New York Theatres That Nurture PlaywrightsBy Robert Grosch
In many ways a play is like the playwright's child, and in a perfect world we could watch them all grow to maturity close at home. Unfortunately, playwrights in many areas of the country have to send their scripts away to be produced. New York playwrights, however, enjoy considerably more opportunities to realize their ambitions locally.
The New York area is home to a number of play development groups and theatres that nurture developing playwrights. They have distinct personalities that differ in their goals and focus. Some theatres foster work dealing with women's issues; others concentrate on drama which addresses the black experience; still others have political viewpoints, whether implied or overt.
For the playwright, the challenge is to forge an alliance with the group that most closely meshes with his viewpoints and needs. Nearly all the artistic directors of the several theatres we surveyed offer the same advice: "Get to know us and our work." It is a waste of time, energy, and money to approach a group with an historical play requiring a large cast if the theatre is a small black box which can accommodate only five actors at a time.
Fortunately, most of the theatres which work with new or unestablished playwrights are fairly accessible and encourage writers to audit their workshop performances. Don't go to just one performance; go to as many as you can. See if your style of working is compatible with the theatre's approach. Are the directors you see true to the text you are seeing or are they imposing interpretations the script can not support? How talented are the actors you see working?
SUB: Workshops: The First Reading
The challenges facing a playwright are different than those facing any other writer. A playwright's work is not complete until his script is "on its feet" in front of an audience. A novel stands as a completed work even if it is never read by anyone other than the author. A play, however, must take shape on stage. Until a playwright's words are spoken, his work is not theatre; it is merely a form of literature.
"To some extent, an actor can polish his craft in front of a mirror or in his living room, but playwrights can't develop without a place to work. Writers must see their ideas in space," notes A.M. Raychel, artistic director of The Theatre-Studio, Inc. on Eighth Avenue.
A playwright can take many routes to bring his script to the stage. Which method is chosen depends largely on the writer, his production background, his goals, and the state of the script itself.
New Dramatists is the granddaddy of writers' groups and for many years has provided a haven for developing dramatic writers. Since its founding in 1949, it has assisted such luminaries as Arthur Miller, August Wilson, and John Guare.
According to Elana Greenfield, director of artistic programs, New Dramatists is a service organization. Its mission statement claims that it is committed to "providing gifted playwrights with the time, space, and tools to develop their craft so that they may make a lasting contribution to the theatre."
Writers are granted membership in New Dramatists for a period of seven years. During that time, the organization provides unlimited staged readings and workshops. Its position in the community allows ND to draw the best available actors in New York for these readings. It also provides directors, summer residencies, international exchange programs, library facilities, copying services, and assorted grants and fellowships.
Most important, states Greenfield, New Dramatists is a place where "creative relationships can be formed." It allows playwrights to connect with directors and actors on an informal basis without the pressure of a casting call. It is not surprising that New Dramatists has one of the most demanding screening processes of all New York-based development groups.
There are other avenues to explore in getting one's play on its feet. For many playwrights, the best first step is "workshopping" a play. In workshopping, the writer puts his script in the hands of a director and professional actors for readings which are not open to the public. This allows the playwright to hear what works and what doesn't work. Does the dialogue flow the way he imagined? Is the lead character strong enough to anchor the play? Is his theme clear?
Whether this is the first professional effort of the writers or whether they are well established in the field, a workshop production of a script can be invaluable. What seems inspired on the page may sound ridiculous when uttered aloud.
It is not always necessary or even advisable to wait until the script is complete to start to search for a place to workshop the play. Several groups around the city have regular workshopping sessions. Many of these groups require the writer to become a member before the script is produced. To work with the group, you will probably be called upon to present samples of your writing and to meet with the artistic director. At this level, most groups strive to avoid a prescriptive identity and are willing to consider works of any genre or theme. Sometimes a monthly fee is paid by the writer to cover rental of the meeting space and the costs involved with establishing a core of actors for the writer's use.
Playwrights Harbor, a nonprofit workshop run by Stuart Warmflash, is an excellent example of this kind of theatre group. Members of the group include about 10 playwrights and about 30-35 actors. They meet on Monday evenings to hear samples of work from three writers. Instead of putting the whole script on its feet, the writers in the group choose about 15-20 pages of work they want performed by the resident troupe of actors. The writer of the script decides whether the reading will be cold or will be shaped by a director.
After the section of the play is presented, the authors at Playwrights Harbor shape the nature of the critique session. The playwright of the evening poses specific questions he wants answered or identifies issues he wants addressed. Warmflash supervises the critiques and guarantees that the desired? format is followed.
According to Warmflash, the playwrights guide their own critique sessions to ensure that the critique is actually about the play being written: "Too often open comments reflect how the other writers would have written the scene. They don't accept the playwright's intention."
Warmflash stresses that Playwrights Harbor is not a producing entity, although it does sponsor a play-reading series at the end of each yearly work session. Warmflash, however, emphatically states that Playwrights Harbor is not a class: "It's a place to make good theatre."
