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Post by samuelwhiskers on May 14, 2020 18:08:07 GMT
The thing is, most playwriting competitions are "no experience necessary." That includes huge, prestigious playwriting awards which are known as career-makers. "No experience necessary" doesn't mean it's aimed at casual hobbyists. There's nothing stopping the casual hobbyist who only writes for fun from submitting to Bruntwood or VBA. If a hobbyist is able to write an amazing play, that's great! But those awards were created with the intention of giving a profile and a career boost to emerging writers who aren't yet established but are serious about pursuing playwriting professionally. If you enter as a hobbyist you'll be competing against professional playwrights with buckets of experience, past professional productions and MFAs in Theatre and all sorts of other advantages.
And writing a full-length play is hard. Everyone thinks they can write a book or a play, but very few do. Why? Because most people have no idea how hard and demanding it is to even finish a first draft of a full-length work (which is why poetry and short story writing is so popular), let alone go through the whole redrafting and editing process. That's why zillions of people have the first few pages of something they started and abandoned languishing in a drawer somewhere, or a really great idea for a novel they've been meaning to start writing down for the last 10 years.
Having said that, I feel like we're getting sidetracked into an interesting but irrelevant side path. The point remains, this competition was explicitly designed in order to provide a professional platform for people pursuing a career in playwriting. Not a hypothetical hobbyist.
The request that WhatsOnStage make a minor change to their entry criteria in order to bring their competition in line with industry standards doesn't exclude any hobbyist writers from applying; in fact it does the opposite. So why the vitriol towards people who have already achieved success for wanting theatre competitions to be more open and accessible to those who are starting out?
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Post by samuelwhiskers on May 14, 2020 14:30:48 GMT
But are those truly "amateurs" (ie people with no desire or ambition to write as a career, who are doing it purely as a fun hobby and a way to kill some time), or people who are trying to pursue writing as a career but haven't yet reached the level of earning an income from it? I bet anything if you looked at those novella entries, most would be from people who were at least somewhat serious about trying to become novelists. And the rest would be passion projects that people had been working on for months or years, not written specifically for the contest.
To be very clear, and this is important: no one is objecting to the contest itself, or to the prize money. No one is saying "WhatsOnStage shouldn't run this contest unless they can pay £5,000!!"
They’re saying “the contest/prize money is fine but WhatsOnStage should follow industry norms and either only ask for a plot summary and first ten-pages, OR accept previously written plays."
ETA- WhatsOnStage’s stated that this award was created to give a aspiring playwrights a platform and a professional production opportunity. Strongly implies it was not aimed at casual hobbyists just doing it for fun and to fill some spare time.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on May 14, 2020 11:58:23 GMT
Well how are you defining “professional”? Very few emerging or even mid-scale writers earn a living from writing. You appear to be making a distinction between people trying to pursue writing as a career who aren’t yet earning money from it, and people with no desire to be career writers who can just knock out a full-length play as a bit of fun and way to pass the time. This competition is aimed squarely at the previous category. I doubt many people in the latter exist. The open mic comparison is good. There is a comedy club in my road that runs open mic slots for aspiring stand-up comedians, unpaid. One of the UK's most famous stand-ups also lives in my road - he hasn't complained that the open mic people should be paid £5000 for their sets like he would be which is exactly what Eldridge is suggesting. Nonsense. “Open mic events” already exist for playwrights. I’m helping out with one this evening. They’re called short play nights and are extremely common. There are a thousand events where aspiring/emerging writers can submit ten-minute plays for a one-off performance as a way to develop their skills, test their work in front of an audience, network with fellow creatives like actors, and have something to invite agents to. Absolutely no one objects to them or insists they should be paid or paid more than a token sum. That’s the equivalent of an open mic night, not this. This is the equivalent of expecting an aspiring comedian to do a two-hour set (which must be brand new; pre-existing material banned!) at the Hammersmith Apollo and if they’re good you might give them £500. Accepted practice/industry standard is that you don’t ask for a full-length, written-to-purpose new play without a standard commission fee. The normal way competitions like this work is to ask people to submit a one-page pitch/plot summary and ten pages of the script. The winner then delivers a full script. (Or to ask people to submit previously written full-length plays.) It’s baffling that WhatsOnStage decided not to follow industry norms, and doing so would be far more effective in encouraging “amateur” writers to enter. (Writing a full length play is HARD. The idea that loads of amateur hobbyist writers will be able to dash off a full-length play just for fun within the time period is naive.) Surely coming up with an idea and a plot and writing the first ten pages would be just as satisfying for your “amateur writers” who just want a creative way to pass the time in lockdown, as writing a full play? Nothing stopping them from writing the rest of it if they want to.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on May 14, 2020 11:21:20 GMT
I didn’t get the impression at all that this was aimed at amateurs who just fancied doing something creative to pass the time. Competitions like this are generally aimed squarely at professional emerging writers.
