Can they do that?

Just got back from Laramie a few days ago. If you've never attended a regional festival for KCACTF, or any festival/conference like ATHE or MATC or SETC or...whatever, it's a thrilling experience. For one, you get to hang out with a whole bunch of theater folks, making conversations over beer or coffee, making friends, meeting old friends, but also the chance to attend classes, forums and panels. I met a lot of great playwrights, both students and faculty, and also met some folks from the "real world", like Kate Snodgrass at Boston Playwrights.

This is why we need an annual conference for The Dramatists Guild of America (and we're working on it! Really!)

I had been invited there by the Northwest Drama Conference (NWDC) as an invited playwright and representative of the Guild. I was there to teach a Monologue and a “Business of Playwriting” workshop. Here's the blurb for the latter:


“Can They Do That? The Business of Playwriting”
Playwriting is a business. Once your play is selected by a theater or university for production, you need to know much more than how to craft a scene. Do you know what a director can and can’t do with your script? Do you know the difference between a dramaturg and a co-writer? This class answers those questions and more We’ll cover the Dramatists Bill of Rights (or what should be in any contract) as well as discuss other production aspects including copyright, casting, rehearsals, billing, subsidiary rights, and compensation. We will also introduce you to the oldest organization advocating for your rights, The Dramatists Guild of America.

I was surprised to see The Business workshop overflowing—kids were sitting on the floor. As I went through my notes and talked about the Bill of Rights, I at first thought, “I’m not a lawyer and don’t know all that much…” then quickly realized, “Holy crap, these students are being taught absolutely NOTHING about new play development ins and outs”. They still thought playwrights could be banned from rehearsals and that the directors had the right to change stage directions without asking the playwright. This was a bit eye opening to me, especially since there was even a faculty member in the audience asking me questions.

I prefaced the class that though I was talking about contracts primarily, what we're really talking about is relationships. We're talking about how to work together in a way to make the show a success. Because the producers, directors, actors--we all want to put up a brilliant show. But sometimes we all have different ways of getting there and different needs. And its about opening the conversation so that there aren't misunderstandings later. It's not about being the Playwright Police, but about being included in the production process.

Afterwards a student said to me, "Man, I didn't know ANY of that stuff." And I replied, "How would you?" When I first started writing plays in college, I knew nothing about marketing, copywright, contracts, and other business stuff. I just wanted to see my play put up. I joined the Guild in NYC only after some really bad experiences and getting contracts in my face and me not knowing what industry standards were. I had no idea of the amount of things I didn't know.

And I think most of us are in that category.

I plan to present this workshop here in this region to our members as one of our free seminars. Likely that will be in April, but will keep you all posted.

So if this is something that you're interested in and want to see, let me know. Shoot me an email or give me a call.