Being A Playwright

A Career Guide for Writers

Chris Foxon, George Turvey

• Publisher: Nick Hern Books
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781788501149
• Topic: Medien & darstellende Kunst
• Subtopic: Schreiben von Theaterstücken

The essential guide to a career in playwriting, from the team behind the multi-award-winning Papatango, one of the UK's leading new-writing companies.

Writing a good play is only the first step towards becoming a successful playwright; it is just as crucial to understand all the practical and business elements of building your career. Being a Playwright transparently and honestly sets out everything you need to know, including clear and constructive advice on:

Starting out, including training options and gaining practical experience
Finding a playwriting model that works for you
Getting your script noticed and connecting with industry decision-makers
Developing a production-ready draft through redrafting and R&D
Pursuing programming, commissioning and funding opportunities
Approaching and working with agents and publishers
Securing the best possible deal with producers
Working with collaborators throughout the rehearsal process and previews
Capitalising on a production, assessing its success and planning new projects

Drawing on Papatango's superlative track record of discovering and launching new writers – including BAFTA, OffWestEnd, Royal National Theatre Foundation and Alfred Fagon Award winners, many of whom have premiered worldwide as well as in the West End – and featuring tips from a host of industry insiders, this encouraging and accessible guide explores the opportunities and pitfalls of life as a playwright.

Whether you're an aspiring writer wondering how to break into the industry or a working playwright looking to move up to the next level, this is your road map for navigating the world of professional theatre.

'This enlightening book, full of pragmatic information, is an excellent tool for playwrights navigating today's industry.' Indhu Rubasingham, Artistic Director of Kiln Theatre, London

'Chris Foxon and George Turvey – aka Papatango – are a phenomenon for playwriting good. Being a Playwright is packed with inside information that will kick-start your writing life. Written with insight and chock-full of useful advice, this will be a bible for playwrights.' Steve Waters, playwright and Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia

ACT ONE:

STARTING OUT

This first act is aimed at writers at the beginning of their careers. Wondering how to learn about playwriting? Sent off scripts to a few companies but never heard back? Don’t know what producers want to see in a theatre script? It’s all explained here.

Respective chapters discuss: options for training and how to acquire the skills of a playwright; how to shape your script for the stage, addressing the formal and practical concerns of decision-makers; techniques to redraft and hone your script; and the best ways to share your finished script with maximum impact.

These cover everything it takes to give your script the best possible chance of being produced. We discuss the pragmatic factors that influence script readers, and detail tricks of the trade that may help your script overcome the hurdles of programming.

Acts Two and Three will discuss what happens after your script has been accepted for programming.

TRAINING

This chapter covers what ‘training’ for playwrights means, its potential benefits and its limitations. It explains the various forms training can take, including accredited higher education programmes, industry development schemes and private courses. We weigh up the pros and cons of each of these, and outline alternatives.

There is no right or wrong route to learn about playwriting. Everyone has different needs, financial and personal as well as artistic. We therefore do not promote any single approach, but describe the different resources available as objectively as we can, so you can research, reflect and decide.

Can a Playwright Be Trained?

In recent years the provision of education in creative writing, including specialist playwriting courses, has exploded. It is now common (but by no means expected) for playwrights to undertake some form of training.

Yet training is a vexed concept in relation to any artistic practice. One can instruct people in mechanical or technical skills with relative ease, and certainly elements of the playwright’s toolkit may be regarded as technical, such as: narrative and scenic structure; character arcs; stagecraft; formatting. These all operate according to certain basic principles that can be taught (although artists often break, and occasionally revolutionise, such rules). Playwrights are judged, however, on their conceptual, imaginative, storytelling qualities as much as on technical virtuosity (see the case study of An Oak Tree at the end of this chapter). The extent to which these creative assets can be taught is less certain.

This is perhaps misleading: technical skill and creative vision shape each other and are usually inextricable in the best plays. Nonetheless, any course that aims to teach playwriting must operate according to a set of principles about what makes a ‘good’ playwright. This is especially true of any that award accredited qualifications, as they have not only to teach but also to evaluate. Thus, training programmes break playwriting down to its elements in order to teach and assess. The obvious truth is that some of these elements will be more suited to being taught and assessed than others. These tend to be the more technical skills.