And you have to look at things in context. There are a thousand playwriting contests (aimed at aspiring/emerging career playwrights) that ask the earth and have insane restrictions yet offer very little reward. This is not a one-off, it’s the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Most playwrights are not middle class, unless you mean only the famous ones. Discrimination and class barriers and the many insidious ways those barriers are enforced within theatre is something I research and talk about as part of my daily job. There are so many ways emerging writers and especially women or those from marginalised backgrounds get treated like crap. I could tell you stories that would curl your hair. That’s why practically the entire playwriting community is up in arms about this, because we know all these stories and we’re looking at it in a different context.
It’s easy to look at it out of context from the outside, and see it as a nice little thing. But for those of us who live in this world and rely on it, it’s part of a pattern of new writers being treated badly and disrespected in a hugely discriminatory system.
I don’t understand why David is being singled out for such nastiness when hundreds of playwrights (including many unknown/emerging playwrights) were equally if not more vocal in criticising this competition.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on May 8, 2020 0:27:03 GMT
The Wooster Group have made some of their productions available to stream from their website. Astoundingly, the RSC Troilus and Cressida is not one of them. thewoostergroup.org/blog/
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Apr 27, 2020 14:47:44 GMT
A group of Equity members have signed an open letter complaining that the current Equity leadership have a history of mistreating ethnic minority members and engaging in "box ticking". This open letter was a response to an Equity meeting that took place on 9th April. I wasn't at that meeting so I can't comment there. That meeting was precipitated by an apology statement Equity's leadership made a few weeks ago, after Fox (who is not an Equity member) sued them over tweets the Equity minority ethnic members' sub-committee (EMEMC) made in January.
Timeline January: Fox made racist comments on Question Time. The EMEMC tweeted condemning those comments. Equity accessed their Twitter account without their knowledge and deleted the tweets, changed their Twitter password, then issued a statement lying that the tweets had been sent by a "rogue tweeter". All nine members of the EMEMC resigned. An unknown individual gained control of the Twitter account and used it to send personally abusive and trolling tweets, attacking the former EMEMC chair by name and calling him a bitter failed actor. March: Fox sued Equity, Equity settled out of court, paid him a huge sum of money, and released a statement apologising for the EMEMC tweets.
The whole thing is a nightmare and both sides were in the wrong. The EMEMC's tweets were unwise and rash, and left Equity open to legal threat. I have many friends who declined to sign the open letter for this reason. On the other hand, Equity have really thrown the EMEMC under a bus, and a lot of the current ill will could have been avoided if they'd just talked to and tried to work with the EMEMC, rather than acting in such a high handed manner. A big part of the complaint is that Equity leadership just didn't communicate with their elected peers in the sub-committee. They went in and deleted the EMEMC's tweets rather than asking them to delete their own tweets, and they issued a statement apologising for the EMEMC without bothering to tell them ahead of time.
