Reason 2

I saw the dress rehearsal last night of our show at Juilliard, Hearts Like Fists, and I love it. It hasn't been in front of an audience yet and that will be a different test and there will be no uniform reaction, but right now, before they arrive, there is my reasction and my reaction is that I'm terribly proud of this play. I can sit in this for 40 more minutes and then I will watch people watch my play, and I will learn things and I will laugh. It is a little terrifying and will also be fun, probably. And there is nothing exactly like that thrill you get when you feel people respond to what you put down on the page months ago. And that is Reason 2 to be a playwright.

Reason 1

Sometimes when it's hard to be a playwright, it's stressful and you're poor and discouraged, you will get an email like this and it makes it all worthwhile. this is from the director of Food For Fish at Northwestern. Their show just ended. Adam- We returned a coffin to Evanston Funeral and Cremation today. The lights will be loaded out tomorrow, and then that will be that. What to do now!? The cast hit it out of the park show after show. A total, um knockout. They peaked during the last performance to a packed 11pm house and I sense are feeling rightfully very proud of their work. The designs came together beautifully (I'll certainly send along photos from the photo call). All in all, you're a HIT at Northwestern. People kept asking, "Where did you FIND this?! Who is this guy!?" I had many conversations with complete strangers about the script's poetry and truth and humor and beauty. Simply because of your story and your language, the whole weekend was by far my freshest and healthiest theatrical experience in recent memory (and I'd been living with the script since last spring!). And others seemed to agree. I learned a ton and had a blast. I will always look back upon my senior year as the mini-era of "Food for Fish." I can't describe to you how much I appreciate that you have created that world and have allowed others to live in it as well. To teach us as we laugh is a high art, and you are certainly a master. I hope that your time in NYC has been rewarding and that you're excited about any/all current coals you have on the fire. I wish you all the best with your future endeavors. Whenever you're in Chicago, know that you have quite a fan club that would love to hear from you. One such fan, Jake ps: The cast gave me a fish in a bowl with the label "Adam Szymkofish." Please tell me if that makes you uncomfortable and I will promptly begin training him with a new name.

this summer

Food For Fish in Atlanta

http://essentialtheatre.blogspot.com/2009/02/2009-power-plays-festival-lineup.html

