Playwright Mayhem

A considerable absence I know. So I guess you'll be expecting me to have a lot to report. And indeed I do. I've learnt a lot, done a lot and most of all, have developed a hunger for published status and professional productions.

First, the production of Prime Directive at the Royal Military College of Science. I don't think that I've mentioned it on this site before now, but I was acting in the production. This was a challenge, not only for me, but for my wonderful Director, Michelle Addison. Know the expression "walk in another man's shoes"? Try this for size: You're directing a new script. It's a genre that has never been attempted before by your company. To top it all off, you've cast the playwright in the leading role. That's right; I was playing Tom.

This was a challenge in the early days of rehearsals due to the Director's fears that I would try and take over, demand my interpretation of the script and insist on no deviation from my concept. Understandable, but was not the case - as I had to keep on emphasising. The reason I agreed for this production to take place was that I wanted to see what another director would do with it; how did it read to them? How did they want the characters to behave?

In the end we had a fabulous production. This was primarily due to a wonderful cast and stunningly professional back stage crew. But it was the audience feedback astounded us all. We had attempted to conceal my status as the playwright - as such I went by a slightly different name in the programme and the playwright credit was listed as J M Saunders, (my daughter's name is Mia) rather than the accurate Jay Saunders.

Our ruse worked. The audiences were stunned when they discovered that I was the playwright. This made after show appearances slightly more... interesting(?). All the people I met wanted to know how I write, where I get my ideas from and I heard the phrase "I've got a great idea for a play, you see..." more times that I care to recall.

But the feedback that I gained proved to me that I am writing about the right stuff. People believed everything. (I was even described as reminding someone as Pinter! The Ego has landed!) Many attending the play were long lime theatre goes, and semi-pros. And they pointed something out (never to me notably) that I guess that I've always known, but never had considered important before. I don't write theatrically - I write reality for the stage.

Now that might sound weird, so let me explain. Take as an example one of my playwright heroes, Mr Alan Ayckbourne. To me, one of his finest works is Confusions. It is stunningly written, and still employed as an example to us all of the expert use of the theatrical. But take two of the stories it contains to demonstrate the difference between theatrical writing and mine. Between Mouthfuls is written so that the audience experience this infidelity from the sound bites that the waiter overhears in his deadpan manner. In Drinking Companion we witness the desperate attempts of a sexually frustrated male in the throws of a mid-life crisis (albeit fuelled by too much alcohol).

While watching Between Mouthfuls, it takes a new audience a few minutes to realise that we can only hear what the waiter hears; and rightfully the audience thinks 'now that's clever'. In Drinking Companion the advances of the male lead could be taken as offensive and the lead female could come over as dim and chauvinistically weak, unless the parts are played almost to the point of caricature. This is a beautiful example of theatrical writing - and I defy anyone to better this style of writing for a production of this kind.

Yet my writing has been described as 'Lightweight' and 'Conversational'. You will note that I included the term 'Lightweight' in the reviews section of this site. Yes, I am well aware that it can be taken as an insult - but then again, every farce ever written is lightweight - and I would argue that The Importance of Being Earnest' is verging on farce.

The reason my work has attracted these comments is understandable when you realise that, to this date, I have not written 'Theatrically'. The audience attending this last production of Prime Directive described it as Reality. I feel that such a statement is going a little too far. So I would describe it as 'Reality Inducing'. I always state that one of my mantras while writing is to re-enact a fictitious memory. And memory is not theatrical. It's linear. It's surprising. And it has a disturbing way of hitting you when you least expect it. That it what I aim for in my writing.

