The Playwright Flashcards

1
Q

Why “Playwright” and not “Playwrite”?

A
  • “Wright” means “maker”
  • Playwrights make plays
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2
Q

What do Playwrights create?

A
  • Copies of human life by creating a “language” for characters
  • Dialogue for characters to say to one another that:
    > Forwards the plot
    > Reveals character
    > Express ideas
  • They must write words that are: More active, More intense… than everyday speech or a novelist words
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3
Q

Where do playwrights get their ideas?

A

Ideas can come from anywhere:
- Overheard conversation
- Current events
- News headlines
- Injustice

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4
Q

How long does it take to write a play?

A
  • 7 days to 7 years, depends on the playwright
  • There’s even 24 hour play festivals that happen around the country
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5
Q

How do playwrights work?

A
  • Some work alone and some collaborate with theatrical colleagues
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6
Q

Playwrights that write the dialogue for musicals are called …

A

Book-writers

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7
Q

Those who write the words for the music are called…

A

Lyricists

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8
Q

Those who write both the dialogue and the words for the music are called…

A

Librettists

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9
Q

Where do playwrights come from?

A

Most work within the “theatrical world”
- perhaps they are actors now or were previously
- perhaps they write for his/ her own theater troupe,
> Moliere wrote for himself and his troupe
> Shakespeare wrote for his fellow actors based on their strengths
- Some come from outside the theater world “newcomers” and “insiders”

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10
Q

What are “Newcomers” known for?

A

Having the gift of ignorance and might not follow the traditional: Form, Style, Length, and Subject matter

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11
Q

What do “insiders” write about?

A

Social insiders write about specific topics
Ex:
- African-American playwrights that write about social issues that pertain to the Black community
- LGBTQ playwrights that write about issues within their community
- Feminist playwrights that write about women’s rights

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12
Q

Who is Edward Albee?

A

American playwright who wrote WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?

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13
Q

Who is Charles Cordone?

A
  • An actor, director, teacher
  • Wrote NO PLACE TO BE SOMEBODY
  • First Pulitzer Prize ever awarded to an African American playwright
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14
Q

Who is AUGUST WILSON?

A
  • wrote THE PITTSBURGH CYCLE
  • Recent Broadway production JITNEY won the Tony Award for Best Play Revival
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15
Q

What is The Pittsburgh Cycle written by August Wilson about?

A
  • it is a series of ten plays, each set in a different decade, and depicts various aspects of the African-American experience in the 20th century
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16
Q

What are the maxims playwrights follow?

A
  • Write what you know
  • Write action, not speeches
  • Write for actors, not readers
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17
Q

Do playwrights have rules?

A

No

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18
Q

Playwright as Screenwriters, they…

A
  • Often write for TV Shows and films
  • Similar style of storytelling between playwriting and screenwriting: Length, Dialogue
19
Q

Define screenplays

A

Film scripts

20
Q

What are other professions playwrights can thrive in?

A

Copywriters, Editors, and Content writers

21
Q

Define copywriters

A

Copywriters create advertising copy and marketing material for companies

22
Q

Define editors

A

Editing things like books, poetry, other playwright’s scripts, or articles

23
Q

Define content writers

A

A playwright could write blogs, manage social media accounts, or write articles online.

24
Q

Getting the play produced…

A

Often, playwrights will have workshops of their plays or simple read-throughs to hear their play out loud

25
Q

The play in rehearsal…

A
  • Many changes can happen to the script from the first read through to first rehearsal and even up to opening night
  • Some Changes can be “painful” to make because they might be great scenes, but need to be cut for time purposes or for other reasons
  • Actors can get a better sense as to why the characters they’re playing say the things they say when they say their lines out loud
26
Q

Broadway standard for the pay of a playwright (% of the theaters weekly gross from the production):

A

Usually 6%
> A Broadway hit = $1,000s per week
- modest success = $1,000 or less per week
Shifting more towards a profit share model with a small weekly guarantee

27
Q

How much does Lin-Manuel Miranda make off of Hamilton?

A
  • Hamilton made over $1.7M this week
  • He gets 7% of the box office each week giving him about $120,000 per week
  • He also gets a ROYALTY CHECK of $105,000 every week the show is on the road
28
Q

What are 2 of the more prominent organizations that handle rights to plays and collect royalties for the life of the play’s copyright?

A

Dramatist Play Service and Concord Theatricals

29
Q

What are royalties?

A

Payments to playwrights for permissions to produce their play

30
Q

The Copyright Law of 1977 states that…

A

The Author’s life + 50 years is how long one would have to pay to get rights to the play and produce it

31
Q

What is good playwriting?

A

Good play must do more than just entertain, although they must do that at a minimum

32
Q

When did Shakespeare die?

A

April 23rd, 1616

33
Q

When was Shakespeare born?

A

April 23rd, 1564 ** (Year is not known)

34
Q

Who did Shakespeare marry and what were the names of his children?

A

Anne Hathaway
3 Children - Susanna and twins Hamnet and Judtih

35
Q

Sometimes around 1585-1592, Shakespeare began a career as an actor, playwright and part owner of the __________ ___________________ ________ , an acting company

A

Lord Chamberlain’s Men

36
Q

How many plays did William Shakespeare wrote?

A

38
> A Midsummer Night’s Dream
> Hamlet
> Macbeth
> Othello

37
Q

How many sonnets did William Shakespeare wrote?

A

154 Sonnets

38
Q

How many narrative poems did William Shakespeare wrote?

A

2
> Venus and Adonis
> The Rape of Lucrese

39
Q

Other facts about Shakespeare:

A
  • His play have been translated into every major living language on Earth
  • His plays are performed more often than any other playwright. Even after 400 years!!!
  • He invented over 1700 words including: Eyeball, Bedroom, Puking, and Elbow
40
Q

What were the 4 major categories of Shakespeare’s plays?

A
  1. Tragedies
  2. Comedies
  3. Histories
  4. Romances
41
Q

Examples of Shakespeare’s tragedies:

A

Hamlet and Macbeth

42
Q

Examples of Shakespeare’s comedies:

A

A Midsummer Night’s Dream and As You Like

43
Q

Examples of Shakespeare’s histories:

A

Henry IV part 1 & 2, Richard III

44
Q

Examples of Shakespeare’s romances:

A

Pericles and The Winter’s Tale