Play Suggestions: SLIGHTLY UNSUAL QUESTION ABOUT PLAYWRITING

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SLIGHTLY UNSUAL QUESTION ABOUT PLAYWRITING

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Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Play Suggestions
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URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5245
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Topic: SLIGHTLY UNSUAL QUESTION ABOUT PLAYWRITING

Posted By: Rackety
Subject: SLIGHTLY UNSUAL QUESTION ABOUT PLAYWRITING
Date Posted: 1/16/12 at 7:00pm

Hi,

In my postgraduate dissertation, I’m looking to the ways in which the playwriting process could be transformed and fitted to interactive online environment. I know, it’s strange, but that’s my subject.

I am now looking for some interesting examples (historical or contemporary) of collaborative work (both offline and possibly online) on one play. Anyone has any suggestions?

Thank you in advance so much!

Replies:

Posted By: donzolidis
Date Posted: 1/17/12 at 9:39am

Talk to Jeffrey Sweet - the man is a walking compendium of the history of playwriting and probably knows a ton of these.

I'd just search him on facebook and then send him a message asking for his help. He's an extremely helpful person with tons of knowledge.

As for examples, I can't think of many of the top of my head. But playwriting has always been a collaborative enterprise - even before the internet - Lorraine Hansberry rewrote A Raisin in the Sun nightly during her New York rehearsals - she was in Chicago, the play was in New York, she would read her morning rewrites over the phone to Lloyd Richards. (One famous incident has him literally cutting and pasting the lines from three or four separate versions of the same scene to make the final version - she reportedly said, "you're never doing that again, it works - and it stays, but you're never doing that again."

You should also try to find the dramaturg-list-serv, which would be an invaluable resource for you.

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www.donzolidis.com

Posted By: Rackety
Date Posted: 1/17/12 at 10:42am

That is an extremely helpful post. Thank you so much, donzolidis!

Posted By: bnk01
Date Posted: 1/20/12 at 5:59am

Maybe tangentially related... have you heard of the "Avatar Repertory Theatre" - it's a theatre company producing plays entirely within the virtual world of "Second Life".
How the writing of plays will be affected by having actors that are not bound by any physical limitations will be interesting...

Posted By: DWolfman
Date Posted: 1/22/12 at 12:37pm

I second the Avatar Repertory Theatre and think they may be exactly what Rackety is looking for:

http://www.avatarrepertorytheater.org/ - http://www.avatarrepertorytheater.org/

They are an online group in Second Life and have weekly presentations of staged readings, monologues, dramas, and improvisations which are usually presented on Livestream for the folks not registered in 2L. I'm sure many of the playwrights would enjoy discussing their work.

Last summer, ART requested short plays be submitted for their "Virtual Short Play Buffet." The finalists received readings of their work and 2L members voted for which ones should get full productions. You can view much of it here:

http://www.livestream.com/thevirtualshortplaybuffet - http://www.livestream.com/thevirtualshortplaybuffet

(some content not workplace friendly)

It is also interesting to note that there are limitations in 2L that must be addressed in writing for the group such as problems in physical interaction of the avatars, restricted facial use, physical usage of limbs and body parts. While the setting and props can be wildly imaginative, the avatars themselves are quite problematic.

-DW-

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Even a man who is pure of heart...

Posted By: Rackety
Date Posted: 2/07/12 at 8:48pm

Thank you very much for your posts. I really appreciate all of your help.