Script submission and living in the real world...

Some years ago when I was the Artistic Director of Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey (now called Writers Theatre of New Jersey), I was deeply involved with a project that changed the way I thought about script writing in this country. Here's the story and what I learned from it:

A large foundation approached us and asked if the theatre would be interested in sponsoring a major national playwriting contest.  What was being proposed was a competition to find the two best new American plays, award two $10,000 cash prizes to the winners (at the time the biggest cash awards ever offered in this country), and give each of the two winning plays a week-long professional workshop with an established director and dramaturg assigned to each script and actors cast in New York City.  In addition, the project involved identifying the top high school theatre teachers in the state and invite them to be a part of our development week with the winning plays.  The total budget for the project was over $200,000.  Needless to say, we jumped at the opportunity, daunting as it was for our fledgling theatre company.

So we set out to find the two best new American plays.  We advertised the competition in every conceivable publication and avenue available for getting the word out.  We hired a literary manager to handle submissions and signed up a small army of trusted theatre professionals as readers of the scripts as they came in.  And then we waited to see what would happen.

I'll never forget that as the submission deadline approached, our local postman started bringing into our offices a trickle of scripts at first and then in the last couple of weeks he started dragging in large canvas bags full.  It was unbelievable the stacks of scripts that poured in--it was like a dam had burst. In total, by the deadline we had 1,007 full-length plays submitted.

As they came in, each script was entered into the system and sent out to two different readers to evaluate thoroughly.  If even one reader liked a script, it was sent to a third reader.  In this way we were eventually able to narrow down the mountain of scripts to a stack of 33 semi-finalists.  Then these 33 plays were read by myself and two other close colleagues whom I trusted completely.  And out of these semi-finalists, we finally chose seven finalists that we felt were actually deserving of winning the competition.  The winners were then selected from these seven by a nationally recognized team of theatre professionals.

That's seven finalists out of 1,007 submissions!  That's well under one percent!  It staggered me. How could there be so few scripts that were worthy of our prize?  For me, it was an eye-opener, for sure--that so many writers would think their faulty script, usually due to basic story structure issues, was ready to be seriously considered.  So many well-meaning people were deluding themselves.  So many out there who didn't know their craft, especially when it came to actually telling a story that lifted off the page.

The moral of this story:  Learn everything there is to know about the art form and don't bother submitting your script anywhere until you are absolutely convinced that it's as good as it can possibly be on a professional level. Otherwise you're living in a fantasy world and submitting your work may be an exercise in frustration.

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I'm the Program Director of the low-residency MFA in Writing for Stage and Screen being offered by the New Hampshire Institute of Art.  Our last residency ran January 3-11, 2016 and we are now considering applications for starting the program with our July 2016 residency that runs July 21-31.  I'm also a playwright and screenwriter, producing partner in my production company Either/Or Films (The Sensation of Sight and Only Daughter), a professional script consultant, and the author of The Playwrights Process.

The keys to story development...

In prepping for my talk this Saturday, Feb. 20 at the Monadnock Writers' Group in Peterborough, NH (see my last post), I find myself focusing once again on the importance of pre-draft analysis and exploration.  To me, there is nothing more important than to do your due diligence while developing your story idea before you shift into draft mode.

There are several initial and progressive steps:

First, make a quick analysis of the idea to see if it has the potential to contain the four basic ingredients all good scripts possess:
     1.  One central pivotal character
     2. A strong, conscious, external want of this character and a compelling and subconscious inner need that has to be made evident as the story progresses
     3. Formidable obstacles represented by other characters and/or the central character him/herself that prevent the external want from being fulfilled and the inner need from being recognized--setting up conflict
     4.  A resolution to the story, leaving the central character a changed person

Second, think about what you're leaving with the audience by resolving the central characters main dilemma in a certain way.  And ask yourself if you believe that premise passionately.  If you don't, rework your resolution.

Third, invent possible other characters that enter the story and begin your character explorations on all of them in addition to your central character.  This should start with trying on for size such characteristics as aspects of physical appearance, their external world (family situation, place in their community, etc.) and their internal world (personality type, sexuality, spiritual life, sense of morality, etc.)  In other words, create an initial sketch for each of your major characters.

Fourth, dig deep into the backstory of your central character and the central dilemma your story hinges on.  Think about milestone events in the past that have shaped who the character is who first walks into your actual script.  And then have the character who enters your script monologue about the most significant of these events from the past and listen carefully to the voice that emerges.

Fifth, tackle your expanded and detailed plot outline using the discoveries made so far in your story development process.

Too many writers are in much too much of a hurry to start turning out pages before they're ready.  As a result they get lost in a sea of pages they've fallen in love with, while in reality those pages are just initial explorations.  By taking the time to do your pre-draft work first you're way ahead in the game.

