Playwrights: How to Guide to Becoming a Playwright.

 

Behind every great movie is a great director. They start off reading a script or a story and then combining that along with their creative genius in order to put the finished product on full display for the world to see. The unsung heroes in the collaborative process behind the performances are the writers. Whether we see it in the movies, on television, or even on stage in the form of a play.

 

The latter is what we will be focusing on today; the Playwrights. Before we discuss the process of becoming a playwright, we must, first, discuss what a playwright is and its importance to the performance as a whole.

 

What is a Playwright?

 

Well, it’s exactly what it sounds like, a writer who writes plays. These writers particularly specialize in the storytelling aspect of stage performances. A playwright not only writes the script, but they include stage directions for the purposes of continuing the narrative, captivating the audience, and emphasize the essence of the characters in the story. Playwrights have a tremendous impact on how well the play is performed because they control what the characters do and what the behind the scenes workers do.

 

Famous Playwrights Thoughout History

 

Most people who aren’t really interested in theather are well aware of iconic playwrights to have existed such as William Shakespear, Oscar Wilde, Langston Hughes, Sophocles, and the likes. Even the famous modern playwrights such as Tyler Perry, Ntozake Shange Lynn Nottage, and Suzan-Lori Parks have won awards for their contributions to theater. These are all people to learn from for they have given the world works such as For Colored Girls…, Romeo & Juliet, Topdog/Underdog, Suddenly Last Summer, and the entire Madea series.

 

How to Become a Playwright

 

When it comes to playwrighting, there are a plethora of ways to get your foot in the door. There isn’t an educational requirement per se. However, many playwrights have majored in theater due to the importance and benefits of having experience.

 

Becoming a playwright is not easy to say the least, but in order to become one, here are some tips many playwrights have used in order to perfect their craft.

 

1. See a lot of plays

 

The most talented playwrights aren’t only writing in their offices using their imagination to create scripts. They are also the most avid theater-goers. They are constantly learning new techniques and different ways to convey a story while captivating an audience by watching the performances of their peers. Many playwrights are, more importantly, learning about themselves in the process; deciding what they do and do not like in the plays they watch.

 

1. Read a lot of plays

 

Reading plays is as equally important as watching them. If you want to incorporate new literary devices into your work, it would behoove you to learn from reading written works from a page. Reading in general will improve every aspect of your life, but as it pertain to playwrighting, activating your imagination requires you to read as often as possible.

 

1. Write about what inspires you

 

Inspiration can make or break a performance. The more connected to the story the playwright feels, the more connected the audience may feel when they are watching the story unfold on stage. The most important question a playwright should ask themselves is “What is my purpose of writing this?”  The answer to that question typically reflects in the performance if done correctly.

 

1. Just write

 

No one knows how good you can be as a writer if you spend more time thinking about writing instead of actually writing. When it’s all said and done, those who produce something, will have more help bringing it to reality.

 

1. Feedback and collaboration

 

If you want to improve your penmanship, writing classes is a great tool to use. It is perfectly fine to collaborate with others you can trust in order to help you get better with your craft and complete your story. In today’s age, social media is also a great tool to use. Many playwrights have an online prescence, and connecting with them can help you grow your platform as well.

 

1. Perserverance is a virtue

 

Many of the playwrights mentioned above have dedicated years, even decades of their lives for their plays to blow up. There is no such thing as overnight success, and putting in the work for however long it takes, is the only way for you to reap the rewards in the long run.

 

The Professional Skills

 

If you want to become a playwright, having these set of skills are crucial to your success.

 

• Script Writing

• Literary Theory

• Plot and character development

• Creativity

• Vision

• Observational prowess

• Editing and revision

• Networking

 

Having all of these skills can help you get far. It takes a lot to become a success playwright and a lot of people do not have the neccessary patience. Becoming a playwright is entirely up to you and your work ethic. As long as you want to learn and grow, you will find yourself at the place you want to be.