There's a s**tton of stuff that's happened behind the scenes which few people outside of Equity are aware of. The Fox case is the most high profile, but Equity has a horrendous record of systemic racism, tolerating and covering up abuse, and of throwing ethnic minority members under a bus.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Apr 25, 2020 9:45:14 GMT
My first screening matinee!
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Apr 24, 2020 22:14:46 GMT
Perhaps if theatre starts small some of the bigger names could be involved with the smaller fringe/off west end/pub theatres to help the whole industry start up again. Many of them have links to those theatres in various ways and it would help publicise them opening up again. I remember Francesca Annis being involved with the new format Bush Theatre so why not others getting involved, let's face it no matter how much we all speculate this is a unique situation so there could be many surprise twists and turns ahead of us. It's an interesting point. Certainly the Bush has nurtured the careers of so many now-high profile actors and writers, and has so many celebrity supporters, they would be able to do this. Ditto the Orange Tree. Other, newer venues might struggle. The flipside would be the backlash against those venues for ignoring or snubbing emerging artists. There was a big (and imo totally stupid and tone deaf) backlash on Twitter against the Headlong Isolation filmed play series thing, because some of the playwrights and actors announced are established names.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Apr 23, 2020 9:54:43 GMT
I booked twice so I could see both versions, then JLM was off the night he was supposed to play the creature so Cumby took over that role and the understudy played Frankenstein. So I wound up seeing Cumby’s creature twice, which is fine, but glad to finally have the opportunity to see it the other way round.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Apr 13, 2020 18:12:47 GMT
What exactly is the criteria to allow a show (NT Live and/or archival) to be broadcast online to the general public? Surely it's more complicated than just getting cast/directors/everyone involved to waive royalties? Do they need to do that for every show? Sorry if I sound really stupid but this has been bugging me for years rather than just as COVID came along. It depends on multiple factors. Whether it's new writing, or a classic for which performance rights had to be acquired. What elements of the production requires special rights. I know there are productions the NT are desperate to livestream where all the creatives have said yes but where music rights are proving a major snag. I've been surprised by the choices so far. 1M2G is a slam dunk because it was so popular and has such broad appeal. Jane Eyre feels more niche, and the staging of that production is less accessible to a non-stagey audience. 12th Night and Treasure Island feel more aimed at a young audience, which is slightly odd for a 7pm timeslot.# Fine productions all, but not the lineup of commercial big hitters I would have expected. I expect this eclectic range will continue, and we'll continue to see a broad mix of comedy, classics, youth shows and more challenging work. I'd love to see Follies, London Road, Master Harold and the Boys, and Nine Night. The 7pm start doesn't really matter as they're still available afterwards. That's very true, but they're advertising it as being an 'event' and a big part of the appeal is in creating an ersatz communal experience, via things like live tweeting, or just the knowledge that thousands of others are watching at the same time. Choosing a children's show feels like a less obvious choice, but it's good that they are obviously trying for a range.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Apr 13, 2020 17:38:16 GMT
Golly, most people where I live aren't paying the slightest bit of attention to social distancing or staying indoors (or at least only in as much as they need to to avoid being arrested) and clearly think it's a load of guff. A woman in the supermarket yesterday asked me to put her basket back for her, and flabbergastedly and loudly took the piss that I used the corner of my jacket to avoid touching it with my bare hands. Our local pub was doing lock-ins till last week.
Look at all the reports on the news about sunbathers and picnics and illegal parties.
There are plenty of people who'll jump at the first chance to get on a plane or attend a social gathering. The question is whether enough of them are theatregoers, and whether theatres will have enough money to give them something to attend.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Apr 13, 2020 17:05:36 GMT
I've been surprised by the choices so far. 1M2G is a slam dunk because it was so popular and has such broad appeal. Jane Eyre feels more niche, and the staging of that production is less accessible to a non-stagey audience. 12th Night and Treasure Island feel more aimed at a young audience, which is slightly odd for a 7pm timeslot.#
Fine productions all, but not the lineup of commercial big hitters I would have expected.