Playwrights Harbor is funded by the playwrights, with all money going to space rental and advertising costs to attract actors and directors. No one in the group takes a salary. "One of the most valuable contributions of Playwrights Harbor is that it allows theatre folk to find other theatre folk who speak their language," says Warmflash. In other words, it allows playwrights to try their ideas out on supportive like-minded professionals before they put the script in front of a full audience (and critics).
The Genesius Guild is also a membership organization. In some aspects its structure is similar to Playwright's Harbor, but the Guild takes the process one step further. The composition of the Guild is more diverse and includes about 53 writers, actors, designers, and directors.
Monday night is an open performance night. Any script sponsored by a member of the company is allowed on stage. This work can range from one-person shows to excerpts or condensations of full-length work.
In the Genesius Guild, the script does not necessarily have to be written by a member of the group. If, for example, a director finds a script he is particularly drawn to, he can mount that work on Monday night. The Guild accepts submissions, which are offered to the directors in the group for their consideration and are kept on file.
An offer of membership is seldom extended to anyone until his/her work has appeared on the stage of the Genesius Guild. It is important to note that the membership of the Guild is almost exclusively working theatre professionals. This group is not an appropriate candidate for first-time playwrights. The Guild is, however, laying plans to initiate an adjunct group for writers who have not yet been produced.
When the Guild mounts a script or an excerpt of a script, its approach differs slightly from other groups since it offers the writer two sets of critiques. The first is written and allows personal (and usually anonymous) one-on-one comments for the writer to consider at home. Each evening is hosted by a "curator," who reminds the audience that comments on their reactions and emotional responses are probably most helpful to the writer. For the second critique, the floor is opened to discussion. As at Playwright's Harbor, the discussion is driven by specific questions which are posed by the playwright.
Tom Morrissey, artistic director of the Genesius Guild, notes that the Guild is planning to initiate a full-length workshop-to-production program in the fall. From the script or partial scripts which are workshopped on Monday nights, a small number will be chosen for full development work. This arrangement is nearly the dream situation for a playwright.
The work will go into rehearsal and will then be presented for three or four performances with minimal sets and costumes. At that point, the writer will take the script back for rewrites and polishing. When he is ready, the script will be re-rehearsed and presented again within the group.
Morrissey notes that there is no artistic directive at the Genesius Guild. The work that is presented comes from a variety of theatrical traditions: musicals, traditional theatre, avant garde, etc. "We [the Genesius Guild] are a work in progress ourselves, and we are looking for the next breakthrough in theatre." When asked to define "breakthrough," Morrissey replies, "Operetta gave way to vaudeville which gave way to the book musical which gave way to Sondheim. We are interested in who comes after Sondheim."
The 42nd Street Workshop is an example of a theatre which offers writers a chance to see their work in full-length format. This group has been in existence for about two years. It is composed of about 175 members who pay monthly dues of $20. Not all the members are writers, but Monday is dedicated to writing labs. Tuesday is dedicated to performers, many of whom provide the talent for the Monday-night readings.
The 42nd Street Workshop describes itself as being a "process-oriented company" rather than a production-driven group. The founding members, however, are actively investigating possibilities of more aggressively pursuing full production. They recently completed a summer production series of fully staged readings.
"This is a place for enterprising people, people who are not passive or content to wait for the theatre community to put them to work," says Michelle Brouchard, one of the founding members of the company.
The "hunger" of the company is evidenced by the fact that the 42nd Street Workshop has produced more than 180 workshop productions since it was formed. These stagings are nearly always new plays, adaptations, or translations. The production is followed by a critique from company members (writers and actors). Production values are kept to a minimum in order to keep the focus on acting and script work. More elaborate productions would also tax the group's finances and would reduce the number of productions which could be mounted.
Tim Smith, director of membership orientation, notes that most readings are done cold. "I know it sounds brutal, but I want the focus to be on writing. I don't want to give an actor a chance to spin gold out of straw."
If the work, sometimes a completed script and sometimes just an act, is being read for the first time, the critique usually assumes the form of a brainstorming session. The intent is to stimulate the writer to massage his creativity in ways he has not yet discovered. If the production is a rewrite, the critique usually concentrates on the writer's craftsmanship and on the effectiveness of changes or new decisions.
Michelle Brouchard notes that the group is a place "to develop ongoing relationships with fellow artists. Relationships are formed between writers and directors and between directors and actors which live far beyond the run in our theatre."
Full Production: "Showtime!"
After the playwright has workshopped the script and feels comfortable that it is ready for a full audience, the process gets a bit stickier. Not only must the playwright find a group that is anxious to work with his material; he has to find one that is willing to back it financially. There are a number of ways in which production can be achieved at this level, but The Theatre-Studio, Inc. is a good place to start. The playwright submits his manuscript to the theatre, which makes every attempt to fit the proposed production into the Studio's schedule. The playwright can use the theatre as an opportunity to workshop his play. He can also use it as a place for "backers' auditions" or view it as a full production.
The playwright uses The Theatre-Studio's facilities free of charge. In return, the house keeps the box office. No fee is charged to the playwright. The playwright can propose a production with a pre-chosen director and cast or can rely on a talent file kept at the theatre.
