How likely is a play to get to performance?

clouddog · Mar 9, 2013

Hi
I am guessing script to theatre is about the same as manuscript to publisher
Does anyone know the statistics for how many scripts producers read?

Kerosene · Mar 9, 2013

clouddog, you're firing off all these question. You just need to slow down.

First off, I am not even an expert on theatrical plays, nor screen writing, nor drama. I've worked backstage for shows, but nothing upfront.

I would bet that for anyone with a play outside of a theater department or organization or college department trying to pitch an idea for one, is going to be (near) impossible. (I'd leave out the near if I actually knew)

I've heard of college theater departments debating over plays within their high sect (the highest members, seniors of the department with 100 credit hours (doctorates in drama) and everything going for them) and still having difficulty pulling it off. And, it's not a one man show. It's everyone's play, not just a single person's by the end of it.

And further from that, they put it on for their own sake, not for any profit.

EDT: I'm also going to guess that you have not or are not in college or any other program that would couple you to anyone in the theater field, because you're asking these questions. I'd think that would be number one priority, to simply get taught by a professional.

If I was you, I'd look at writing fiction (as in a novel) and bringing out that craft to get your story out. There's still a 1/1,000,000 chance of getting it published (100% of that being actually finishing it), but you've got more chances.
When I had a story bundled up and wanting to give it to someone, I chose the most viable alternative and that was novel writing.

And, work on your writing. Even in your posts, you have grammar and punctuation mistakes.

But, this is just my severely uneducated thoughts.

Theo81 · Mar 9, 2013

A 1/93792753 chance.

Now, go forth. Write your play/novel/whatever.

Old Hack · Mar 9, 2013

I'm going to move this to Screenwriting as it's probably a better fit there than here, in Ask The Agent.

clouddog · Mar 9, 2013

WillSauger said:
clouddog, you're firing off all these question. You just need to slow down.

First off, I am no even an expert on theatrical plays, nor screen writing, nor drama. I've worked backstage for shows, but nothing upfront.

I would bet that for anyone with a play outside of a theater department or organization or college department trying to pitch an idea for one, is going to be (near) impossible. (I'd leave out the near if I actually knew)

I've heard of college theater departments debating over plays within their high sect (the highest members, seniors of the department with 100 credit hours (doctorates in drama) and everything going for them) and still having difficulty pulling it off. And, it's not a one man show. It's everyone's play, not just a single person's by the end of it.

And further from that, they put it on for their own sake, not for any profit.

EDT: I'm also going to guess that you have not or are not in college or any other program that would couple you to anyone in the theater field, because you're asking these questions. I'd think that would be number one priority, to simply get taught by a professional.

If I was you, I'd look at writing fiction (as in a novel) and bringing out that craft to get your story out. There's still a 1/1,000,000 chance of getting it published (100% of that being actually finishing it), but you've got more chances.
When I had a story bundled up and wanting to give it to someone, I chose the most viable alternative and that was novel writing.

And, work on your writing. Even in your posts, you have grammar and punctuation mistakes.

But, this is just my severely uneducated thoughts.

I can write with propper grammar honest

I have a bit of a background in theatre - but many years of psychosis and persuing other interests later - i have joined an organisation that will get me acting, backstaging and also writing - this over hopefully many years - when i start with them in April - i will have access to real people and real advice

i am just taking a few hours off to go mental on line ( always fun )and i'm glad that I haven't quite got to 50 posts and posted my script already - i will take my time - i can take advice and i don't want to look too stupid

I had a pm that i could share 5 pages - i'll get onto that in a minute

flapperphilosopher · Mar 9, 2013

It's good to hear you're going to be connecting with professionals, because it does seem like you don't understand the world you're aiming for (I don't mean that as an insult-- we all have to learn when we're starting out!). Theatre producers aren't like agents, going through piles of submissions by unknowns and looking for gold. To get a production even by a small professional theatre company you have to have a solid background and solid connections. There's often festivals of short new plays, and some of them allow anyone to submit, but that's only a first step. Going on from a one-night one-hour production to a full run of a full-length play is very, very hard. If your short work is top-notch and impresses people you might get chances for fellowships and mentoring etc., and these help you learn as well as help you meet people, then if you're lucky and talented at some point maybe a director at a smallish place will take a chance on your play. Then if it is well-recieved and does well, you'll get more chances, etc. You have to start small and work your way up. You're never ever going to get a chance of a full-length run at a medium to large venue without a strong track record.

