This past May my daughter acted in her middle school play The XYZ Files, by Douglas Winter. The play was a spoof on the X-Files, and was very funny.
Afterwards, her English teacher and the director of the play, Mrs. St. Pierre, and I were talking about the play and all the work that went into it. The question of how to write a play came up, and I mused that it would be cool to write a play and have my daughter act in it. Well, that’s all it took. “Bill, why don’t you write a play and I’ll produce it?” Mrs. St. Pierre said. And I agreed.
What was I thinking? Oh, sure I’ve written for newsletters, newspapers, magazines and websites, but I’ve never written a play before. Not even a bad one. The problem? School will be starting next week and I haven’t written a single word. And, I’m sure to run into Mrs. St. Pierre. Ahhh!
I must confess … When it comes to plays my 13 year old daughter knows more than I do. At least for the moment.
So, I’ve spent the last couple of days browsing my local library (I know it’s old fashioned but there are some great books there) and I actually found a couple of books to check out. Putting on the School Play: A Complete Handbook by Holtje and Mayer and The Theatre Student: Playwriting by Peter Kline.
I’ve also been surfing the internet for information on how to write a play. And, there is a God, I think that I’ve found my salvation in Australian playwright Cenarth Fox …
Mr. Fox has penned more than 100 plays, had thousands of performances in nearly 50 countries and is still writing and selling plays today. He’s a working playwright. Does it get any better than that? And best of all he’s put his ideas, tips, plans and methods into a new ebook How To Write and Sell Your Plays.
I figure I have about three-and-a-half months, four tops, to write and edit my play before Mrs. St. Pierre is calling me. I better get to work …
Break a leg. (Isn’t that what actors and actresses say to each other when wishing good luck?)
Bill
