Looking for something new to read while you stay indoors, but still need your fix of Broadway? We’ve rounded up 10 of our favorite books on playwriting!
These books will give you information on how to write scenes, characters, dialogue and more. some have exercises for aspiring playwrights to complete as they read, and some include quotes and information from inspiring voices in the industry.
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not a playwright, but an actor? without worries! Check out our list of 10 acting books here!
sensory writing for theater and cinema
by Michael Wright
Through a series of systematic explorations across a wide range of settings, Sensory Writing for Theater and Film offers screenwriters exercises in paying attention to their own sensory experiences as a means of exploring sensory experiences and the worlds of the characters they create. .
About the Author: Michael Wright is Director of the Interdisciplinary Creative Writing Program and Applied Professor of Creative Writing, Theater and Film at the University of Tulsa.
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the art and craft of writing plays
by Jeffrey Hatcher
jeffrey hatcher knows the basics of writing for the stage. here, she shares his views on everything from creating tension and plotting a scene, to moving a character from one side of the stage to the other. from creating an intriguing beginning to delivering a satisfying ending.
In Hatcher’s one-on-one conversations with acclaimed American playwrights Lee Blessing, Marsha Norman, and Jose Rivera, you’ll find a wealth of practical advice, tricks of the trade, and insights to help you in your own creative endeavors.
About the Author: Jeffrey Hatcher is an American playwright and screenwriter. He wrote the play Compleat Female Stage Beauty, which he later adapted into a screenplay, abbreviated as Just Stage Beauty (2004). He also co-wrote the stage adaptation of Tuesdays With Morrie with author Mitch Albom, and Three Viewings, a comedy consisting of three monologues, each taking place in a funeral home. He wrote the Casanova screenplay for director Lasse Hallström, as well as the screenplay for The Duchess (2008). he has also written for the television series columbo and e! by peter falk. entertainment television.
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writing dialogue for scripts
by Rib Davis
a good story can easily be ruined by bad dialogue. Now in its fourth edition, Rib Davis’s best-selling Screenwriting Dialogue provides an expert perspective on how dialogue works, what to look for in everyday speech, and how to use dialogue effectively in screenplays. Examining practical examples from film, television, theater, and radio, this book will help aspiring and professional writers hone their skills.
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About the Author: Rib Davis has made a living for the past thirty years as a playwright, oral historian, author, director, and arts community worker. he has had over 60 scripts performed on stage, screen and radio, has written two books and edited several others, has directed many community arts projects and is recognized for his work in oral history and oral history theater .
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what do playwrights talk about when they talk about writing
by Jeffrey Sweet
in their own words, arthur kopit, marsha norman, christopher durang, david hare, and many others offer insights into all aspects of the creative writing process, as well as their personal views on business, politics, and the fraternity of the professional theatre. . this essential work will give playwrights and viewers alike an ever-deeper appreciation of the art form they love.
About the Author: Although produced on stages around the world, Jeffrey Sweet is most closely associated with the Chicago theater. He has premiered plays at the Victory Gardens Theater since the late 1970s and is a member of its Ensemble of Playwrights. his works include flyovers (joseph jefferson award, best screenplay), action against sol schumann and american enterprise (both awarded by the american theater critics association), porch, bluff, berlin ’45 and with and without. Mr. sweet wrote something wonderful right away, an oral history of the second chicago city troupe (a book that in turn inspired the creation of two other chicago theaters) and two texts on playwriting, the playwright’s toolkit and how solve your script. he co-wrote two musicals, i sent my love a letter (with melissa manchester, based on a bernice rubens novel) and what about luv? (with howard marren and susan birkenhead, based on a play by murray schisgal).
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the playwright’s guide
by Stuart Spencer
the playwright’s guide is a clear, concise and attractive manual. Spencer addresses important principles of structure, includes insightful writing exercises that build on each other, explores the creative process, and solves recurring problems that playwrights really face.
About the Author: Spencer is the author of numerous plays performed in New York and across the country, including Resident Alien (Broadway Play Publishing). Other works include In the Western Garden (Broadway plays publishing), Blue Stars (Best American Short Plays of 1993-1994), and Sudden Devotion (Broadway plays publishing). Farrar, Straus, and Giroux published a playwriting textbook, The Playwright’s Guide, in 2002. Recent works are Alabaster City, commissioned by the South Coast Rep, and Judy Garland Died for Your Sins. former literary director of the studio theater ensemble; partner, the edward albee foundation; member, playwrights guild.
