Advice to Young Playwrights, part 1 - Arthur Wilson

A few weeks ago, I asked some of the actors, directors, playwrights, readers, and teaching artists who have been associated with the NJ Young Playwrights Festival for their advice for young playwrights like you. Specifically, I asked the following questions:

• What makes a strong play?
• What types of characters do you like to portray/write?
• What do you look for when choosing a play to work on?
• Please describe the best experience that you had working on a play.
• Please describe the worst experience that you had working on a play.
• What advice would you give to a young playwright currently working on a new play?

From now until the winter I will be posting some of these responses for your consideration as you work on your play for this year. We begin today with a response from Arthur Wilson, one of our master teaching artists, who was not only involved with the NJ Young Playwrights Festival during its earliest stages, but also with the first years of the national playwriting competition run by Young Playwrights, Inc out of New York City. Here is Arthur's response below... enjoy!

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ADVICE TO YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS

A strong play is based on something you the playwright has burning inside you

and you want to share it

(Catharsis, Dream, Imagination Sat On its' Head, Experience from something learned)

Characters that are not one dimensional and transform so the audience

experiences human growth, development, or stagnation

Poetic language moves a play beyond common language

but be careful -- the poetic language must communicate and not simply be a frill

A STRONG STORY IS MANDATORY

BUT DON'T BE FRIGHTENED NOT TO MAKE A PLOT LINEAR

The best experience I had working on a play

Having a team of Historians from Princeton University work collaboratively with the research

Rehearsing with a small cast capable of honesty for cuts, bridges, and clarity

Rewriting without having a need to hold onto every word or phrase

simply because I wrote it -- FLEXIBILITY

LISTENING

ALLOWING THE ACTORS TO SUGGEST CHANGES & TRYING THEM

The worst experience I had working on a play was not having enough time to rehearse

Often budgets require miracles

Young Playwrights working on a play RIGHT NOW

BE PREPARED TO REWRITE, REWRITE,

RE-DREAM A SCENE

TAKE RISKS

DON'T TRY TO BE CONVENTIONAL OR SO EXPERIMENTAL

THAT MEANING AND POINT OF VIEW ARE LOST

BOOM!