You can reasonably expect any training programme to equip you to research ideas, plan an effective structure, map satisfying character arcs and use stagecraft and theatricality. You should not expect it to give you the ability to generate superb ideas, conceive truthful characters, or write witty and moving dialogue. Good teachers and supportive peers may sharpen your abilities in these areas, but they cannot instil them. Training should improve your writing in every aspect, but it is limited in the skills it can actually impart.

Training programmes may enrich a playwright in many ways; being part of a structured series of discussions and tasks, and having a framework within which to write, should stimulate the creative imagination. Joining a group of peers, likely with a wide range of interests, backgrounds and skills, plays a huge part in the development of any playwright. Good training will enable you to have conversations about ideas, share work-in-progress, have a support network to help solve problems or provide fresh inspiration, and access industry professionals for insight and guidance.

It may, therefore, sound as if training on a dedicated playwriting programme could not be other than beneficial, but as with any structured course aimed at meeting the needs of a potentially very diverse group, there can be no guarantees. We have seen learning environments at their worst as well as at their best. Perhaps the group dynamic becomes hostile or competitive; maybe the deadlines are appropriate for someone writing a short monologue but not someone attempting an ensemble musical; possibly the course leader has a fixation on theory when you would prefer practical exercises; perhaps the inflexible structure of modules perversely cuts down on your time and energy to write.

The point is that playwriting is personal and subjective; no course designed for multiple participants can recognise and respond to everything that distinguishes you. The question then is whether the likely benefits outweigh the potential frustrations for you as an individual.

Remember, there are plenty of alternatives to formal training. It is not de rigueur for a playwright to have qualifications; many of our most successful writers never trained. Don’t be unduly influenced by the increasing trend for aspiring playwrights to train, but decide carefully what is best for you.

What Kind of Training?

Formal training for playwrights tends to fall into one of three strands:

• Accredited programmes at institutions of higher education that award a qualification.

• Courses within the theatre industry.

• Private courses led by tutors with professional experience.

You don’t have to confine yourself to just one of these; many playwrights undertake all at different points (or none). You can reflect on what each offers and decide what suits you best at the present time, without compromising future opportunities.

Higher Education Programmes

Institutions offering formal qualifications in playwriting are usually either universities or drama schools (often affiliated to a university). There are several important differences between these which we will discuss shortly, but both normally offer:

• A programme for undergraduates, awarding the equivalent of a Bachelor’s degree (BA), studied over three years full-time, or longer part-time.

• A programme for postgraduates, awarding the equivalent of a Master’s degree (MA, MPhil, MFA, etc.), studied over one or two years full-time, or longer part-time.

Some institutions may also offer doctoral degrees (PhDs) in playwriting. These are not taught training programmes but are conducted through independent research. They tend to be more academic than vocational. We therefore only discuss Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.

The BA

If you have not already got a degree or you find the undergraduate lifestyle irresistible, or you wish to retrain, then you could apply for a BA degree. These usually require qualifications at A level or equivalent in appropriate subjects such as English Literature or Drama. You may also be asked for a sample of your writing, but this depends on the course and the institution. These requirements are not set in stone. If you have alternative experiences or qualifications then approach the institution to discuss these before making an application.

Few undergraduate courses offer a specialist focus on playwriting. Instead you are likely to study playwriting within a mix of disciplines. The title of the course you enrol on is likely to be Creative Writing or Theatre Studies (or some variant). There is a difference between these. In the former you will probably experience playwriting alongside modules on other literary forms, such as prose fiction, journalism, poetry, literary essays, and so on. In the latter you are likely to experience playwriting alongside related theatre-making disciplines such as directing, producing, performing and designing.

Choosing between a Creative Writing course and a Theatre Studies course will impact on the nature of the training you receive in playwriting. Do you want to hone your literary skills across the board and experiment with your writing in different forms? Or are you clear that you want to write specifically for the stage and want to focus on gaining a strong understanding of all its components?

