The best comedy playwrights are Wilson, Churchill, Shakespeare, Wilde, Stoppard, and Coward. These names have loomed large over the world of theatrical giggles, and as their works are constantly revived they are likely to continue to do so for many decades to come! August Wilson Wilson is a titan of the American theatrical scene. While … Read more
Most people have probably heard the name Shakespeare, and many are left wondering whether it is worth trying to find the time to read his plays and poems. Is it worth putting aside all the time required to understand Shakespeare and read his texts today? Well, for starters there are lots of bum jokes (a … Read more
A play script is distinctly different from a story or a novel, and both are considered narratives. But is a play script considered a narrative as well? A play script can contain a narrative, which is a string of ordered events dictated by cause and effect with a group of characters, a setting or location, … Read more
All narratives have a narrator. However, plays have maintained uniqueness in how stories are shared with an audience, leaving writers with a great deal of freedom and responsibility to choose the best type of narrator. The type of narrator you write for your play dramatically affects how the audience receives the story. You should write … Read more
Love it or hate it, those crowded lines at the concession stand are part of our theater experience. Intermissions are a helpful division in the action of a full-length play, whether you find it an annoyance or a blessing. If you are writing a play, you might wonder if you need to structure your play … Read more
You’ve got a killer opening scene, and your tension is ramped all the way through to the crisis and climax. You have built up engaging and credible characters, and now you are faced with how to close the curtain on your much-loved creation. But how do you make sure to write a successful ending to … Read more
There is nothing more exhilarating than watching live actors transport you to an imaginary world. There is a magic about theater that no other media can match, and a playwright has the fantastic fortune to watch their vision performed in the flesh. However, despite the seeming simplicity of many iconic plays, the process is not … Read more
Plays have a formal structure that allows playwrights to translate their creative vision into a live stage setting. Part of the structure of a successful play is creating scenes that set the stage for characters, dialogue, and dramatic action, but why do scenes make a successful play? Plays are divided into scenes to separate the … Read more
Broadway has long been considered the most illustrious form of theatre, with its huge-scale production value and enormous crowds to match. The writers behind these productions may tell a different story. Broadway playwrights make about 15% of the profit from a production, which they occasionally must split multiple ways, depending on the number of writers … Read more
If you’ve ever sat in the audience of a play you really enjoy, you’ve probably wondered who wrote the play and how they got paid for it, or maybe you didn’t. Either way, playwrights get paid in many ways, including royalties and other fees, such as commission. So, how much commission do plays pay? Plays … Read more