Breaking News: The value of reading to writing - News Paper

I keep talking about the value of having a reading of your script/play/pilot/screenplay/whatever. Hearing it out loud and getting feedback from people you trust is invaluable. That point was made again last Friday night when I saw my new play, OUR TIME at the Saratoga Arts Center.

First off, the cast and crew did a sensational job. So I didn’t have to worry about them. It was just me and whether my script was working -- that was my main focus. (Note: Thanks again to JJ. David, and all concerned.)

I belong to the EST Playwrights Unit. Every week twenty or so playwrights meet in a living room and members bring in material they’re working on. People weigh in with suggestions. And it’s not like network notes – you don’t have to do all of them. You can pick and choose the ones you want. (If networks had that policy their shows would be considerably better.)

A few months ago I brought in OUR TIME and received some terrific feedback (pro and con). I then went home and did a big rewrite. I threw out the entire last scene, cut a middle scene in half, strengthened motivations, replaced jokes, made trims, sharpened certain story points, brought out the theme more, and just generally made it better.

When I have a new play in production in LA I’m there for rehearsals and can make other changes along the way. For OUR TIME in Saratoga I was 3,000 miles away so my first viewing was the performance. Yes, that’s a little scary.

But as I was watching it I was thinking “Ooooh, I’m glad I changed that,” “Yep, didn’t need that Johnny Carson run,” “that scene moves along now,” “the ending is sooooo much better,” etc. Thank God I had that reading. The play is way farther along as a result.

I also made note of other things to tweak and fix. It’s always a work-in-progress. But I felt a big relief that I had done most of the heavy lifting before the actors had to stage it and learn it and perform it and a paying audience was subjected to it. Okay, it was also fun to hear all the laughter and just enjoy the performances. Once I had determined that the play essentially “worked” I had a great time.

And I owe a lot of that to the reading. Trust me, it’s worth the time and effort. Even if it just means gathering a few of your friends over to your house to read and discuss, it could mean the difference between good and sneaking out of the theatre while the lights are still down.

from By Ken Levine http://ift.tt/2ziuIyw
Breaking News: The value of reading to writing - News Paper