Whichever you choose, the breadth of learning covered under an umbrella undergraduate degree is wonderful. It can be a great way to broaden horizons and think in more depth about the kind of writing you want to pursue. Equally, writing to a structured series of exercises will force you to examine your process, and figure out how you write. Up to this point, especially if you’re fresh from school, you may well have only experienced short-form writing (one-act plays, short stories, articles, etc.); having to complete large ensemble plays with two acts, or write a novella, will prove a new challenge. A good undergraduate degree should stretch your range and compel you to interrogate what new skills you need. The chance to work with students interested in different elements of writing and/or theatre may prove invaluable in enabling you to envisage all that makes up a script.

BAs are mostly taught through a mixture of lectures and tutorials. The former are large-scale presentations, the standard teaching method at most universities. They tend to be mostly one-way, so be prepared to take notes and absorb ideas. Tutorials are less common outside of Oxbridge (which does not offer creative writing or theatre studies at this level), and mainly occur in the last year of study. They are usually one-to-one and intended to review final pieces of work before submission and assessment. The onus will therefore be on you to carve out your own learning programme; good teachers should stimulate not spoonfeed.

A big advantage is that the breadth of an undergraduate degree results in a very flexible qualification that can support your future. A friend of Chris’s who studied Creative Writing at Northumbria University is now pursuing postgraduate study in medicine! Keeping your options open is sensible. Few writers make a living solely from playwriting, and having a broader qualification could help to sustain your writing by making other jobs possible (see the chapter ‘Moving On’).

Be aware that a BA qualification will only be the initial stage on a long journey in playwriting. Even a starred double-first-class degree with whipped cream and a cherry on top won’t command much attention outside of academia; after all, you are only being measured against a handful of students of similar experience on your course, rather than the vast numbers of writers within the industry. Equally, end-of-course showcases are not guaranteed to draw in industry movers and shakers. There are simply too many undergraduate degrees for professionals to keep an eye on graduates from every course every year.

Don’t be disheartened by this; depth and range of study over several years provide an excellent foundation for recognition in the future. Having a ‘safe’ space alongside other committed creative people in which to learn, try things out, and perhaps fail and therefore change your approach, is a golden opportunity.

Case Study: Arthur Miller

Consider Arthur Miller’s No Villain (George played the lead in the world premiere at the Old Red Lion Theatre/Trafalgar Studios). It’s the first play by one of the greatest playwrights of the twentieth century, written when he was a nineteen-year-old student but only discovered and produced after his death. As a piece of juvenilia, it’s hardly surprising that it’s an interesting rather than a great play.

Miller is flexing his dramatic muscles. Many of the ideas and characters that would go into masterpieces like All My Sons and Death of a Salesman are apparent in embryonic, often crude, form. It’s probably for the best that this play went undiscovered for eighty years, and was not staged until Miller’s brilliance was already understood. He is palpably not a complete playwright in this script, but writing and learning from it will have been the crucible (forgive the pun) in which his genius was forged.

Modelling yourself on Arthur Miller sounds sensible to us: treat an undergraduate degree as a place to grow without the pressure of critical or professional scrutiny.

If you feel ready for a more public platform, already have an undergraduate degree, do not want to commit to multiple years of study, or want to specialise solely in playwriting, then a BA is probably not suitable. Instead, you could consider:

The MA

Master’s degrees are shorter, more intensive and more specialised. They are intended to build on pre-existing skills. Usually you will be expected to have an undergraduate degree. The Creative Writing or Theatre Studies courses mentioned above are obvious fits, but truthfully you could argue that any subject is relevant. Playwriting, after all, can be about anything and demands many skills. Normally any undergraduate degree is sufficient to apply; ultimately your portfolio of writing will be the most significant factor in whether you receive an offer.

If you don’t have an undergraduate degree, you won’t necessarily be excluded. Some institutions accept relevant experience instead. So if, for instance, you have worked as an actor and performed in new plays, but never went to university, you could still make a good application. Your professional experience is easily as valuable as, say, an undergraduate degree in English Literature. If in doubt, contact the institution.

A Master’s degree will be focused on playwriting. That being so, you won’t mix with the range of artists you would on a broad undergraduate degree. It’s an environment in which you are likely to be pushed harder on your writing choices with more in-depth perusal of your work. This comes at the cost of having fewer opportunities to explore ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• Dedication
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Act One: Starting Out
• Act Two: Making the Show
• Act Three: Taking the next Steps
• Appendices
• List of Contributors
• Select Bibliography
• About Papatango
• About the Authors
• Copyright Information