What Now?
October 11, 2022 11:03 AM Subscribe
Several posts back, I asked if I should try to get my play, (which is being turned into a musical, and which was based on a self-published book) produced in its own right. The responses were clearly toward getting it produced. So (after some fear-based procrastination), I got around to sending requests for information on how to do that to Dramatist, Pioneer, Broadway and Concord play publishers.
Concord said it wasn't accepting unsolicited scripts. I didn't hear back from Dramatist. But Pioneer and Broadway said they would like to see a synopsis of the play. Is that good? And though Pioneer provided a template for giving them information about it, Broadway did not. Should I use a version of Pioneer's template for Broadway or is there some generic form? And finally, as a freelancer from many years back, I know some publications are OK with simultaneous submissions and some are not. Should I ask them both if I can also submit to the other or not?
Concord said it wasn't accepting unsolicited scripts. I didn't hear back from Dramatist. But Pioneer and Broadway said they would like to see a synopsis of the play. Is that good? And though Pioneer provided a template for giving them information about it, Broadway did not. Should I use a version of Pioneer's template for Broadway or is there some generic form? And finally, as a freelancer from many years back, I know some publications are OK with simultaneous submissions and some are not. Should I ask them both if I can also submit to the other or not?
Response by poster: I don't know if this gets me any credibility or not, but the show was table read in April 2021 by a PDX Playwrights, and they made suggestions I incorporated. Then, after I submitted it, it got an award in Nov 2021 from PATA and they featured it in PDX Fertile Ground in Feb. 2022. And then in June 2022, I was invited by Stomping Ground Arthouse to have 10 minutes performed as part of another their community presentation of new works. Should I have said any of that or does it matter? And yes, when the book rewrite is finished to fit the songs (what an awful process - murdering my darlings), we'll look for a festival.
posted by CollectiveMind at 11:33 AM on October 11, 2022
posted by CollectiveMind at 11:33 AM on October 11, 2022
Then, after I submitted it, it got an award in Nov 2021 from PATA and they featured it in PDX Fertile Ground in Feb. 2022. And then in June 2022, I was invited by Stomping Ground Arthouse to have 10 minutes performed as part of another their community presentation of new works. Should I have said any of that or does it matter?
Yes, any mention of any production or recognition matters.
The thing I want to stress, though, is that you keep saying you want your play produced - but you are taking the steps to get it published. You do not need to have published your play to get it produced.
If you want your play produced, or your musical produced, the best way is to approach theater companies directly. Don't worry about publishing it.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:57 AM on October 11, 2022 [8 favorites]
Yes, any mention of any production or recognition matters.
The thing I want to stress, though, is that you keep saying you want your play produced - but you are taking the steps to get it published. You do not need to have published your play to get it produced.
If you want your play produced, or your musical produced, the best way is to approach theater companies directly. Don't worry about publishing it.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:57 AM on October 11, 2022 [8 favorites]
Best answer: Yes, none of those companies will produce your play. They could publish it, but whether it is published or not will have little bearing on whether it will get produced.
Is the play on NewplayXchange? That might help get it in front of the eyes of folks who might produce it, in addition to virtual door knocking.
posted by stray at 1:33 PM on October 11, 2022 [1 favorite]
Is the play on NewplayXchange? That might help get it in front of the eyes of folks who might produce it, in addition to virtual door knocking.
posted by stray at 1:33 PM on October 11, 2022 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I mean, I would like to have in the same form as the scripts on my bookshelf. But getting it performed IS the priority. I just thought they were synonomous; as in, once I have something tangible in a script/book form, and something a theater could hold in its hands, it would have more credibility. So ideally, both as a published script and as a produced show.
posted by CollectiveMind at 1:52 PM on October 11, 2022
posted by CollectiveMind at 1:52 PM on October 11, 2022
Response by poster: I've never heard of NewplayXchange. Going there now ...
posted by CollectiveMind at 1:52 PM on October 11, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by CollectiveMind at 1:52 PM on October 11, 2022 [1 favorite]
In my experience working backstage for small theater companies doing new work, nobody cared or mentioned whether the play had been published. Often it's still a work in progress and you're getting new script revisions every couple of days.
It seems to me the next logical step for your play -- after a table read and a staged excerpt-- is a "workshop" production of the full piece. This is typically a couple of weeks of rehearsal where the play gets staged, ending in performance(s) with very basic lighting/costumes/props, if any. It's expected there will be some collaboration between director, actor, author, and designers (and audience) at this stage that changes the script. Dialog revised, scenes cut/added/rearranged, etc.
A play script in its best form is a kind of transcription of a live performance. The creative production team really help make that final draft, and I think it's premature to publish prior to that.
posted by hovey at 3:28 AM on October 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
It seems to me the next logical step for your play -- after a table read and a staged excerpt-- is a "workshop" production of the full piece. This is typically a couple of weeks of rehearsal where the play gets staged, ending in performance(s) with very basic lighting/costumes/props, if any. It's expected there will be some collaboration between director, actor, author, and designers (and audience) at this stage that changes the script. Dialog revised, scenes cut/added/rearranged, etc.
A play script in its best form is a kind of transcription of a live performance. The creative production team really help make that final draft, and I think it's premature to publish prior to that.
posted by hovey at 3:28 AM on October 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
I mean, you ARE going to be giving the theater company something they can hold in their hands - you will be sending them pieces of paper with your script written on them.