I expect this eclectic range will continue, and we'll continue to see a broad mix of comedy, classics, youth shows and more challenging work.
I'd love to see Follies, London Road, Master Harold and the Boys, and Nine Night.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Apr 10, 2020 9:23:20 GMT
Imelda sat behind me at the RSC once.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Apr 7, 2020 15:35:23 GMT
‘Covering McKellan’ is delightfully bitchy.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Apr 7, 2020 13:42:12 GMT
I followed the link last night but didn't get anywhere. As I don't have an IG account maybe that was the reason why I couldn't see anything on her IG page. What did she sing please? I'm really gutted I missed this as I wanted to hear her do something from the Drifters Girl show. I checked by logging out and you do need an account to view IG stories. Though there are (potentially dubious) third party websites that let you watch stories while not logged in. To view with an IG account, you have to click on the circular profile photo on top left.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Apr 3, 2020 9:42:41 GMT
I also spotted myself near Christine Paterson Have we seen "Christine" in anything else? Or do we reckon part of her contract was to never take another acting part ever again to keep the mystery alive? Did the "candelight dinner" suggestion happen at every performance? Her name’s Polly Conway. She was in Doctors once but I don’t think I’ve seen her in any other stage productions.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Apr 2, 2020 8:41:03 GMT
*Points at signature*
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Apr 1, 2020 13:55:39 GMT
The theatres I’m currently working with are making their plans on the assumption they’ll de-open around June, but with the warning that nothing is certain or predictable. A production of mine was supposed to open in May and is now scheduled to start rehearsals in September and everything (casting, contracts, accommodation) is being sorted out with the assumption that by September everything will be back to normal.
Who knows what will happen or whether they are being crazily optimistic.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Mar 27, 2020 19:39:44 GMT
I made a spinach and roast sweet potato salad, which makes a nice change from my usual lunch of gin and regret.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Mar 27, 2020 7:36:28 GMT
What does the tweet say? His tweets are protected.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Mar 26, 2020 8:03:41 GMT
Twitter is very annoying when it repeatedly suggests "Who to follow" or has a rash of showing me what others have liked, but that comes in phases and I simply go through the "likes" saying I'm not interested - since there's no option to say "Stop messing around with my feed"! Oh you can! Click on the blue star at the top right of your feed and change it from “top tweets” to “show latest tweets.” That will show you only tweets by people you follow in chronological order, not likes or anything else.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Mar 26, 2020 2:46:17 GMT
I’d like it if industry people who get drunk at press nights and loudly slag off my playwright mates as untalented hacks who don’t deserve their success would stop tweeting about how those same mates are the most amazing writers slash geniuses and should win 1000 Oliviers and be made President of Earth.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Mar 25, 2020 7:48:48 GMT
Same. I had Blithe Spirit booked for 17th March and haven’t been contacted by ATG.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Mar 23, 2020 11:24:56 GMT
Fun scenes at the final performance of 7 Streams at the National the other weekend.
There was a guy on one side of me who coughed throughout, and a woman on my other side who randomly started yelling at the person in front for "inappropriate neck moving." During the main interval angry neck lady blocked the aisles chatting so coughing dude couldn't get in, he got shirty with her, and she responded by giving him her glass of wine as an apology.
Strange times.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Mar 23, 2020 11:21:19 GMT
Favourite word: Defenestrate. Least favourite word: Mucus. What turns you on: Empathy, compassion, and curiosity. What turns you off: Cliquishness. Favourite sound: Thunderstorms, my cats snoring. Least favourite sounds: Any made by my neighbours! Other profession I'd like to do: Doctor. Other profession I'd not want to do: Teacher.
If heaven exists: "Sorry, clerical error, you're not due here for 40 years."
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