Dan Ennis here. I'm a dramaturg and playwright with The Inkwell. I, along with nine other D.C. artists, attended a two-day class this weekend focusing on director-playwright collaboration, taught by director Wendy McClellan and playwright Liz Duffy Adams.
A little background on me: I'm a journalist in my other life, so when Wendy and Liz said that the main point of this two-day drill was clearer communication, I felt like the knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail who thought the drawbridge guard was merely going to ask him his favorite color. “That’s EASY!” I’m in communications. I get a B just for showing up, right?
Then it dawned on me: If it’s so EASY, why are people being paid to teach classes on it? Because it’s EASY for your fellow collaborators to misunderstand you.
Directors: Have you ever asked a playwright what he or she wants to get from a workshop, only for the playwright to say, “It would be good for me to hear it”? Have you ever told a playwright, “It would be good for you to hear it”? The point of this workshop is to know when to ask, “What, specifically, are you listening for?” (This can also help in the dreaded audience talk back, when folks respond right after a performance to a play in progress... often a terrifying experience for the playwright.) Be specific with the needs of your process.
Playwrights: When pitching your work for a potential workshop, keep the talk positive. There are numerous ways to say, “I’m open to rewrites.” For example, “I’m not married to the text” might not only be construed as dismissive. It could also invite an inexperienced director to royally mess with your play. Perhaps say your play is “in process.” Remember, directors are taught to have visions and concepts. Have a fluid discussion about your boundaries. Hopefully, a healthy, specific discussion will help both sides expand those boundaries to commonality.
Another point of this class is to become a better, more active listener. If you’re engaged in a conversation with a collaborator and you hear anything vague, ask him or her to clarify. A lot of miscommunication pitfalls can be avoided through specifics.
Playwrights: Want to make sure the director “gets it”? Ask him or her to tell you the story of the play.
Directors: Want to know if your vision for the play is right? Read the play again after coming up with your concept. A collaboration is about neither the director nor the playwright. It’s about the play.
Finally, come out of your initial meeting with specific goals. When are you meeting again? What is each collaborator bringing to the next meeting? If there’s a task involving more than one person, define “we.” Who’s doing what?
Playwrights: Don’t be tempted to take a passive role. Know your role and own it.
Directors: This play is just a draft. If part of it doesn’t work, you don’t have to “solve” it. The playwright should hear if it doesn’t work.
Clear communication won’t make every collaboration perfect, but it should help all involved get more of what they want out of the process.
As for me, this class was a nudge to better articulate my goals and pay closer attention to how I express them.
The first photo shows director Wendy McClellan sharing her wisdom at the workshop. The second photo shows playwright Liz Adam Duffy speaking as our illustrious Artistic Director Jessi Burgess listens. Photos by Melissa Blackall
A little background on me: I'm a journalist in my other life, so when Wendy and Liz said that the main point of this two-day drill was clearer communication, I felt like the knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail who thought the drawbridge guard was merely going to ask him his favorite color. “That’s EASY!” I’m in communications. I get a B just for showing up, right?
Then it dawned on me: If it’s so EASY, why are people being paid to teach classes on it? Because it’s EASY for your fellow collaborators to misunderstand you.
Directors: Have you ever asked a playwright what he or she wants to get from a workshop, only for the playwright to say, “It would be good for me to hear it”? Have you ever told a playwright, “It would be good for you to hear it”? The point of this workshop is to know when to ask, “What, specifically, are you listening for?” (This can also help in the dreaded audience talk back, when folks respond right after a performance to a play in progress... often a terrifying experience for the playwright.) Be specific with the needs of your process.
Playwrights: When pitching your work for a potential workshop, keep the talk positive. There are numerous ways to say, “I’m open to rewrites.” For example, “I’m not married to the text” might not only be construed as dismissive. It could also invite an inexperienced director to royally mess with your play. Perhaps say your play is “in process.” Remember, directors are taught to have visions and concepts. Have a fluid discussion about your boundaries. Hopefully, a healthy, specific discussion will help both sides expand those boundaries to commonality.
Another point of this class is to become a better, more active listener. If you’re engaged in a conversation with a collaborator and you hear anything vague, ask him or her to clarify. A lot of miscommunication pitfalls can be avoided through specifics.
Playwrights: Want to make sure the director “gets it”? Ask him or her to tell you the story of the play. Directors: Want to know if your vision for the play is right? Read the play again after coming up with your concept. A collaboration is about neither the director nor the playwright. It’s about the play.
Finally, come out of your initial meeting with specific goals. When are you meeting again? What is each collaborator bringing to the next meeting? If there’s a task involving more than one person, define “we.” Who’s doing what?
Playwrights: Don’t be tempted to take a passive role. Know your role and own it.
Directors: This play is just a draft. If part of it doesn’t work, you don’t have to “solve” it. The playwright should hear if it doesn’t work.
Clear communication won’t make every collaboration perfect, but it should help all involved get more of what they want out of the process.
As for me, this class was a nudge to better articulate my goals and pay closer attention to how I express them.
The first photo shows director Wendy McClellan sharing her wisdom at the workshop. The second photo shows playwright Liz Adam Duffy speaking as our illustrious Artistic Director Jessi Burgess listens. Photos by Melissa Blackall
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