online or your local bookstores. Try:
"The Art & Craft of Playwriting" by Jeffrey Hatcher,
"The Elements of Playwriting" by Louis E. Catron,
"Writing Your First Play" by Roger A. Hall,
and particularly
"The Dramatist's Toolkit: The Craft of the Working Playwright" and "Solving Your Script : Tools and Techniques for the Playwright" both by Jeffrey Sweet, who is an excellent playwright and teacher, and a great guy who is a colleague and acquaintance of mine.
If you have any more specific questions, I'd be happy to try to answer them for you, Amy. Especially from a director's viewpoint. Just remember, writing a play is very different from writing a novel or story and I strongly suggest that you check out some of the books I mentioned. They will give you more ideas and guidelines than I ever could.