roundup

Okay, so Food For Fish at Northwestern later this week. Hearts Like Fists the week after at Juilliard. Some new short plays at Bryant Lake Bowl when I return to MN and then in April, back in nyc, Pretty Theft. So here are some scenes to get you in the mood. A scene I cut from Pretty Theft. The beginning of Food For Fish. And a scene you have not seen from Hearts Like Fists: (DOCTOR X exits. The CRIMEFIGHTERS and LISA arrive at the slain couple. It is a crime scene now. They all put on rubber gloves as they enter. The dummies of the previous scene are replaced by CARSON and ED.) SALLY Welcome to your first crime scene. LISA It’s – not like I thought. SALLY It never is. JAZMIN Doctor X entered through the window as is his custom. He stood here. NINA I’m standing where Doctor X stood. I’m breathing the same air. It feels—I don’t know. I feel alive. JAZMIN The doctor is efficient. I’ll say that. Comes in. Kills ‘em. Goes out. NINA It makes me shiver. SALLY Any clues? JAZMIN Nothing. LISA (standing over the dead couple) Look at his eyelashes. He reminds me of— JAZMIN Who? LISA No one. Never mind. I shouldn’t think of it anyway. NINA You can’t help what you think. LISA Can’t I? SALLY Get some carpet samples. NINA I’ll take samples of where I’m standing. JAZMIN I have a sink full of dishes at home. Why do I always think of that at a crime scene? SALLY I always think of the Commissioner. NINA I think of nothing but Doctor X. LISA They were very much in love. (The CRIMEFIGHTERS gather around the dead bodies.) SALLY They were? JAZMIN Were they? LISA The way they’re holding each other. NINA I don’t see it. LISA Look how close they were. Breathing on each other until they stopped. Oh, yeah, there is no doubt. They were very much in love. (A flashback: The couple, ED and CARSON, come alive. CARSON in bed. ED moving around.) CARSON Come to bed. ED I’m coming. CARSON Did you lock the window? ED Yesss. I always lock the window. CARSON Did you lock the window tonight? ED I said I locked the window. CARSON Ok. Ok. Don’t get bent out of shape. ED I’m not. CARSON Are you sure I’m the one you want to spend the rest of your life with? ED I’m sure. CARSON Are you sure you’re sure? ED Yes. CARSON I’m sure too. ED Let’s go to sleep. CARSON Ok. Hold me. (They hold one another.) CARSON Our life is good. ED I think so. CARSON Me too. ED You were really good at Trivial Pursuit tonight. (But CARSON is asleep. ED closes his eyes. Light shift. They are dead again. The CRIMEFIGHTERS and LISA sigh.) LISA It makes you think. SALLY and JAZMIN Yeah. LISA Oh, well. NINA What’s wrong with me? I don’t feel anything. SALLY Why did I ever break it off with the Commissioner? NINA I think I don’t feel anything. LISA I think I’m going to cry. JAZMIN I’m going to be late to my date. But I ran out of fabric softener. Should I go get the fabric softener and be a little later and then carry it around on the date? Or should I just go without it and have clothes that aren’t as soft? LISA I can’t stand this. NINA Does Doctor X hate love? I think I hate love too. Do I? Is that possible? I am just like the Doctor, deep down or even on the surface too? I look at them and I don’t care. I am empty. LISA I—I— SALLY I think I’m going to call the Commissioner and say we should give it another shot. LISA I got to go. JAZMIN Are you going? LISA I got to go. I can’t wait another second. I’m sorry. (The CRIMEFIGHTERS watch her go.) SALLY We have to go to work. JAZMIN Where are the body bags? I can’t look at these anymore.

I've discovered the miracle of computer painting

It says "Paint." so I do.

the world is quiet here

and snowing.

coming soon

Hearts Like Fists by Adam Szymkowicz Directed by Evan Cabnet starring Justine Lupe-Schomp, Thorvaldur Kristjansson, Evan Todd, Joaquina Kalukango, Jo Mei, Caitlin Harrity, and Katie Tuminelly Wed, Feb 11th @ 1:30pm Thurs, Feb 12th @ 7pm Fri, Feb 13th @ 7pm Sat, Feb 14th @ 2pm Sun, Feb 15th @ 7pm Let me know if you want to go and I'll put you on the list.

Because you asked for it.

