Description
Book SynopsisWhat makes someone a playwright?How do their identities and ideas interweave and co-exist?What permanent truths can we discern from examining existing texts?How can we write theatre that encapsulates the contemporary moment?How do we develop an idea from the embryonic impulse to a full and robust piece of theatre? In this fresh, lively and often very funny book, playwright Ryan Craig makes a case for the vitality of playwriting in our contemporary world and offers a way into writing those plays.From the very first moment of the process, as you sit in a coffee shop, staring at your ''laptop yawning open like some big, gormless mouth, the screen a flickering blank'', to seeing your play staged and reviewed, the author takes you through the complete journey. Drawing on his own experience of writing for theatres such as the National, Hampstead and Tricycle and Menier Chocolate Factory, TV drama scripts for BBC, ITV and Channel Four, radio plays and adap
Trade ReviewThis perfectly demystifies the inexplicable art of playwriting. Candid and immediate, a vital companion to playwrights and theatre makers. * Edward Hall, director *
Writing in Coffee Shops is seismic, political and deeply personal. Fascinating about family, class, race and the strange process of writing itself; it's a beautiful, passionate and needed book. * Rebecca Lenkiewicz, Playwright, UK *
This is an often hilarious memoir, an insightful playwriting handbook and a rousing call-to-arms in the face of our dark and tumultuous times. Anyone in the theatre—anyone in general—will find delight and wisdom in its pages. * JT Rogers, Playwright, USA *
At times a book of philosophy, it is also an excellent overview of the theatre, citing examples from the Greeks to Shakespeare and contemporary writers to make points about the ways in which plays can be created. In addition, it contains a great deal of contemporary social and political commentary to add background to the story … An excellent, slightly offbeat manual for those who are considering becoming playwrights or have taken the first steps in that direction. It is also a cracking read. * British Theatre Guide *
Table of ContentsIntroduction Idea Story
1. Structure 2. Distance 3. Character 4. Conflict 5. Reversal 6. Reaction Voice What Next: The Consequences of Resistance
