Playwright

Job Duties

A playwright is a person who writes plays. They imagine the world of a play or adapt a preexisting story into a dramatic text. They are responsible for writing the words the characters will speak on stage. There are several different aspects of a play that a playwright creates:

• Setting: the location in which the action of the play takes place, as well as the time period. Examples: a living room at daybreak, a battlefield during World War II, the moon.
• Character: the people who occupy the theatrical space (can be based on actual historical characters or can also be completely fictional). Examples: Hamlet, Troy Maxson, Blanche Dubois
• Dialogue: the spoken words characters speak to one another. The verbal communication that carries the action forward. Examples: “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark”, “The Great Work begins”, “I’m running things now!”
• Relationships: the specific way in which the various characters are related to one another. Examples: Mother and daughter, strangers, rival composers
• Plot: the series of events that make up the narrative arc of the play. The incidents that constitute the action.
• Stage Directions: the written descriptions that punctuate a play, painting the visual picture of what physically transpires. Examples: “She sits”; “They kiss”; or “Exit pursued by a bear”.

Most (but not all) plays consist primarily of dialogue between multiple characters. The standard script format is to write the character’s name next to the line of dialogue they speak. It is the playwright’s responsibility to organize a series of conversations into an engaging structure, one that will captivate an audience’s interest over the course of a performance. Playwrights use revelations, reversals, suspense, and surprises to hook the audience and keep them paying attention. Most plays consist of a series of scenes - units of dramatic actions. Many plays follow a linear narrative structure in which each scene logically builds upon the last. The beginning of most plays introduces the various characters and the initial situation. The action then builds as conflicts intensify and characters fight passionately to achieve their goals. Finally, there is some sort of climax or finale in which a change occurs, followed by a resolution or denouement.

This traditional structure, however, is not utilized by every playwright. Writers get to control the style, tone, and form of their plays. Some playwrights chose to tell their stories backwards, or with random jumps in time between scenes. Some playwrights do away with old fashioned notions of character altogether, favoring instead a more experimental style. Playwrights also get to control the rhythm or musicality of their plays, orchestrating the pace of the prose to maximum effect. The are many genres of plays, from musicals to murder mysteries, from farcical comedies to topical dramas. Some playwrights will specialize in a particular type of play, while others will bounce from genre to genre throughout their career.

Playwrights dictate every word spoken on a stage. Sometimes the lines of dialogue are short, sometimes they are longer (called monologues, or if the character is alone, soliloquies). Some plays are split into two acts with an intermission interrupting the action, allowing the audience time to stretch and use the restroom. Some plays barrel through in one uninterrupted movement. Playwrights can write short plays that are only a few minutes long or mammoth epics that last for hours (or even multiple days). Playwrights have tremendous freedom and many choices when creating their worlds for the stage.

There is no typical day in the life of a playwright. The writing habits of each individual vary wildly. Some playwrights work slowly over a long period of time while some spin out their first drafts in a matter of weeks. There often follows a lengthy revision process in which playwrights will make changes to their original draft. Sometimes a developmental reading will take place in which a group of actors will read a draft out loud so the playwright can hear their creation and then make adjustments. Some plays will also receive a workshop in which the playwright can continue to tinker and make changes.

Once a play is completed and it is selected by a theatre to be produced, a series of additional theatrical professionals join the team. Directors, designers, actors, and others bring the playwright’s words to life, from page to stage. Sometimes the playwright will continue to be involved in the development of their piece throughout the rehearsal process, making revisions and improvement to their text as they see fit.

There is no singular or standard way that a playwright gets their work onto a stage. Rather there are various techniques that playwrights utilize to try and get their plays seen:

• Sending their plays directly to theatres and arts organizations.
• Submitted their plays to festivals, competitions, or contests.
• Employing a literary agent who will help submit their plays to theatres.
• Submitting their plays to publishers.
• Cultivating relationships with directors, artistic directors, and other arts professionals.

Just because a playwright writes a play does not guarantee that their play will be produced. Getting a play from a written text to a live event unfolding before an audience is an arduous process, one that involves many different people from many different disciplines. Writers may write alone, but it takes a village to get a play up on its feet.