Okay, maybe you didn’t ask for it but here it is: How to bike in the winter in Minneapolis. Here is the thing. It is possible to bike year round even when it’s 20 below. It is possible. It’s also cold. On the other hand, the bus is such a drag. You have to wait for it out in the cold. There are other people on it. You have to go where the bus goes, not where you want to go. You can’t cut through the park. You can’t jump up on the sidewalk to avoid traffic. Also who wants to pay upwards of 1.75 or even 2.25 for a trip that takes relatively the same amount of time and also is not exhilarating and does not remind you you are alive? But there are some things you should know if you are going to winter bike and live. You don’t want to get run over by a car or crushed under an 18 wheeler. You also don’t want to get hypothermia or frostbite. 1. You need to be warm. It’s windy out there. I assume you’re wearing long underwear, thick socks. I assume you have two pairs of gloves on. I like to wear two face masks, one over the other and then stick my helmet on top of it. Some people don’t wear helmets, but if I get brain damage, my playwriting career is over, or at least retarded. Also, I don’t have real insurance. Okay so you have a good coat, you have gloves or mittens. It’s a good idea to wear plastic pants over your pants. Otherwise the thing can happen where you get sort of chapped legs. Also it keeps the salt and mud off the pants you are probably wearing to temp for 8 hours a day at 12 dollars an hour. 2. You need to be able to see. If you’re like me and wear glasses, you may not be able to ride when it goes below zero. Below zero, your face will hurt, but if you cover up your nose, your glasses will steam up. It is a bad idea to ride your bike if you can’t see. Try not to do that. I’m considering getting some goggles which might prevent this. I’ll let you know if it works. 3. People have said to me that it’s a good idea to lower your seat for the winter. I think they are right. That way if the brakes are iced up and fail to work, you can put your feet down to stop. Oh yeah, you might want to wear some boots too—the good-stopping kind. 4. You probably want to stick to a single gear most of the time. I like one where the back wheel spins a lot faster. That way, you get better traction by spinning the wheel faster, instead of the alternate which is that the wheel revolves slower and you spin without moving forward. You better come to terms with the fact that you’re not going to move as fast in the snow. You just aren’t. But you don’t really want to wipe out. If you’re going too fast to put your feet down and stop, you might end up under a truck if you hit some ice. And it’s also going to take a lot more effort to ride if there is snow, but if you’re in a residential area going down one of the two lane roads that is now a one lane road because of the snow, the traffic is often non-existent and you get across town pretty fast. Downtown will often be plowed. Although sometimes where you would usually ride, say over on the right, if there is no bike lane, it will be full of slush and ice. And it will be uneven. You can’t ride there. It’s slippery and harrowing. Instead, you need to just ride in the middle of the lane. Fuck the traffic. They can go around you. Or if they get confrontational, you can always hop up on the sidewalk. It may not be legal in the non-residential areas but I have never seen anyone get a ticket. Someone claimed a friend of his got a ticket once, but I’m going to assume it was in the summer. Cops have thus far ignored me riding on the sidewalk when it unsafe to ride on the street. Just don’t go too fast and don’t hit any pedestrians. 5. If you’re riding in newly fallen or unplowed snow, you’re going to have to grip the handlebars tightly with both hands if you want the bike to go in your desired direction. Remember, in the winter, biking is a full body workout. You might need to shift your weight to the front of the bike to keep it on course. 6. If shit starts to look scary, get off the bike. Get on the sidewalk. Get your bearings. Figure out how not to die. Your instincts will keep you alive. If your instincts tell you to go into a coffee shop to warm up and get a coffee, do it. Time is slower in Minneapolis. You’ll still get there on time. If your instincts tell you to stop and lie down in the snow, don’t do that, however. You may want to go into a coffee shop instead. There are a bunch of them. Take your pick. I like hot chocolate, but you should pick what’s right for you. 7. Have a good time. If you are dreading getting on the bike, you should not be doing it. If the thought of riding around while it’s snowing doesn’t make you grin, take the bus. It might take longer, but it goes most anyplace. The only reason to bike is that it’s a lot more fun. For more tips, go to other places on the internet, perhaps to actual biking groups. This list was compiled from hearsay and practice. There might be much better ideas that a non-lazy googler can find. Good Luck! Have fun!

Private screening of short film

February 6th. To obtain your tickets please email info@packawallop.org with your name and the names of the people in your party. There are a limited number of seats. Reservations are absolutely essential. (NYU security has informed us they will not allow anyone to enter the building without a reservation.) NYU Tisch School of the Arts, lower level, room 018 A special invitation-only screening of Packawallop’s new short film, The Moment. We will open the evening by presenting another Adam Szymkowicz short film, The Question, directed by Sam Buggeln. Immediately following join us for post-screening drinks at Swift, 34 E 4th St. The Moment When Jane goes in to talk to her boss, in a instant of clarity, she notices something different in him that she never saw before. He sees it too in her. A new world opens up for them. Anything could be possible if they could just hold onto that moment. “Jane” Susan Lousie O’Connor “Barry” Jeff Biehl Directed by Scott Eberold Written by Adam Szymkowicz Produced by Lauren Fritz Scott Ebersold Marc Solomon Director of photography Greg Emetaz Edited by Andrew York McNown Sound and Music design by Ryan Maeker Art Direction by Nicholas Vaughan and Kate Rusek Costume, Hair and Make-up design by Kate Rusek Script Supervisor Barry Paul Hitchcock Craft Services and Production Assistance Jennie Crotero Packawallop Productions, Inc. Scott Ebersold and Alejandro Morales, Artistic Directors Susan Louise O’Connor, Marc Solomon, Polly Lee, Board of Directors

