How to Get Your Play Produced
I had my first play produced at the age of nineteen—a one-act play at a small theatre in East Orange, New Jersey. Two years later, I had another one-act play produced at the Hudson-Guild Theatre in New York City. That play went on to be rewritten into a full-length play and produced Off-Broadway. I have had my plays produced in NYC and Los Angeles, and in my humble opinion, the best way to get your play produced is to produce it yourself.
Create Your Own Opportunities
My first two plays were produced the traditional way, by submitting my work to theatres. But at that time, I was young, ambitious, and impatient. I did not like the feeling of having to rely on other people to get my plays produced. I didn’t want to wait for someone to decide to invest in my play. So I took matters into my own hands. I built my own Off-Broadway theatre on 42nd Street in the heart of the theatre district in NYC.
Now that may sound a bit extreme, but as a playwright and artist, you have to be willing to take risks. You need to throw caution to the wind; to believe in your dream with such profound, unconditional faith that you have to be prepared to sacrifice everything. That said, find a way to produce your own play. By any means necessary. You may have to start out simple at first in the sense of set design, cast size, and set changes, but by keeping some of these elements of a play to a minimum, you reduce cost, which increases the chances that you will be able to produce your own show. If you are creative you will find that you can produce a play for very little money.
Hone Your Craft
Before you start investing your time, money, and energy in producing your play, make damn sure that play is ready to be produced. One of the biggest mistakes I made as a young playwright was that I did not fully learn the craft of playwriting. I learned to write plays by reading plays, but I now realize that was not enough.
During the production of one of my plays, the director and producer came to me and asked me to write another scene to end the play. They told me they felt the play was not finished, that it needed something more. I disagreed, I liked the way the play ended, and to make a long story short, I never wrote that extra scene. I later regretted it.
As time passed and I had time to reflect, there was no doubt that the play needed another scene. Although the play had a successful run and was well-received, it was not finished. Looking back on it, I had made a mistake. I was arrogant and egotistical. I believed that what I had written was sufficient when it wasn’t. Several prominent producers and publishers had come to see this play and perhaps if I would have written that final scene it may have altered the course of my playwriting career.
Make sure your play is ready to be produced. That means putting it through multiple staged readings to get feedback for rewrites. Workshopping the play with actors. Don’t make the mistake of writing a couple of drafts of a play and think it’s ready to be produced because it’s not.
Study the craft of playwriting. Take a reputable writing class. Find writing workshops where you can share your work with other writers. Consider getting a creative writing degree. Anything that will make you a better writer. Most of all, you have to write. You should immerse yourself in the craft of playwriting.
Submit Your Work
It is not easy to get your play produced, so you want to do everything you can to boost the chances that your play will see the light of day. In addition to creating your own opportunities, when you feel your play is ready submit it to theatres, here are some things you can do:
Research the theatres you are planning on submitting to. Target the theatres you feel may be interested in the kind of plays you are writing.
Write a cover letter and submit your work to agents. Now, this can be a bit of a catch-22, because many agents won’t read your play if it has not been produced by a theatre company and most theatre companies will not read your play unless submitted by an agent. This is not necessarily true. If you feel confident about your play, submit it anyway. Who cares if you don’t have an agent or the plays never been produced. You have nothing to lose.
I have had my plays read by prestigious theatre companies just on blind submissions. Ultimately, my play didn’t get produced by those theatres but I was notified that my play was read and considered for their upcoming season. The point is you never know unless you submit it.
You have to be relentless. You will be rejected, embrace it. That is just the nature of being a writer, but keep submitting. There will be times when you are down, discouraged, but never give up. Find a way to fight through the pessimistic thoughts and feelings—they are counterproductive to your creativity and quality of life.
Believe In Yourself
If you master your craft and have a strong work ethic, you will find a way to get your play produced. Have confidence in yourself and your ability to write a great play. Do not allow your ego to get in the way of you growing as a writer and artist. Work your ass off, try and write every day. Believe in doing the impossible. Have faith that if you put the work in, the universe will reciprocate the energy that you are emitting.
Be kind to yourself. Take care of your mental and physical health. Create a self-care plan and include things like taking time to be in nature, exercise, and making a gratitude jar. Learn to treat yourself with compassion and empathy. Keep the people you love close to you. Although writers at times need seclusion, make time to be with friends and those you care about.
As a writer you are on a journey, this journey is lifelong. The path you have chosen is not a simple one. On occasion, it is a trail filled with sadness, disappointment, and despair. But if you believe with a full heart that you are meant to be a playwright, then follow your bliss and live your dream.