The Studio's artistic director, A.M. Raychel, reads all scripts that cross her desk. "We don't turn down too many at this juncture, but I say 'this juncture' because things are always changing."
As a venue for developing playwrights, The Theatre-Studio is a gold mine. After the initial run, the playwright can make changes in the script or the cast and, if an available slot can be found in the theatre's schedule, remount the rewritten show without great financial risk.
"Change is the key to development," notes Raychel. "The freedom to remount the production without capital loss is an encouragement to take more chances. Playwrights don't have to worry about getting it right immediately. Instead of viewing the experience as 'sink or swim,' they can view it as another day in the life of my process."
Participating playwrights can also count on the support of The Theatre-Studio for audience development. Raychel and her staff actively work at targeting new audience members. Lately one of the most successful targets has been seniors. Additionally, neighborhood merchants have assumed an aggressive financial role in promoting the theatre and expanding its impact. They recently purchased a full-page ad for Studio in The Village Voice. Raychel takes great pride in telling people that The Theatre-Studio is the only theatre of its kind in existence that is not reliant on a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts.
Pulse Ensemble Theatre is another excellent resource for the developing playwright. The group is currently wrapping up its Summer Studio Season with "Lemonade," by Michael T. Folie. The season also has included "Butterscotch," by Barbara L. Smith, and "A Choice of Heroes," by Walter B. Levis. These plays have been presented over the course of the summer and will be presented again in September.
Pulse is "dedicated to helping playwrights develop their scripts." In addition to its work with rising playwrights, Pulse also gave the New York premiere of William Mastrosimone's "Shivaree" a couple of years ago. This year all the scripts in the Summer Studio Season came from New York playwrights.
When asked if there are any requirements for scripts being considered, artistic director Alexa Kelly laughs at first: "Of course, I'd like to say that we only want to read brilliant scripts. Who doesn't? But most important, we want to read a script that challenges the audience to an emotional or intellectual response. If the audience watches the show and says, 'So what?' there doesn't seem to be much sense in doing the script."
In its printed material, the Pulse Ensemble Theatre calls for scripts which "expand the audience's awareness of the human and social condition and [are] unafraid of being political."
Kelly denies that this description may exclude comedy. "Not at all. We never say no to a good comedy," she states, "as long as it isn't characterized by that 'So what?' factor I mentioned. Like any other play, a comedy has to be about something."
Wings Theatre, which operates out of the Archive Building on Greenwich and Christopher streets, is dedicated exclusively to producing new American plays. Associate director Robert Mooney, formerly of Riverside Shakespeare, lists four distinct production areas: the mainstage productions and three series dedicated to gay plays, fringe work, and children's drama. Mooney says that the Fringe Series frequently offers performance pieces or parodies. "Many of them are off the wall. Some are beautifully literary, some are extremely campy."
Mooney notes that the company is hesitant to articulate parameters for scripts being submitted, "But I have to say that realistic domestic drama--kitchen sink drama--is not what we're looking for. Is there a reason for this story to be on stage or could it just as well be on a [TV] box?" He adds that no material will be ruled out so long as it is "develop-able."
Stageplays Theatre Company is a not-for-profit theatre group created to develop new plays. And it does!
Artistic Director Tom Ferriter has an impressive track record of mounting new plays at the Theatre at Saint Peter's Church, the Nat Horne Theatre, Lincoln Center, the Drama League of New York, and the Cornelia Street New Works Project. His most recent venture, "First Wife," by Marlene Fanta Shyer, was produced at the Emelin Theatre in Mamaroneck and starred Karen Valentine.
Ferriter's approach to considering scripts is unusual. He encourages the playwright to speak to him about the script over the phone. He claims that this initial contact with the playwright is crucial in deciding which scripts he'll pursue, for two reasons. First, it allows him to look for playwrights who are committed "to saying something thematically instead of just venting without focus."
And second, he feels that any playwright who will not take the initiative to phone him will not assume an active role in the production process. "If I'm going to put money and time into the project, I don't want a playwright who is going to sit back. He has to remain involved at this point. I try to encourage the writer, because the usual procedure of submitting 10 pages of dialogue and a synopsis is no way to foster artistic health. The playwright too often lashes out against his lack of power and just stops writing."
Typically, Ferriter gives the script a first reading under Equity guidelines, and then the rewrites begin.
Stageplays Theatre Company combines its not-for-profit status with a sharp eye on the commercial possibilities for a play. He works to find a home for the material he becomes involved with. According to Ferriter, commercial concerns are not usually served by contacting the regional theatres. They are inundated with scripts or have development programs of their own. He concentrates on the New York theatre, but also looks to independent filmmakers.
Ferriter's hands-on approach to working with playwrights seems to originate in his appreciation for the art form and in his understanding of the problems it can pose. He acknowledges that it is nearly impossible to subsist on work in the New York theatre; that is one of the reasons he has opened the doors to independent filmmakers.
On the other hand, Ferriter the Realist is extremely articulate in his enthusiasm: "The artistic flame can never be snuffed out. It can be dampened, but it will always emerge in some form. What survives out of any great culture is its art not its automobi