Advice for playwrights starting out

Advice for playwrights starting out

other popular posts:
Monologues For Women
Monologues For Men
1000 Playwright Interviews

1. Are you sure you want to be a playwright? How about a screenwriter or TV writer or fiction writer? Not that you can’t do them all, but it helps, I think, to concentrate and get really good at one at a time and you should think about if you want that one thing to be a playwright. Being a playwright is hard. One of my profs once said to me you have to work hard at it for at least 10 years before you start to see any movement. Then you reach that threshold but it continues to be hard. Yes, it can be great to see your work on a stage. If you love the theatre, I mean really love the theatre and more than anything want to write plays, I guess you should do it, but you should know, there is a lot of competition, a lot of great work, a lot of baby boomers who get the season slots first. And there is not much money. Not a lot of resources. So are you still sure you want to be a playwright? Okay, go on to number 2 if you’re sure, otherwise go read someone’s blog who started out as something else.

2. See and read a lot of plays. Like a lot. You need to know what other people are doing and you need to find your influences that you will eventually turn away from and the things you don’t like which will also define how you write. If you live in New York, you’ll have more chances to see plays than anywhere else. So if you can, live in New York at least for a while. You can usher to see plays for free or get discounts from TDF and other sources. As for reading, you need to read the things that have come before, the classics, the plays that are still being done and you also need to read the new plays that are coming out. Go to Playscripts and DPS and Sam French and Broadway Play Publishing and Dramatics and get on their email lists so you know when the new plays come out and look at their catalogs and get the plays from the library or the Drama Book Shop or buy them online if you have to.

3. Which means you need to have some money coming in to live on. If you’re rich or if someone else is supporting you, move onto 4. Otherwise, you need to find a way to support yourself that won’t drive you nuts and will allow you time to write. You have to find it on your own. Some people teach. Some people have non-theatre related day jobs. Some people work at an institutional theatre (for not much money) doing something necessary for the theatre. That might work for you if you don’t hate being poor. Also, you will get to see plays for free and drink free wine sometimes and get to meet cool artists.

4. If you don’t work at a theatre, and you can afford to work for nothing even for a couple of months, intern in the lit office of a theatre. You will get to read lots of new plays, and you will see how theatres (or at least the theatre you are in) makes decisions. You will see what agents are sending out and you will get a feel for what kinds of plays various agents represent and you will learn who the good agents are so later when you are trying to get an agent, you will know who will be a good match for you. If you can swing it, intern at a few theatres.

5. Write at least a play a year. Figure out what the good time for you is in the day to write. Are you a daytime writer? A nighttime writer? Do you like to write first thing in the morning? Do you like to go to cafes? If you can, try to write your first draft in less than a month. (Paula Vogel suggests 3 weeks) Do it for at least an hour a day until you finish. I think it’s important to figure out what most of your play is before you start writing.

6. Marsha Norman has these four sentences to fill in before writing a play. I’ve always found them very helpful: This play is about________ It takes place __________ It starts when ________ and ends when________ The main character wants____________ but____________

7. Once you have a first draft, do a reading out loud so you can hear it and try to figure out ways to make it better. Invite some friends over—give them pizza and beer and ask them to read it for you. Do this until the play is in good shape. You can also do public readings. It may help to hear it in front of an audience at least once or twice. Fix, adjust, trust your instincts, ignore people who are wrong or who want the play to be different than you want it to be. Listen to the people who might be right.

8. Produce the play yourself if you can. You will learn a lot. It will be hard work and might be expensive but the most sure way to get plays produced is to do it yourself. Most cities have a fringe festival which is a lower cost and easier way to put up plays. Do this with your first couple of plays if you can.

