Co-Leading Workshops

I have long felt that the best learning environment for a playwright is in rehearsal. I often find myself sharing my experience (either as a writer or a director) in order to drive home a point about a certain element of craft. But why not have an actor in the room who can actually demonstrate this? So, over a year ago I started a conversation with Hope Lambert about this idea. I went to her because she is an educator as well as an actor and she has considerable experience working on new plays. Like composers who understand the instruments they write for, so it is with playwrights: we can only benefit from understanding the actor's process. Not only does Hope provide insight into this process, she gets everyone on their feet with some acting exercises that ultimately generates ideas and inspiration for writers. Nothing beats the process of rehearsing your play with actors, directors and designers, but those opportunities are woefully rare. Our hope is that co-leading a workshop like this moves us from focusing on words on the page to visualizing and hearing what our imaginations are conjuring.

Two Years Later

It's hard to believe that almost two years have passed since the last post. When I first wrote the subtitle to this blog I had no idea how occasional "very occasional" would be. It's been a busy two years, particularly teaching. I have spent a lot of time thinking about how best to run writing workshops and in the last two years I have put these ideas into practice. Fast forward two years and I am now co-leading workshops for playwrights with Hope Lambert, a talented actress from the Washington area. We are currently offering workshops at First Draft in Virginia and the Writer's Center in Maryland. If you have taken one of these workshops (or one that I offer by myself), I hope you will provide some feed back, either here on this blog or by email. I've been writing as well and in the process I have tried to apply what I preach in the workshop. At least I think I do... or I would like to think I do. So, why co-lead a playwriting workshop with an actor? I'll offer up some thoughts on this in upcoming posts.

The Dialogue Trap

One of my favorite writing activities is to write dialogue just to see where it takes me. This is a double-edged sword: it can lead to wonderful discoveries, but it can also be a trap. You get lost in witty (on a good day), fast moving, revealing conversation between two or more characters, but if you aren't careful it will lead you in a circle. You do have to be cautious, because so-called realistic dialogue can just wander around the block. Just when you think you are on the verge of discovering the new world, you find yourself at your own doorstep. It's the dialogue trap.

If this does happen to you, read the dialogue for details. Maybe, in the midst of all the chat someone is telling an interesting story. A story that is taking place in the next block that you never got to in your wanderings, or in the next neighborhood... maybe the next town over. Doesn't matter. Go there. Check that story out.

Or maybe you don't find anything. Either way, throw away the dialogue. If you find a story lead, chase it. If not, try some more dialogue, but this time pay attention to action, the present... sniff out that story.

So Little Time

I am only able to make it to rehearsals of my newest production at the Hamner Theatre in Nelson County, Virginia about once a week. The first time I made it down there the company had been working about two weeks on the play. It was a remarkable experience as it felt to me what it must be like to rediscover a child you gave up for adoption some years later. The play, on its feet and in the hands of all the artists, had grown so much in two weeks. In some ways I barely recognized it! The words were all the same, but the actors were coming alive. I felt like I had missed so much. And I had. And I am. On the one hand it's exciting, but I can only imagine what adjustments I might be making if I was there to witness the work and struggles all the artists must go through with a new script. Still, it's exciting to see it grow, even without me. It's a wonderful gift to have a production of your work, but there is also so much to be learned (both about this play and writing in general) by attending as many rehearsals as one can. But there is only so much time and the drive takes about 2 1/2 hours.

Journaling

Journaling is an important aspect of a writer's life and this becomes a topic of discussion in writing workshops that I lead. While one might think this is a relatively straight forward idea, there are all sorts of considerations that go into making this work for you. For example, what kind of notebook do you journal in? Mary Amato, an aclaimed and award-winning children's author writes about the importance of carrying a notebook in her blog, so the size of the notebook becomes an issue. I have more than one: I carry a small one in my pocket, a medium sized one in a bag and my daily journals go into large notebooks. This can get confusing, but that's a topic for another day.

What is a journal? It needs to be whatever serves you as a writer. In my workshops I find this can cause some confusion and I do my best to explain there are no rules, except for one: write every day. Even if it is only for ten or fifteen minutes. Get into the habit. Start with whatever comes to mind. Better yet, refer to the little notebook you carry with you everyday (you do carry a little notebook don't you?) and start with something that caught your attention the day before. Complain, celebrate, observe, describe: pretty soon you will find you won't lack topics, you will lack time.

Wandering in the Dark

After recently completing a commissioned comedy I have turned my attention back to a stubborn script that resists the usual questions and tricks of the trade. I find myself talking to the script (or is to myself?)... what do you want to be? I ask. Not THAT is the sarcastic and impatient reply (sort of like a teen ager) every time I try something new. I am hopeful that this struggle is a good sign and that the play will be unique, with its own voice and purpose in this world. But it's possible it may not belong on the stage. I miss the predictable logic and structure of the comedy I wrote. It was familiar terrain with clear objectives each day of writing. Not this script. I keep waiting to stumble on the right course. Or maybe I am not listening well enough.