Dear Member,
When I was first handed a copy of Incisions, the anthology of plays by Stage & Screen members, I was skeptical. A part of me felt like it was a waste of time to read anything that wasn't by an established playwright, and I must admit, I was a little irked to find that my name wasn't among the winners (even thought I had not entered the contest). But the title "Nobody Knows I'm a Dog" by Alan David Perkins intrigued me, so I sat down for a read.
As I made my way through the play, an interesting thing began to happen: I started to actually view the piece from the perspective of a playwriting student, studying Alan's characters, dialogue and plot analytically. Afterwards, I felt enlightened in a way that I had never experienced from listening to an instructor setting down the rules of good dramatic writing. It dawned on me that there is no better teacher than reading plays by others who are themselves growing as writers. You see what works, what doesn't work, and why. You begin to see the flaws in your own work and how they can be corrected. And, of course, you get to be entertained by a fellow playwright.
I contacted Alan by e-mail, congratulated him on his achievement in the Stage & Screen community and asked him some questions about his experiences as an emerging playwright. It was nice to hear that we shared many things -- the gratification of seeing our work produced in New York City, disastrous experiences trying to get an agent and a deep sense of appreciation for the many people who do theater because they love it and not just for financial gain.
Let's face it, we playwrights work in isolation, often sustained mostly by dreams of seeing our work performed on Broadway. Often, we overlook the fact that other playwrights can be a great source of support and education. That's why Incisions is so important. Reading it is one way to feel connected to and inspired by your fellow Stage & Screen writers. We are all part of a small, passionate community and no matter how competitive the business gets, sooner or later one realizes that we're all in this together.
Who knows? Reading Incisions might also motivate you to enter your work in next year's competition. And, if you simply consider yourself a theater enthusiast, it might be all the challenge you need to finally put pen to paper. Then you too could see your name in print in our next anthology.
Wendy Aron
Stage & Screen Associate and Playwright