9. Once the play is in really really good shape, send the play to lots of places. Like at least 100. Pay attention to people’s guidelines and follow them. Buy a Dramatists Sourcebook or join the Dramatists Guild and use their guide. Also find the small theatres wherever you are and see if they take submissions. Get to know the people, maybe help them build sets or something or act in shows if you can. You can learn a lot about playwriting by actually being in plays. When you see a director you like, ask them if you can send them your play. Another thing you should do is find the places not in the sourcebooks who are doing plays like your plays—especially small theatres. Google the people whose work is like yours and try to send your plays to the places doing their work. Sometimes theatres will only do established playwrights work even if they have a lit office whose job it is to read through the submissions. (See #1) The odd thing is sometimes even if your play isn’t right for a theatre, you might want to send it just in case the lit asst who is probably young, is into it. Ten years from now, they could be at a different theatre and have more power. Lit people tend to jump from theatre to theatre. This is why you should apply to everything you can. If people like your stuff but it isn’t right, they may ask you for something else later or may recommend your work to another theatre. Lit people can be very generous like that.

10. Join the yahoo group the playwrightbinge. Also take a look at En Avant for upcoming deadlines and places to send plays. The internet is great.

11. Some people write lots of 10 minute plays, especially early on. These are easier to get people to produce. It might take years to get your full length up but you might get a bunch of 10 min plays produced. This will make you feel better, or it might when the rejection letters start coming in. It also might be a way to get your foot in the door of theatres who could someday produce your longer plays. Or it might just distract you from writing full length plays. This is okay if your goal is to write 10 min plays. Look at David Ives. Although don’t look too hard. He’s writing full lengths now and musicals and it’s harder than ever to gain his sort of notoriety by writing exclusively short plays. If you can’t write a 10 min play, don’t worry about that either. At some point, someone will ask you for a short play. You can just tell them no.

12. To MFA or not is a difficult decision. If you go to school for playwriting, I suggest you go to one of the ones that is free or cheap. Talk to the people who have gone there before you. Did they feel mentored or were they ignored? Did they like the program? Did they get connections from their time there? Were they able to see their plays produced at the school? Are the teachers there well known? Are they good teachers? Do you personally like their work? Are alums of the school doing well?

13. Be patient. It’s going to take a long time.

14. Do what is best for your work but be nice to people. Pick your fights. Don’t be a dick. Theatre is a really small world and word gets around. So does karma. (possibly)

15. If you like working with an actor or a director, see if you can work with them again and maybe again and again and again. Write for actors you like.

16. Write about what scares you. Write about what makes you mad. Try not to write things you don’t have a connection to. Write what you want to see on the stage. Separately, think about someday writing a big important play. Try not to attempt it until you know how to write plays, but maybe your big important play about something you care about will be the way to go one day.

NOTE: Some of this advice was given to me over the years by smart people, but I don’t really remember who said what, so you should just do it. It’s good advice, most of it. There are other things to do too, probably. Also, this is advice for starting out. You might do different things after you playwright a while. Remember that everyone has their own path. These might not all be helpful for you. So find what works for you. Good luck!

Book Store
Books by Adam

come see my workshop

Hearts Like Fists by Adam Szymkowicz Directed by Evan Cabnet starring Justine Lupe-Schomp, Thorvaldur Kristjansson, Evan Todd, Joaquina Kalukango, Jo Mei, Caitlin Harrity, and Katie Tuminelly Wed, Feb 11th @ 1:30pm Thurs, Feb 12th @ 7pm Fri, Feb 13th @ 7pm Sat, Feb 14th @ 2pm Sun, Feb 15th @ 7pm Let me know if you want to go and I'll put you on the list.

What we didn't know about the Bushes

Page 45 of Time Magazine, Feb 2, 2009 (Read this one out loud) "At the White House, Michelle Obama and Laura Bush admire a painting, by an African American artist, that the Bushes acquired"

Daisey on MFAs for theater artists

http://www.mikedaisey.com/2009/01/in-my-recent-conversations-with-theater.sht

I know we've had this debate over and over. Is an MFA helpful? Is it
necessary?