Maybe this is why I'm having difficulty securing an agent that I can feel comfortable with - as they are not comfortable representing a non traditional playwright? We shall just have to wait and see.
On a writer's note at this point. I wish that the etiquette of approaching agents permitted an enquiry as to why they have passed on your work? After all, it would help the new playwright (and indeed author) to stop making the same mistake twice. Yet, in the current publishing world - one is not allowed to 'pester' agents with such annoyances. Did that sound bitter? Good! As too many agents have forgotten that writers are still human. I understand that they are often requested to read a piles of - insert own expletive - but feedback will hone the skills of the dedicated and able; and discourage re-submission from the lacking. But I digress... Now you know why this section is called Ramble...

But to sum up this production of Prime Directive. I was so pleased with it. For one reason and one reason alone - it encouraged a new audience. By that I do not mean that it was seen by a fresh audience. But I mean that people came along that thought that theatre was not for them. They came, they saw... and asked what other plays they could see. To me, that was the greatest reward any playwright or actor could ask for. And although this was the first two-act play that I have written... it's still one hell of a show. One that can only be summed up by the question I was posed the after each performance: "So when are you going to write the sequel?"

Now for the bit that I don't know if I should include. I should be promoting myself as the greatest playwright living. But to date I have nothing that could back that up. So I'll just go for it. The production of Prime Directive was adjudicated! Mr Bill Newman, a fellow of the Guild of Drama Adjudicators reviewed, critiqued and judged the play. I would tell you what he told us - but then I might have to go back on my words once he had had a chance to compare it to the other plays he had seen (and they included Arcadia and Canterbury Tales). Suffice to say that there will be an 'Oscars' type ceremony on 9 May 03. I'll let you know how the production faired soon after.

So the latest production of Prime Directive is now becoming a distant memory. So what else has been happening in the life of this 'aspiring' playwright.

Most significantly - I've been ill. Throat and ear infections to be exact. Sounds bad to anyone that's had them. But in the reality of a writer - a blessing. I couldn't speak. Indeed, I still sound like a cross between Barry White and Kermit the Frog. But when you can't speak... WRITE! And I have. I have now completed my first one act play; Folio. Click here to see the description. Somehow, mostly driven by my inability to communicate to my family, I managed to write this play in 3 days. An all time record for me; but please remember that I have a young family (daughter's second birthday on the horizon) and a full time 'job' to hold on to at the moment (that's the job I have to hold on to, not the family... No I didn't mean it like that. The family come first. They don't hold me back, it's just that... ever felt like you're standing in a hole and someone's just handed you a spade?)

Folio is a departure for me in two ways: It is the first one-act play that I have written. And it's the first black comedy I've written.

This prompts the question 'do I think of the genre before I sit down and write'? Answer: No. The only thing I consider is the length of the play. I learnt that lesson the first time with Prime Directive. In it's original draft Prime would have run in 2 hours 45 mins! With two productions, it's now runs in 1 hour 50 mins. It would be safe to say that I always (so far) write something comic. That is because I like treading the boards myself. And the greatest thing for me with my 'amateur actor' head on, is gaining audience feedback. And rather than waiting for drinks in the bar; a laugh when it's supposed to occur is the best feedback an actor can get.

But when I write...? I do what comes naturally, to me. I see the story. I write it - injecting humour when I feel it's right to do so. And then when I've finished, that's when I place the 'label' of a category on it.

To be truthful I thought that Folio was going to be an out and out comedy. But then something happened that keeps on happening to me - the characters took over the writing! Maybe if I become famous, this line will appear in dictionaries of quotations, but to me 'writing is nothing more than controlled schizophrenia'. They come alive on the page, they live with you as you write (and disturbingly when your not). They become real and tell you what they would say, not what you want them to say. They get angry, horney, embarrassed, bold, vengeful and compassionate while your writing; that makes your plot become submissive to 'them'. Many fellow writers on Writers.Net have told me that this is a bad thing. I have to disagree. People watch plays and read books to see characters and and become submissive to dynamic plots - not follow formulas.

