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How did you get started with a career in playwriting ?
I am currently writing/submitting to festivals in my spare time. I'm wondering what the entry points are for playwriting as a career, especially as a career switch. Is it necessary to pursue an MFA? Are there specific fellowships or incubator programs I should be exploring? Or should I be looking to get into a writer's room?
Thank you so much for your time!
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Brian’s Answer
What a wonderful question and right in my wheelhouse. I've been a playwright for a little over ten years. I began my playwriting career before I began my masters degree. I had little experience writing, but from my acting work I was able to understand the format of a script. You do not have to have a degree to be successful as a playwright. However, to have a career as a playwright (being your primary income) is extremely difficult. Most playwrights draft plays for the love of the craft. I have had about 50 plays make it to stage and about 95% go uncompensated. I write for community theater and they normally don't pay the actors, writers, or directors.
If you want to become a successful playwright, link yourself with some strong networking sites. I have found plenty of opportunities on social media, mainly Facebook. But there are sites out there designed to help writers. Playsubmissionhelper.com charges a nominal fee, but they have a pretty comprehensive list of theater companies looking for plays. But before you submit, I suggest finding a workshop to help you analyze your work. I run one on Facebook and we meet once a month. I tell the writers to run the play through the workshop, listen to the feedback from other writers, and go from there. These workshops, at least mine, costs nothing to join. And the feedback can really help out.
I hope this helps you out. I wish you the very best of luck, from one playwright to another.
Join a workshop
Explore theater submission sites
If you want to become a successful playwright, link yourself with some strong networking sites. I have found plenty of opportunities on social media, mainly Facebook. But there are sites out there designed to help writers. Playsubmissionhelper.com charges a nominal fee, but they have a pretty comprehensive list of theater companies looking for plays. But before you submit, I suggest finding a workshop to help you analyze your work. I run one on Facebook and we meet once a month. I tell the writers to run the play through the workshop, listen to the feedback from other writers, and go from there. These workshops, at least mine, costs nothing to join. And the feedback can really help out.
I hope this helps you out. I wish you the very best of luck, from one playwright to another.
Brian recommends the following next steps:
Thank you so much, Brian!
C
Updated
Rebecca’s Answer
I would like to propose a new career direction for playwrights and writers in this rapidly evolving AI landscape. The main reason AI generated video often looks 'fake' or uncanny isn't necessarily that the models are lacking; it's that people misunderstand how to use them. We shouldn't treat AI as the producer or director that comes up with the emotional core of a scene. Instead, we should treat it like a cameraman or a VFX artist.
For example, AI currently struggles to understand and generate nuanced human emotion on its own. If you prompt it to 'create a sad scene,' the result will likely look artificial. However, if a playwright uses their skills to translate that emotion into concrete visual stage directions -> instructing the AI to focus on atmospheric details like 'slowly falling autumn leaves in dim, cool lighting'. When AI excels, creating a natural and advanced cinematic effect. Because playwrights are already experts at visual storytelling and stage directions, they are perfectly positioned to pivot into new careers as AI Video Prompt Engineers or AI Content Directors.
For example, AI currently struggles to understand and generate nuanced human emotion on its own. If you prompt it to 'create a sad scene,' the result will likely look artificial. However, if a playwright uses their skills to translate that emotion into concrete visual stage directions -> instructing the AI to focus on atmospheric details like 'slowly falling autumn leaves in dim, cool lighting'. When AI excels, creating a natural and advanced cinematic effect. Because playwrights are already experts at visual storytelling and stage directions, they are perfectly positioned to pivot into new careers as AI Video Prompt Engineers or AI Content Directors.
Thank you, this is amazing! I really needed it.
Mina