But if you send them something published, that may turn a theater company OFF - they may think that you will not be willing to make changes for any reason. And producing a play is a VERY, VERY collaborative act - one given director will have different ideas about what to do than another one, and they will want the chance to do whatever their own ideas may be. And you may have Opinions about that, but sometimes you will realize that their ideas may actually be better than some of yours.
I've had a couple plays produced; if your work gets into the hands of a good director, you might see how you could change your play to make it better. With one play, I went to an early rehearsal and listened to one part of it and realized that about half the dialogue in that part was completely unnecessary, so I turned up at the next rehearsal with completely new drafts of the scripts and told people, "Okay - so this bit on page 3, cut all of that. Then on page 4, you're moving part of these lines on page 6 THERE instead, and then...." Another friend of mine wrote a play, and there was one scene where the characters went on a sea voyage and hit a storm. He wrote in a whole bunch of really intricate scenic tricks for how to turn some of the stage pieces into parts of the ship, and did all other kinds of bells and whistles to stage the sea voyage; but that was the only place we needed those stage bits, and when it got staged, he realized that it all looked cool but didn't add anything to the story itself. So...he cut it.
Your play is still a work in progress until it has had its final official world premiere. A theater company knows that, and will want to know you are working WITH them, and COLLABORATING on this play with them. If you send them a published work, they will think "Oh, CollectiveMind isn't going to want to change anything, they don't want our input. Let's pass on this." But if you send them the typed-up script format, they will think "oh, okay, this is an unpublished play and Collectivemind is open to working with our input. Good!"
They don't WANT something published. Your typed-up script and your input and your willingness to listen to them is what they want instead.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 3:45 AM on October 12, 2022 [3 favorites]
But if you send them something published, that may turn a theater company OFF - they may think that you will not be willing to make changes for any reason. And producing a play is a VERY, VERY collaborative act - one given director will have different ideas about what to do than another one, and they will want the chance to do whatever their own ideas may be. And you may have Opinions about that, but sometimes you will realize that their ideas may actually be better than some of yours.
I've had a couple plays produced; if your work gets into the hands of a good director, you might see how you could change your play to make it better. With one play, I went to an early rehearsal and listened to one part of it and realized that about half the dialogue in that part was completely unnecessary, so I turned up at the next rehearsal with completely new drafts of the scripts and told people, "Okay - so this bit on page 3, cut all of that. Then on page 4, you're moving part of these lines on page 6 THERE instead, and then...." Another friend of mine wrote a play, and there was one scene where the characters went on a sea voyage and hit a storm. He wrote in a whole bunch of really intricate scenic tricks for how to turn some of the stage pieces into parts of the ship, and did all other kinds of bells and whistles to stage the sea voyage; but that was the only place we needed those stage bits, and when it got staged, he realized that it all looked cool but didn't add anything to the story itself. So...he cut it.
Your play is still a work in progress until it has had its final official world premiere. A theater company knows that, and will want to know you are working WITH them, and COLLABORATING on this play with them. If you send them a published work, they will think "Oh, CollectiveMind isn't going to want to change anything, they don't want our input. Let's pass on this." But if you send them the typed-up script format, they will think "oh, okay, this is an unpublished play and Collectivemind is open to working with our input. Good!"
They don't WANT something published. Your typed-up script and your input and your willingness to listen to them is what they want instead.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 3:45 AM on October 12, 2022 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: OK. Thank you. I DO want collaboration. I remember living in Utah and there was a controversy where a UVSC student wouldn't perform a Tennesee Williams play because of the sexual references and profanity. She didn't want to act those parts the way the playwright intended. She took the school to court, and I remember thinking, "Who's decision is that? The school's? The actor's? The estate of Tennessee Williams? The publishing company? I'd much rather collaborate and be flexible to better interpretations. I just heard an interview with actors in a show on Broadway right now who said, after the third or fourth performance, the show belongs to us (the actors) now. The playwright relinquishes his/her baby to the interpreters. I can see that kind of handoff being important.
posted by CollectiveMind at 6:55 PM on October 13, 2022
posted by CollectiveMind at 6:55 PM on October 13, 2022
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However - the more usual "onramp" when it comes to getting a play produced is to actually work with a theater company directly first. And then after your play has actually been produced by someone somewhere, then you can write to the publishing houses and you can say "oh, and it was produced here, with this cast...."
It's not that a theatrical publishing company will require your play to have been produced first. But it's a way that your publishing company can trust that your work has been through the very, very, very unique collaborative process that producing a play or musical requires. Also, theater companies can be very hungry for content that they don't have to pay Dramatist for.
The only drawback is that there are a whole big huge hell of a lot of playwrights submitting their unpublished plays to all these same companies, so you may have to do a whole scattershot approach and send it a lot of places - but, it's perfectly fine to do that, and that increases the chances of someone producing it. And if you end up with two theaters who both want to produce it - well, we all should be so lucky.
I notice that back in June you'd been considering sending your musical to a festival. This is the way to go, actually - send it to festivals, send it to smaller theater companies directly. (But pay attention to if they even DO musicals - when I was a literary manager, we were quite clear in our submission guidelines that we did not do musicals, but I still got quite a few unsolicited musical submissions.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:16 AM on October 11, 2022 [3 favorites]