Picking the Plays

I can hardly believe it is almost time to start making selections for Plays and Playwrights 2009. Actually we are pretty set on 3 of the plays but you'll have to wait a while to find out what they are. But there are lots more to add. Yes, we do keep a list and we keep adding to the list until we have to make a decision. Of course FringeNYC is a great place to get a gander at a whole slew of new works all in one place and we (and many of our associates we trust) will be looking at lots of productions come August that just might make it into the new book.

Why do we want to see the play before we decide if we want to publish it? Why not sit at home, feet up on the sofa with a nice doughnut in one hand and a stack of scripts to read? Because, in our estimation, a play is a performance -- it is the playwright connecting with a live audience. And you can't get that in your living room under the reading lamp, all alone.

We look to see what the playwright is trying to do, to say, to create. We want to see if this works on stage, if his thoughts can be tranformed into actions and speech. We try to feel the reaction in the room: Do the jokes work? is this really how people behave? Do we care about the characters? Are we watching satire or a tv sitcom? Is the situation ironic or just plain dull? And so many other questions.

If a play is produced, no matter how small the production, it is an indication that someone cares -- probably a whole bunch of someones. Without a production there is no input from actors, director, designers -- all giving their own 'take' on what the author wrote, all caring that the final result is a worthwhile endeavor. And when there is a production we know the playwright cares. He wants to see if all those keystrokes he typed on a piece of paper amount to something on stage. He wants to be sure that those that will put on his play understand it and are willing to give it their all to make sure it really 'works' for the audience.

So off we go to continue our quest for Plays and Playwrights 2009.