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the art of dramatic writing
by Lajos Egri
lajos egri examines a play from the inside out, beginning with the heart of any drama: its characters. because it is people, their private nature and their interrelationships, that move a story and give it life. shows how it is essential for the author to have a basic premise – a thesis, demonstrated in terms of human behavior – and to develop his dramatic conflict on the basis of that behavior. premise, character, conflict: this is the abc of egri. his book is a direct and jargon-free approach to the problem of achieving truth in a literary creation.
About the Author: Lajos Egri (1888-1967) was born in Hungary and founded the Egri School of Writing in New York City in the 1930s. In addition to writing books, he spent his life writing and directing plays both in the United States and Europe, as well as writing scripts for the film industry.
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21st century dramaturgy, a manual of contemporary techniques
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by Timothy Daly
“21st century playwriting” is perfect for new playwrights and more experienced writers alike who want to update and modernize their writing, as well as for anyone interested in the little-discussed techniques involved in creating contemporary theatre. and their scripts. Written by a multi-award winning playwright with many national and international production credits, the book offers plenty of useful writing advice, as well as insight into how radically theater has changed in the 21st century.
About the Author: Timothy Daly’s plays have been produced all over the world. Actors such as Academy Award winners Cate Blanchett and Geoffrey Rush and Oscar-nominated actor Jack Weaver have appeared in her works. he has taught and advised hundreds of playwrights in many different countries.
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write the award-winning work
by Shannon Michal Dow
For beginning playwrights and intermediate playwrights who want to improve their work, this is a witty, easy-to-follow book packed with practical information designed to give your work an edge. its playwriting workshops, writing the award-winning play covers writing and developing your play; what to do with your play once it’s written, using readings, playwriting groups, and workshops; participate in contests; be produced; drafting of the synopsis and consultation letter; promote your work; legal matters; and more.
About the Author: Shannon Michal Dow is a national award-winning playwright whose plays have been produced and received readings across the country. Killing Dante (published by Samuel French) and his other plays and co-authored works have won a combined 19 awards and honors. She has been a feature writer and editor, and a film and theater critic for various Connecticut publications. She has also worked professionally as a performing artist and has volunteered as a Literary Manager and Theater Competition Judge for the Playwrights Collective, Field Players of Brookfield, CT and as a judge for the Community Theater Association’s National New Play Competition. from michigan.
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dramatic 101
by HowExpert and Marsh Cassady
To write for theater you have to know about theater. ideas are easy to come by. Examine your background, interests, and beliefs. examine the world around you. exercises can help you generate ideas. choose the audience you want to reach and write for that audience. learn to write dialogues listen and record everyday conversations. the dialogue should sound like ordinary conversations but has more direction.
About the Author: Marsh Cassady is the author of over fifty books including novels, true crimes, biographies, collections of plays, short stories and haiku, and books on theater and storytelling . His works have been widely performed in the United States (including off-Broadway) and in Mexico. A former actor/director and university professor, he has a Ph.D. In theater, he is a member of the Actors’ Equity Association and the Playwrights Guild, and has worked with over one hundred productions. In addition, Cassady has taught several creative writing courses at UCSD and elsewhere. A former small press editor, he has also been an editor for three magazines. Since the early 1980s, he has taught writing workshops of all genres in San Diego and Playas de Rosarito, Baja California Norte, Mexico, where he has lived since 1997. While teaching in Montclair State in the 1970s, he started a program dramaturgy that included classes, workshops and individual projects. he has won regional and national awards in the united states. in playwriting, fiction, nonfiction, and haiku.
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you can write a play!
by Milton E. Polsky
Do you have an idea for a play? a situation or experience from your home or work life? fancy? With clear, helpful examples drawn from his own experiences teaching, directing, and playwriting, Milton Polsky shows how to find and shape a dramatic idea and carry it out. In addition to providing many practical exercises, suggestions and advice, he comments and illustrates with examples from established playwrights “the importance of giving shape to your idea so that what you have in your head and in your heart is expressed to the fullest.”
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