How to Move Your Play Ideas from Brain to Stage

Being a playwright is tough. Especially with all the other choices for entertainment in the world at present, it's hard for even established playwrights, great production companies, quality stage directors, and visceral stage actors to really bring out the audiences of today. However, if you are certain that you are blessed with the all important talents to draw interest from friends and strangers alike because you have an interesting story to tell and an interesting way of telling it, then you should do this. Theatre is a business and there are a few things that you can do to help make your stage dreams not only a reality but a plausible one.

1. Move to New York City

I've lived in a few places. I know there is theatre everywhere. I know that people do things all over the world. I know that many people have opinions on why where they live is better. But in general, move to New York. Long Island is too far. Westchester is too far. Even most places in Jersey are too far. You need to be on the train lines; within a short jaunt to get to the places where all your actors are; where your show will go up! You don't want to be sitting in the Lincoln Tunnel when your show is about to go up; it just won't do! Being in the five boroughs (er, four, even Staten Island presents challenges) allows you the freedom to be around all these amazing theatre actors who want nothing more than to be breathing, living, loving your work; and you they. I've been in Los Angeles. I see the relative apathy that people approach theatre with here. Some people are great! Some people love it! But it's different than New York. It's not eight shows a week; it's not 24 hours a day. It's just not the same. LA is for movies; New York is for theatre. (While there are great movements happening all over the country; the level of involvement from all sectors, not just the individual artists, but everyone; is not the same)

2. Write!