Playwriting in Process: Thinking and Working Theatrically is written to encourage new and experienced playwrights to build techniques for a greater range of creative expression in writing for the stage. The book uses exercises to guide playwrights towards thinking and working theatrically. The exercises help playwrights start or revise their work by providing alternate ways of thinking about their subject and their processes.
New to the second edition: new exercises, a general updating such as the use of the internet, a new chapter for teachers and playwriting group leaders on using this book in class, and end-of-chapter "Call Out" exercises. Useful for playwrights at all levels.
Industry Reviews
"Michael Wright has a passion for theatre -- not theatrical trends or chic stepchildren of theatre -- but theatre, real theatre in all its inherent size and mythic power. He wants those he mentors to inhabit the stage: put their bodies and minds there, and think theatrically. In doing this, he offers concrete advice and takes his readers on his own ever-illuminating journey into theatre. In every chapter, Michael Wright gives his readers invaluable 'assignments'. Playwriting in Process is not a facile how-to book; rather, it is a book which prompts the reader's living engagement. I mentored playwrights for over 30 years and never found a text which satisfied me. Were I still in the classroom, this is the text I would use." -- David Kranes, Founding Artistic Director of Sundance Playwrights' Lab "Here is a book that acknowledges that the most difficult aspect of writing in a play is not the lack of a clear formula, but rather the lack of a process that offers structure without impeding inspiration. Michael Wright's self-proclaimed 'anti-how-to' book is a rare and wonderful gem. His etudes offer a practical road map to the intangible heart and soul of the creative impulse; reminding us that writerly muscles must regularly bend, expand and breathe. With this new edition, Mr. Wright truly takes us to the next level, including 'call-outs' that invite the writer to actively engage the world-at-large as a part of his/her writing process. This is far more than a book of exercises. It is an invitation to focus on the process of writing, rather than the product." - Jeni Mahoney, Artistic Director, Seven Devils Playwrights Conference (id Theater) and Head of Playwriting, Playwrights Horizons Theater School/NYU Tisch School of the Arts "Theatre gives voice to stories that have had no voice. Playwriting in Process helps you to tell those stories that need telling, without forcing them into the moulds of the past. Michael Wright empowers his readers and students to discover more than what worked for some famous playwright once upon a time, but what works for you -- now". - Brian Nelson, screenwriter, "Hard Candy" Michael Wright has a passion for theater - not theatrical trends or chic stepchildren of theater - but theater, real theater in all its inherent size and mythic power. He wants those he mentors to inhabit the stage: put their bodies and minds there, and think theatrically. In doing this, he offers concrete advice and takes his readers on his own ever-illuminating journey into theater. In every chapter, Michael Wright gives his readers invaluable 'assignments.' Playwriting in Process is not a facile how-to book; rather, it is a book which prompts the reader's living engagement. I mentored playwrights for over 30 years and never found a text which satisfied me. Were I still in the classroom, Playwriting in Process is the text I would use. - David Kranes, Founding Artistic Director of Sundance Playwrights' Lab Here is a book that acknowledges that the most difficult aspect of writing in a play is not the lack of a clear formula, but rather the lack of a process that offers structure without impeding inspiration. Michael Wright's self-proclaimed 'anti-how-to' book is a rare and wonderful gem. His etudes offer a practical road map to the intangible heart and soul of the creative impulse; reminding us that writerly muscles must regularly bend, expand and breathe. With this new edition, Mr. Wright truly takes us to the next level, including 'call-outs' that invite the writer to actively engage the world-at-large as a part of his/her writing process. This is far more than a book of exercises. It is an invitation to focus on the process of writing, rather than the product. - Jeni Mahoney, Artistic Director, Seven Devils Playwrights Conference (id Theater) and Head of Playwriting, Playwrights Horizons Theater School/NYU Tisch School of the Arts Theatre gives voice to stories that have had no voice. Playwriting in Process helps you to tell those stories that need telling, without forcing them into the molds of the past. Michael Wright empowers his readers and students to discover more than what worked for some famous playwright once upon a time, but what works for you - now. - Brian Nelson, screenwriter, HARD CANDY
