I don't know whether to laugh, cry, shout for joy or commit ritual seppuku. I may have discovered something that we lowly scribes were never meant to know. It's like a crack in the rusty dungeon door letting a thin streak of light pass through. At the same time, I feel that it's the worst news a writer could possibly hear. Like yourself, dear fellow wordsmith, I have been rejected, subjected, dejected, ignored and abused by those who happen to be in a decision-making position ... many of whom couldn't write a shopping list to save their lives. I have fought back the tears and swallowed the ire from seeing work lionized, that bears a fraction of the craft of my own. I have invested money I could not afford to attend seminars in hopes of improving my work, trying to stretch it's caliber just enough to make it over the invisible bar of acceptance. Possibly for nothing. The truth snuck into a conversation I had with the literary manager at a theatre, to whom I had sent my latest and greatest piece. Actually, it was a sliver of truth, a vague piece of information that will remain etched forever in my psyche. It brings about nightmares, even in the glare of daylight. This literary manager had nothing but nice words to say about my play. But he had no intention of producing it, not even for a "staged reading". Yet, he continued to speak highly of my script. Just when my head was about to explode from the confusion, the schizophrenic judgment from this man...he let it slip: "It's not about the work." Huh? What's that I hear? Oh, just my entire value system crashing to the ground in a pile of rubble. The archeological ruins of a lifetime of ideals. So what is that supposed to mean? It's not about the work? What else would it be about? What the hell am I supposed to do with that? He refused to elaborate any further. In fact, he immediately got defensive and it seemed like he realized he had committed a grave error, allowing a lowly writer to see even that tiny scrap of what lies behind the curtain. I was left with those five nihilistic words ringing in my ears ever since that moment. I realize that the selection of plays to be part of a season requires consideration of things like audience taste, thematic compatibility and practical logistics. But this takes ambiguity to a whole new level. It's not about the work. Like a wave of nausea, the statement haunts me to this day. #
On Writing : The Ultimate Rejection..... (sequel to by David Victor
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It's about marketing to survive. Why you need to think about why theaters may produce certain works at certain times? To interest the widest audience possible. It's not surprising. But you might consider the contests which don't care, or figuring out some marketing angles to make yours more attractive?
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Don't take that one personally. Production is a different world, and yes, writers see their dreams stomped on like Godzilla on Tokyo over and over, but it's differing priorities. There are some amazing stories out there that should see the light of day, but getting someone to take a chance on them, means they need to be confident they can make it worth their money. I once got a treatment for a work in front of a major studio (rhymes with cream jerks), based on a property they had involving a haunted castle full of ghosts and monsters. They liked the treatment, thought it was funny, well written, very faithful to the source, BUT it was rejected as they had a moratorium on creating new non-human characters as they felt it would compete with their other properties- despite having bought a property based on GHOSTS and MONSTERS. It was that moment I saw the nature of the beast, that quality writing was only one portion of the puzzle. Take the good away from it. It's NOT about the work. Your script is quality. Now you just need to figure out where and to whom to market it and how.
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Thank you for your kind words of support, all of you. Yes, it seems that quality writing is only one ingredient (and a minor one at that) in the decision-making process. And not a day goes by that I don't lament the industry not being more of a meritocracy! If I had a time machine, the one guy I'd like to go back and feed contraceptives to his mother, was the guy who coined the vicious lie: "Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door." Sadly, the world doesn't give a crap about the quality of its mousetraps, or its entertainment, for that matter. And a lot guys with deep pockets are invested in the old mousetrap and don't want to see a new one built anyway.
BTW: If you haven't read "A Matter of Determination", my primal scream for respect for writers, it's below on this page. :-)
Playwrights have always had to deal with the patron issue. Oscar Wilde's Lady WIndermere's Fan is an example of doing what will get on, yet being subversive. This era has more freedom.
You have to keep plugging along, someday they will regret not picking your play!
I had the privilege of going to work for a regional theatre that had rejected one of my plays -- it was returned UNOPENED! From the inside, the realities of theatrical production came to light. The Artistic Director who had rejected my play told me, "We are a non-profit organization, but we cannot even keep the doors open if we don't produce either recognizable work, or work by known playwrights. During the over three years I worked there I can only recall her breaking that rule one time -- producing a work that was recommended to her by another theatre owner on the east coast. It's a tough road. One answer is to produce your own work -- then you REALLY find out how hard it is to make a profit in theatre and what is required to do that!
I've put on my own plays with a shoestring budget, and that's been tough enough. Yes, I don't doubt the fiscal realities theatres face. Sadly, it's turning theatre into "the movies". It used to be that theatres put on works just because they were excellent and counted on a savvy audience to come along for the ride. Nowadays, there's a great deal of pressure for theatres to mount fluff works, "popcorn" as I call it, and starring known actors from the ranks of television sitcoms. Even in classical music, orchestras have had to program "favorites" and light stuff. In my vocab, there are few words more contemptible than "audience friendly". Let's dumb down the world. Oops, too late. (pardon my soapbox)
Enjoyed your "soap box." Unfortunately, the reality of theatre production is not going to change. Thank God for the many start up and lesser known producers and venues we have here in San Diego. We do get to see a variety of live theatre and I'm grateful!
Beautifully put my friend. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for your kind words. I just hope this stuff reaches out to other writers in the creative-sphere and arms them before they go fight the great battle to win respect for their work.