If you've gone through an absolute top playwriting program, like that at Yale, obviously you're at an advantage because a)just getting into that shows you're extremely talented and b)you'll be connected with the top of the theatre world from the get-go, but you still have to prove the hell out of your work through multiple well-recieved shows. And often just luck, meeting the right people at the right time and making the right impression.

In novel-writing there is the tiny tiny chance you can go from unknown to crazy bestseller; in play-writing you will never go from unknown to six-week Broadway run.

So-- work on your writing. Connect with theatre professionals. Lots of them. Get your work produced on small scales. Get a solid production record. Look for festivals. Get into that world. Work with that world. Know it. And work on your writing some more.

clouddog · Mar 9, 2013

flapperphilosopher said:
It's good to hear you're going to be connecting with professionals, because it does seem like you don't understand the world you're aiming for (I don't mean that as an insult-- we all have to learn when we're starting out!). Theatre producers aren't like agents, going through piles of submissions by unknowns and looking for gold. To get a production even by a small professional theatre company you have to have a solid background and solid connections. There's often festivals of short new plays, and some of them allow anyone to submit, but that's only a first step. Going on from a one-night one-hour production to a full run of a full-length play is very, very hard. If your short work is top-notch and impresses people you might get chances for fellowships and mentoring etc., and these help you learn as well as help you meet people, then if you're lucky and talented at some point maybe a director at a smallish place will take a chance on your play. Then if it is well-recieved and does well, you'll get more chances, etc. You have to start small and work your way up. You're never ever going to get a chance of a full-length run at a medium to large venue without a strong track record.

If you've gone through an absolute top playwriting program, like that at Yale, obviously you're at an advantage because a)just getting into that shows you're extremely talented and b)you'll be connected with the top of the theatre world from the get-go, but you still have to prove the hell out of your work through multiple well-recieved shows. And often just luck, meeting the right people at the right time and making the right impression.

In novel-writing there is the tiny tiny chance you can go from unknown to crazy bestseller; in play-writing you will never go from unknown to six-week Broadway run.

So-- work on your writing. Connect with theatre professionals. Lots of them. Get your work produced on small scales. Get a solid production record. Look for festivals. Get into that world. Work with that world. Know it. And work on your writing some more.

I had expected to need to contact individual theatre companies but especially the one i will be involved with

i am grateful to read that it may be possible to get a shorter version of this play out to a festival audience for example because actually i think a full length production for my first play might be too much for my skills now anyway

However i have only one peice in mind at the moment - i don't know if i will ever get inspired to actually do more

Bloo · Mar 11, 2013

I'm a little disturbed that at least one of the posters here (and possibly two, I need to reread one of the posts) discouraged the OP from pursuing the type of writing he wants to pursue in favor of the novel. Yes it is more difficult to get an original play in the hands of producers and theaters, but not impossible. Most producers/community theater directors/college instructors/HS drama teachers read several scripts a year (sometimes in the hundreds) looking for the "right play" for their company or group of actors.

