The most important step in playwriting

In my monthly playwriting group, I spend a fair amount of time giving advice to new and aspiring playwrights. Many become frustrated because they're unable to get productions, even with the proliferation of playwriting contests over the last few years.

Well, the problem, to me at least, is obvious. If you want to get produced, then you've got to write plays that theatre companies want to do. And that means things that are easy to produce: small casts, simple set requirements.

It also means that you've got to write plays that audiences want to see. It doesn't matter which demographic you're targeting: sophisticated urban adults, small town families, whatever. You have to have someone in mind that you're writing for.

That mean seem like obvious advice, but it isn't. I recently gave feedback to a playwright who loves to dramatize the stories of the Brothers Grimm. In all their original, bloody glory.

The plays are very well-written. But who's going to see them?

Adults won't because they're fairy tales. Kids won't because they're too violent.

I've also seen 10-minute plays with 6 scene changes and dozens of characters. These can be hilarious, but they read more like a short film than a piece meant for the stage. Trust me. Cash-strapped, understaffed theaters don't need the hassle.

Obviously, if your main reason for writing is to express yourself, then write what you want and don't worry about getting produced. But if your goal is to see your works come to life, then don't whine if what you've written doesn't fulfill the needs of the marketplace.

After all, no one owes you a production.