Stop the real world... I want to get on!

Since I started writing plays, I’ve come up with so many ideas on how I can gain that elusive professional performance. A lot of them were extremely naive. After all, when the adjudicator that saw my first play told me I should send it off to agents, I actually thought that the first guy I sent it to would accept it on his books without question!

Once I alleviated myself of that illusion, I started planning new ways for agents and theatres to take me seriously. First, was getting any form of production. My first play was produced and well received, so why wouldn’t the next play. But this time, I would invite agents to come along and see it.

Dumb! The second production was performed in deepest darkest Oxfordshire. What were the chances of getting a London based agent to travel out to see my play that was being performed by an amateur company? Zero! But I couldn’t see that then. I even felt cheated when it won best overall performance.

Even more so when Denim won production of the year in a regional newspaper (i.e. not local) against 80 other productions. But after that award, I wrote to agents telling them about the win, judged as it was by professional drama critics. My thoughts were that this would make them me seriously. Did they hell. In fact, without exception, not a single agent bothered to reply.

Now, I have to realise that they aren’t interested. And it’s not because my plays are no good, it’s just the fact that they were amateur performances. Amateur to a professional means “no good”, “poor”, “without merit”. Having attended more than my fair share of amateur productions, I know that there are some shockingly bad productions out there. But equally, there are some stunning productions that in some cases exceed their professional counterparts. But I have to accept that the industry does not care about amateur productions – and place no weight behind them.

Does that mean that I will not offer my plays to amateur groups? Not a chance! The amount I have learnt from seeing my words acted before me is immense. And the feedback I have gained from casts, directors and producers… Its better than anything I have ever received from an agent.

I even thought about raising the capital to fund a professional production myself… But then when I saw how much that would cost… I do have a family after all…

Why do I mention this today? Because I entered a debate about this very subject today. I pointed out the realities of amateur performances, raising money, pitching agents… And I felt as though I was being negative. Indeed, I felt that people thought that I was discouraging them from taking their work forward – which of course is the last thing I want to do.

But I am serious about getting that production. And to be serious, I have to accept what is real. Once I’ve done this, I have to get out there and represent my plays in a business-like manner.

Does this take the fun out of the process? Maybe. But I started writing for fun. Now I write to get performed. But one thing hasn’t changed – I still dream.

I have the courage to dream, but I also have the courage to make that dream a reality. And in that reality, you have to realise what allegedly prejudices agents/theatres/production companies against producing your work. Every day I learn something about the theatre business – and more often than now, another barrier is placed in my path…

But am I going to give up? I still have the dream. I now have determined courage to make that dream a reality. So, I find out about new barriers – I just have to find new ways to bridge them.

No one said it was going to be easy.