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I'm the Program Director of the low-residency MFA in Writing for Stage and Screen being offered by the New Hampshire Institute of Art.  Our last residency ran January 3-11, 2016 and we are now considering applications for starting the program with our July 2016 residency that runs July 21-31.  I'm also a playwright and screenwriter, producing partner in my production company Either/Or Films (The Sensation of Sight and Only Daughter), a professional script consultant, and the author of The Playwright's Process.

Speaking at Monadnock Writers' Group Feb 20th

For those of you within striking distance, you might be interested in joining me and a large group of New England writers at the Monadnock Writers' Group's monthly meeting on Saturday morning, February 20 starting at 9:45 am at the Peterborough Town Library in downtown Peterborough.  I'll be speaking on the process of story development--how to analyze and develop initial ideas as they float into your consciousness and begin to take on shape and size.

Over the years I've developed a series of tests and exercises that I think are beneficial to apply to your initial story ideas to see if they hold the basic ingredients necessary to bring your tales fully to life. And I've found that the same basic approach serves playwrights, screenwriters, and all fiction writers. I'll be talking about this pre-draft exploratory work and sharing some of the results achieved by my script clients and MFA writing students.

Now that the New Hampshire primary is finally history, you might find it interesting to join us if you're in the area.  Again, it's the Monadnock Writers' Group's monthly gathering from 9:45 am till noon on Saturday, February 20, 2016 at the Peterborough Town Library, 2 Concord Street in downtown Peterborough.  This is the same village where I hold my MFA residencies and there are a number of lovely restaurants nearby if you decide to make a day of it.  Peterborough is a very special place for many reasons, not the least of which is its New England charm and its cultural history and awareness.  After all, legend has it that Thorton Wilder wrote his classic Our Town in a downtown office a stone's throw from the library.

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I'm the Program Director of the low-residency MFA in Writing for Stage and Screen being offered by the New Hampshire Institute of Art.  Our next residency runs January 3-11, 2016 and we are now considering applications for starting the program with our July 2016 residency that runs July 18-28.  I'm also a playwright and screenwriter, producing partner in my production company Either/Or Films (The Sensation of Sight and Only Daughter), and a professional script consultant 

Another script writing marathon...

Last month there was an exhilarating gathering of script writers--playwrights, screenwriters and television writers--in beautiful Peterborough, New Hampshire.  Fifteen emerging writers gathered for ten days in this quaint village to share their new work with six established mentor/writers.  A total of 29 professional actors joined the group on various days to give table readings and public concert readings to a dozen new full-length scripts. It was an exciting retreat-like experience, with numerous workshops geared to our craft and art, many pitch sessions where new story ideas were shared and dissected, and pretty much non-stop discussions of one aspect or another of the writing process and how we manage to survive as creative artists.

What I'm describing, of course, is the latest gathering of the low-residency MFA in Writing for Stage and Screen program that I run out of the New Hampshire Institute of Art.  Six faculty joined our 15 students--some about to graduate and others just entering the program--and all of us spent the ten-day residency celebrating and embracing our art form and the creation of new plays, screenplays and teleplays.

Our mornings (and some afternoons) were spent in pitch sessions or craft-oriented workshops on such topics as dialogue, foreshadowing, visualizing story, dramatic structure, and expanding the staging tools available to the writer.  Numerous writing exercises were assigned.  There was even a two-day workshop on how the writer can "actor-proof" his or her script in which student writers worked in-depth with a group of experienced actors on various interpretations of scene material supplied by the writers--an eye-opening experience for many.

The readings of new student scripts written during the previous semester under the tutelage of a professional mentor were scheduled either in the afternoons and/or in the evenings (after lively dinners at one of several village restaurants).  This sharing of new work always is the highlight of each residency as scripts are given voice for the first time.  And the feedback and critique sessions that follow each reading are invaluable to the writers.

Here's a photo of one of our table readings:

And two of our professional actors:  Emmy Award-winner Gordon Clapp and Lisa Bostnar, who also serves as our Casting Director:

And here's a shot of one of our public concert readings:

Our student writers left the residency armed with new story ideas to develop into working drafts during the spring semester--drafts that will be given voice for the first time at our next residency in July. A new mentor was assigned to each writer and all are now off and running, already well into the writing process on their new projects.

I must say that I love running this program.  It is, without question, far and away the best way to work with student writers who not only desire to be good stewards of their considerable talents, but eager to learn their craft, explore in depth their writing process, and produce a viable body of work while in our two-year program.  And the proof is in the pudding:  Our recent grads (and even some of our current students) are already winning national competitions and garnering serious recognition and productions of their work.

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I'm the Program Director of the low-residency MFA in Writing for Stage and Screen being offered by the New Hampshire Institute of Art.  Our next residency runs July 21 - 31, 2016 and we are now considering applications for entering the program in July.  I'm also a playwright and screenwriter, producing partner in my production company Either/Or Films (The Sensation of Sight and Only Daughter), and a professional script consultant.