Intermission
a creative coffee break from writing the play

Why, some of you ask, do I harp on about learning “structure?” My major reasons are

• Structure imposes limitations, and limitations forced us to stretch our creative muscles.
• It teaches you to purposely use all the elements you put into a play, and to discard meaningless indulgences. As Chekhov wrote,

One must not put a loaded rifle on the stage if no one is thinking of firing it.

• It teaches you the nomenclature of playwriting, like “foreshadow,” “inciting event,” “character arc,” so that you can converse with others.
• Often, the answer to why your play isn’t working is found in understanding the structure of your play, whether you’ve followed tradition or not.

While I believe the following things cannot be taught, I feel, if you have a natural affinity for them, they can be honed:

• Voice
• Imagination
• An ear for dialogue
• A sense of theatre

This cannot be said enough: Theatre is not the same as a novel, television, or a movie. It should not be; although (‘nother sigh) there are those who continue to bring us the movie of the week live at your local playhouse.

IMHO, it is not enough for a story to be on the stage. It must be theatrical by making use of the stage, its limitations, its realizations, and its immediate connection with an audience. On stage, Sweeney Todd’s bloody barberous moments can be depicted quite chillingly with red light, with red ribbons, or (big sigh), if you must go for realism, stage blood. On film, the blood becomes “real” in its depiction, losing its theatrical quality. With enough imagination, everything becomes possible on stage.