My advice would echo similar advice above, write what you want to write, then shop it around to community theaters, network, talk to people, be proactive in your theater community and the theater community on-line, enter contests, there are lots of 10-minute play contests out there. Write new stuff for those contests. Network with other playwrights and playwright groups on Twitter. Write, write, write. Write what YOU want to write not what others think you should write, but be prepared to work.

storygirl99 · Mar 14, 2013

I've had several plays produced. I've made almost NO money AT ALL from my career as a "playwright." How did I get produced? I have a strong background in theatre as an actor and director. I wrote parts for actors I knew--actors who were in small theatre companies looking to produce new works. I also submitted to many short play contests. And I wrote plays that I performed myself--okay, these weren't plays in the conventional sense, they were performance pieces, but the fact I had written something that was produced helped to legitimize my playwriting cred.

My advice is to see lots of plays, and write, write, write. It doesn't hurt to get to know some actors/directors who have strong connections to theatre companies and get them behind you. Out of work actors are often willing to participate in informal readings of new plays. but first, there has to be a play to read.

Go for it!

paulcosca · Mar 28, 2013

Bloo said:
I'm a little disturbed that at least one of the posters here (and possibly two, I need to reread one of the posts) discouraged the OP from pursuing the type of writing he wants to pursue in favor of the novel. Yes it is more difficult to get an original play in the hands of producers and theaters, but not impossible. Most producers/community theater directors/college instructors/HS drama teachers read several scripts a year (sometimes in the hundreds) looking for the "right play" for their company or group of actors.

My advice would echo similar advice above, write what you want to write, then shop it around to community theaters, network, talk to people, be proactive in your theater community and the theater community on-line, enter contests, there are lots of 10-minute play contests out there. Write new stuff for those contests. Network with other playwrights and playwright groups on Twitter. Write, write, write. Write what YOU want to write not what others think you should write, but be prepared to work.

Agreed. That's a pretty unfortunate attitude to take with someone, especially a newer writer. Having my work performed, even for just a few people at times, has been some of the proudest moments of my life.

I would say that a talented playwright and a talented author probably have just as likely a shot as one another for getting their work out there. Of course, the way to get your work out there is drastically different for a novelist than it is for a playwright, but the general principles are still the same. Work on your craft, write every day, make personal connections, do your research, and submit to the right people.

JChandlerOates · Jun 2, 2013

5 out of 6 plays I submitted were selected to be produced (almost 50% of the plays in these competitions were produced - - small competitions.
of those 5, 4 were actually produced. I pulled one when a director wanted to turn my sensitive character study of depression into a farce (true story!).
If I had submitted those plays to big competitions (like actors theatre of louisville), I doubt any of them would be selected.

so, there you have it.
anywhere from 2/3 of a person's plays might get produced to as low as 0%.

KTC · Jun 3, 2013

I've had 7 plays produced to date. I'm still trying to crack the full-length play market. I started as a novelist, but I love the way a play removes all that prose and focuses on the dialogue. (-; So I begged a festival producer to give me a chance...and there's really been no turning back. But all seven of my plays are 10-minute plays. I've written 2 full lengths, and I guess I'm just waiting to be asked. (-: Bad strategy, I know. I'm sort of infiltrating the theatre world one 10-minute play at a time. The two playing in Toronto at the moment will, hopefully, get me some recognition. I understand that getting a group to workshop a full-length is one of the first steps. There are reading fests, etc, where this could happen. One of my 10-minute plays has been performed in various places. It was produced in Mumbai, New York, Australia and Utah. I'm still crossing my fingers and hoping that the flukiness that gets me into these opportunistic situations sees one of my full-lengths picked up. (-:

PS: If you want to playwright, playwright. I have NO idea why anybody would suggest that you work on novel writing first. They are two completely different skill sets.

Doug B · Jun 3, 2013

Slightly off topic but, I think, of interest to the discussion:

I run a small, 60 seat theater on a small island in northern Puget Sound. Our winter population is around 3,500 and twice that in the summer.

We recently closed our eighth ten minute play festival. We usually receive 14 to 18 submissions. (The playwright must live on our island). About a fifth of the submissions are not plays (chapters from books, skits, diatribes, don't meet the requirements for submission, etc.) so the chances of getting produced look to be about 50%. However, there are several playwrights that have been writing 10 minute plays for years and they have learned the genre and their chances of getting produced are around 90%.

