Books
Tim Fountain

So You Want To Be A Playwright?

How to write a play and get it produced — a manual for playwrights.
Playwright and former literary manager Tim Fountain guides the budding playwright over the many hurdles involved in getting a play on — from finding a story that only you know, through the detailed construction of the play, and on to the strategies you can use to get it on stage.

— What kind of play do you want to write?
— Where do you get your ideas from?
— How much exposition do you need?
— Where do you find your characters' voices?
— What should you do when you get stuck?
— Where should you send your play? The book also deals with the actual production: choosing directors, designers and actors, and coping with rehearsals, previews and press nights.
Includes appendixes of vital websites, and contact details for new-writing theatres, agents and publishers.
'A marvellous and invaluable guide… full of wisdom and no-nonsense practical advice on the tricky but thrilling business of making plays' (Willy Russell)
139 printed pages
Copyright owner
Bookwire
Original publication
2012
Publication year
2012
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Quotes

  • Marcin Grotahas quoted10 months ago
    The best plays are complex, not necessarily complicated. No amount of tortuous plot twists can substitute for depth, and depth comes from telling a clear story well.
  • Marcin Grotahas quoted10 months ago
    It’s the moment the playwright poses an active question both for his characters and, by implication, the audience. It’s the ‘What happens if . . . ?’ moment. It’s the point where the protagonist embarks on a gamble and embraces the challenge set to him or her by the narrative. Never be afraid to simplify your story to a single sentence that clearly expresses this: ‘What happens if a woman tries to escape an abusive relationship?’ ‘What happens if a man attempts to take over the family business?’
  • Marcin Grotahas quoted10 months ago
    If you are the sort of writer who starts writing dialogue and after a few months ends up with lots of fragments but without the emergence of a play with the structure and muscularity needed to sustain a whole evening, then perhaps a bit of planning may be in order.
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