For the true beginning playwright, did you know that a play (or script) has basically three parts – character ID, dialogue and stage directions? Simple, I like that …
Last weekend my wife, daughters and I were sitting around our chimenea roasting hot dogs and toasting marshmallows one last time before our back-to-school-schedules get into full swing and the weather turns cold and wet. The girls were talking animatedly about their friends and their first week back to school. And Patti and I were quietly discussing some of my writing projects. When out-of-the-blue, our future actress said, “Dad, Mrs. St. Pierre is expecting you to write this years school play.” I didn’t think she was listening to our conversation. Heck, she was talking so fast to her sister I didn’t think that she was breathing. Anyway …
My response was simply to smile and ask, “She is?” All I got in return was a quick “Yah, she is.” Little does the actress know that I’ve already printed out my copy of Cenarth Fox’s How to Write and Sell Your Plays. I’ve even started doing the exercises that Cenarth (his name is Welsh and is pronounced Ken-arth) recommends!
After completing the ebook I expect to have written not just another school play, but a fantastic school play. Won’t my daughter and Mrs. St. Pierre be surprised?
Dear Beginner Playwright
I’m delighted you’ve found my eBook helpful and I look forward to hearing about the successful performance of your opus. And there are so many spinoffs. You can visit your daughter’s school to talk about how you created the play – kids love to meet writers. And you can give a talk to your local retirees or over 50s groups on writing a play from scratch. And you can refine your play once rehearsals and finally the performance is over and then you can SELL your play to other groups.
Chookas!