HOW TO PAY THE RENT ON A THEATER SPACE
It is necessary to take classes in playwriting and to get readings done as you don't know what you got till you hear it and you will probably hear it at the end of the classes. Remember, the most desirable playwrights come from colleges BECAUSE THE COLLEGE PAYS FOR THE FIRST SHOW. And what do playwriting classes do? They pay the rent.
That said, go by the teacher. The best I had were the Mad Genius, Patrick Meyers (K2), at T. Schreiber Studio and Will Scheffer (Big Love, HBO) at EST. Patrick got me $6,000 worth of prizes by teaching me, if I don't have actors, read it out loud myself. You have to hear it SOMEHOW. And it is revenge on my noisy upstairs neighbors, who might have me committed some day. Will Scheffer is God. When people ask me why I don't write about MS...don't have to. Will's AIDS play, "The Falling Man" says it all. Find it.
Will taught me freewriting. Take the characters and do a scene that is not meant to be in the script. Take them to the grocery store. Change their genders. I just saved my trilogy by changing a character's suit. Rob was the perennial do-gooder, charity, public service lawyer in cords, Reeboks and a VW. I put him into a Bill Blass suit, gold watch, and convertible and changed him to a Corporate Lawyer. Rob Gallagher, Associate, Archer and Peales. Management Led Buyout specialist. KABOOM! Suddenly, it all worked. And kids, your freewrite ALWAYS goes in the play. Bless you, Will! Hope HBO is making you rich.
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