And that is what happened with Folio. Am I upset? NO WAY. Folio was conceived as a comedy and it turned blacker because of what that characters told me they would do - hence it became, to my eyes, a black comedy. Even so, it is still a work that I am exceedingly proud of. My readers have looked it over and have been stunned by the way the plot turns - and most of them have read everything that I have written and think that they know my style. To me, that means that I have done my job - I'm forcing them to stay awake and wait for the plot to develop, even though they think they know what is going to happen. I have to point out I explained the revelation of the plot to Folio to one reader when I had the idea - so she read it thinking that she knew every turn it would take. When I saw her after she read it, her jaw was nearly on the floor. She had no idea that the counter plots could take the shape they did.

I mentioned in an earlier Ramble that Folio would be a one of two interconnected one-act plays. So at the moment, I am in the storyboarding of the sister play, Shoot. This is more complicated, as I have to get the timing right - as for brave companies, I would like them to show both plays at the same time! But I give more details when Shoot is completed. Trust me, it won't be 3 days - as the timings are taking it out of me at the moment.

So back to the 'aspiring' tag I allegedly hold. To me, that is only what other unpublished writers call me. I am a playwright. I was an aspiring playwright until the day when someone asked me if they could produce one of my plays. Then I became a 'developing' playwright. Once people had paid to see a play that I had written, I became a playwright - no adjective.

Well, Denim is doing the rounds. I was lucky enough to have my manuscript looked at by three of the finest theatrical literary agencies in the UK. Two I have approached before. One was new. And I have to say they're reputations are well deserved. Two had both passed on Prime Directive but were happy to look at Demin. The first told me that I would have to be willing to wait quite a time as they we're inundated at the time - which I thought was exceedingly considerate. For any of you out there that are going through the submission process, you'll know that you feel proud if an agent uses the phrase "we will look over your writing". But to be told, "please send us XXXX, but please be aware that it will take me some time for me to reply as we've had a lot forwarded to us at the moment" is courtesy that is not normally afforded to us 'aspiring' writers. (I hasten to point out that this is not a direct quote, simply the impression given - I will never name agents, or use direct quotes unless specifically requested to do so by the agent in question. However, this agent has gained my utmost respect for treating a new writer as a human.)

Agent number two went further. Not only did he remember me from my first submission (easily lied about - "Of course I remember you! Please send me more". But he named my previous submission (which I had not included in my new request ) and asked how my day-job was going (making references that cited not only my job description, but my position!). I was astounded that he replied in less than three weeks. (Most take three months!). Unfortunately there were two down sides. First he declined representing me. Secondly he did not ask to see any of my future work (he did in the first letter). Will this stop me from asking him again in the future? Nah! Because, as I would expect all good agents to do, he treated me as a human. Each time I have approached him, he has responded with a personal letter - not a photocopy. And for this I thank you. And as such I will recommend your agency to the posters of Writers.Net that ask for information (Click on the emboldened words and you'll be transported to writers heaven. - Ed).

Agent number three. We'll have to wait and see...

The waiting hurts. You are cut off from any form of control of your work. You have to play by their rules. You wrote it with your graft, life and pain - and now they are in command. But this is when you are forced to realise that agents often forget that emotional types like playwright, authors, screenwriters and poets have 'emotions'.

Words of warning!!! If you're writing and someone offers you representation, please do a Google search for the phrase "Predators and Editors" . Use this fabulous resource to check out the agent. I have Rambled before and mentioned that there are people out there that will try and make a fast buck out on an aspiring writer. I very nearly got stung. I won't mention names, but I feel that I came very close to be being scammed. Only my friends at Writers.Net saved me! So be warned.

So, I apologise (as I have to too many people) that I have taken so long to Ramble here. But I hope that these have been worthwhile. Remember me on 9 May 03. I'll be sat there waiting for the results of the awards ceremony. And once I have them. I promise (oh God what have I done!) to have the results on my Ramble, if not the rest of the site, by 0800 Mon 12 May 03.

Take care all - and please keep trying. No matter what your dream is.