I'm in a lot of debt and have had to have a day job to pay my monthly
grad school tab.

And I'm not sure if I want to teach because I'm not sure about
encouraging new playwrights.

Maybe they should be writing novels or screenplays instead. I don't know.

What do you think?

YAY! Happy Inauguration Day!!

blog of the Sam French short play fest

http://samuelfrenchoobfest.blogspot.com/

Coming up--Mark your calendars

My new play Hearts Like Fists at Juilliard (65th between Broadway and Amsterdam) Wed, Feb 11th @ 1:30pm Thurs, Feb 12th @ 7pm Fri, Feb 13th @ 7pm Sat, Feb 14th @ 2pm Sun, Feb 15th @ 7pm My playlist play at Ars Nova. Fri Jan 23, 8pm Sat Jan 24, 2pm Sat Jan 24, 8pm Sun Jan 25, 8pm Food For Fish at Northwestern 2/5-2/7 Three plays of mine at Bryant Lake Bowl (Minneapolis) March 12 +19

anti-love drug

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/13/science/13tier.html?_r=1&em

Monday: Go see my friend Deron's play

01/12: Putting the Days to Bed

By Deron Bos
Directed by Paul Willis

A long night of drinking in which Annie considers her marriage, Mara
offers dreams of personal finance perfection and Simon discovers the
subtle pleasures of Back to The Future Part II.

http://arsnovanyc.com/out-loud/

Playlist!

I have a short play in this. Hope you can come!

http://arsnovanyc.com/sill/2009/01/playlist_is_coming_dancing_shoes_on.php

My friend Jodi's new book

How to Love Like a Hot Chick

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0061706442

The Comtois list for best NY theatre of '08

http://jamespeak.blogspot.com/2009/01/top-10-of-2008.html

Happy New Year!!

Today we went cross country skiing on and around the Lake of the Isles. This is what it looks like at night. Sometimes. I find I really enjoy self propelled motion. Next up--ice skating. Then who knows? The world is our oyster. Our very cold, icy oyster.

Joe Kraemer's recent workshop

reviewed here by Moxie

http://www.moxiethemaven.com/2008/12/one-to-watch-joe-kraemer.html

2008 in review

I had 6 productions of my full length plays, in '08, all from the publications. I had some short pieces go up in various places, wrote some songs for the Rapid Response Team. Two of my short plays were made into films, one of which I'll get to see next month and the other which I hope you've all seen by now. Two short plays are being published as well. I went to LA and had lots of TV meetings. I wrote and rewrote a pilot, and then threw it out and wrote it again. I pitched another pilot a couple of times which I hope to write when I get a chance. I had a commission from South Coast Rep, I had a good time reading Incendiary with Labyrinth in Vermont and New York. Hung out with Single Carrot Theatre in Baltimore who did Food For Fish. Bought long underwear and moved to Minneapolis for my wife's fellowship. Oh yeah, did I mention I got married? I got married. I've been thinking of it as a year of setting up, resting, regrouping, preparing for the real work ahead, but when I look at all those things, well, those are a lot of things. I guess that was a busy year. And more to come. Two plays for sure coming up. Two more possible and a lot of maybes in the air.

fascinating article

Passed on by Ninette who i met at Food For Fish in Baltimore.

about scent, attraction, love. (and perhaps the character Alice)

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20026873.600-dna-dating-can-genes-help-you-pick-a-mate.html?full=true&print=true

Freeman reminds us to give to our favorite theatre this holiday season

http://matthewfreeman.blogspot.com/2008/12/tis-season.html

Great post by Alexis, America, land of Theatregoers

http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/theatreblog/2008/dec/16/theatre-american-plays-nea

h/t freeman http://matthewfreeman.blogspot.com

reviews of the films no one is reviewing

http://www.bargainbinreview.com/mainreviewspage.html