Out of 7 ten minute plays we produce each year, 2 or 3 are first time playwrights making the odds of a first time playwright getting produced are closer to 20%.

Still great odds of getting produced.

Doug

KTC · Jun 3, 2013

Great breakdown, Doug. It truly is an art-form, the 10-minute play. And, yes, attempts at writing them often go awry. I think it's a great incentive for islanders to participate. I wonder if you ever considered, mid-season, having a workshop to dissect and explain the dynamics of the 10-minute play?

veinglory · Jun 3, 2013

The playwrights that I know who get performed are part of the local theater community, they are not submitting cold.

Doug B · Jun 4, 2013

KTC: I hold a six week play writing workshop every couple of years that focuses on writing a ten minute play. I can go on for hours about the mistakes that new playwrights make, but here are my top two: Trying to do too much in ten minutes and not having a protagonist with a character arc.

Here is my bottom line for budding playwrights: A ten minute play is ten pages. You have 1 to 1 1/2 pages to show the status quo, a half page to upset the status quo so things can never be the same again. 7 1/2 to 8 pages to search and find (or not) a new status quo and half page to show the new status quo.

The best ten minute plays show a character weakness in the first page or so that the protagonist must overcome to achieve the new status quo at the end of the play.

Our audiences love the ten minute format. "If you don't like what you are watching, it will change in 10 minutes". They are so popular that we charge $5 a ticket (half our usual price) and they are still one of our most profitable productions. It takes about 50 people to put on a ten minute playfest: Seven to ten playwrights, seven directors, 20 actors, six in the stage crew, tech people FOH and so on. By the time their friends and families come we are pretty much guaranteed full houses.

Doug

KTC · Jun 4, 2013

Thanks, Doug! It sounds like an awesome festival. And a great opportunity for both theatre peeps and theatre goers in your area. I have 2 plays in a festival happening right now in Toronto and the festival is 28 plays in total. Don't even want to try to figure out all that entails! There are SO MANY people involved. As a playwright, I'm just attending the shows now...putting my feet up and relaxing and being entertained. (-: I love the format. There are several different shows to attend and each one has 6 plays. And so true...if you don't like what you're watching it changes in ten minutes! (-:

Doug B · Jun 5, 2013

"Putting my feet up and relaxing". I should be so lucky. The hardest part of producing our playfest is dealing with the Playwright/Director battles. Every year there are one or two Playwright/Director pairs that come to battle over the artistic interpretation of the play and I have to get involved to calm things down.

We tell the playwrights to step back and let the director do their thing and we tell the directors to honor the vision of the playwright - after all it is a playwrights festival not a directors festival. Most of the problems seem to come from newer playwrights.

However, two years ago, I stepped in to direct a play after the original director became very sick. I had worked with the playwright before and she was a good friend a great playwright and delightful to work with: In the past, she was excited to see what I did with her play. BUT, the play two years ago was very autobiographical - about meeting her mother 20 years after she was removed from the house because her step-father was sexually abusing her. To her, every nuance, every line delivery had to be exactly as she lived it. On the other hand, I had to let the actors find their way through it with my guidance. We argued over almost every sentence.

We never had a problem over the words of the play. Nothing was overtly stated but left up to audience to interpret.

We got through it and the play was a great hit (although many were visibly upset by the subject material) and the playwright and I continue to be great friends.

Doug

How likely is a play to get to performance?

clouddog

Kerosene

Your Pixie Queen

Theo81

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman

clouddog

flapperphilosopher

clouddog

Bloo

Roofied by Rylan

storygirl99

paulcosca

The Paulest of all Coscas

JChandlerOates

KTC

Stand in the Place Where You Live

Doug B

KTC

Stand in the Place Where You Live

veinglory

volitare nequeo

Doug B

KTC

Stand in the Place Where You Live

Doug B