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The Art, the Craft and the Life of the Playwright Laid Bare

From conception to marketing, this very thorough how-to book, "Naked Playwriting", car insurance rates comparison William Missouri Downs and Robin U. Russin covers all the essentials Dietgirl playwriting. "[...] this book is about helping you make the transition from the page to the stage" (Downs, Russin xvi) the authors write in the introduction. And they guide the playwright to that end with a combination of exercises, examples and theory-the basic formula of the how-to book.

"Naked Playwriting" is divided into four sections: "Beginning a Play", "Building a Play", "Finishing a Play" and "Marketing a Play." In addition, it has a whopping 30 page "Conclusion/Appendices" which contains play samples and templates for formatting a play as well as an extensive bibliography of source material the authors refer to throughout the book.

This is an invaluable guidebook not only for playwrights, but also for anyone interested in teaching playwriting. The authors seed their text with cogent excerpts from playwriting theorists like Aristotle, et al, and with quotes from playwrights and poets on subjects ranging from "Romanticism" and "Expressionism" to exposition and dialog, thereby creating an historical and philosophical setting for their theoretical approach to the fundamentals of playwriting. This breadth of perspective makes this book a wonderful teaching resource and tool for courses about the history and theory of playwriting as well as a how-to guide to writing a good play.

For example, the authors cover the subject of Ten-Minute plays in a chapter in which two student plays are cited and commented on by three mini skirts respondents from the professional theater world. Both the Ten-Minute play formats and the critical assessment of these two scripts serve as an extremely helpful guide not only for budding playwrights, but, again, for teachers of playwriting. Ten-Minute play festivals are currently in vogue in American Theater so it's important for a playwright to be familiar with that form. And with the added bonus of reading how professionals critique a script, this chapter gives both playwright and teacher some useful information.

Yet, while it might seem that this book takes a Home equity line of credit approach to its subject, it doesn't miss the importance of discussing the minutia of playwriting: in a chapter entitled "Looking Good", the look they're describing concerns everything from the thickness of the paper a play is printed upon to the ways in which digital formatting software can be used to save time. Naked Playwriting is both broad enough to cover the scope of its subject and specific enough to be a useful guide for traveling from the page to the stage.

Work Cited
Downs, William Missouri, and Robin U. Russin. "Naked Playwriting". California: Silman-James Press, 2004.

Thomas Griffin has worked professionally as an actor in theater and film and now devotes his time to running a small theater company, directing productions, writing plays and screenplays, and publishing poetry, essays, and articles.

You may find more articles of interest at:
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