Often, people ask me, “How do you do it?  How do you write a play?”  I usually answer, “I don’t write it.  It writes me.”  They look at me funny, and smile.

I write when I am mad about something.  When I am sad about something.  When I have no power over something and when something happens in my life which is crazy and needs to be documented.  I write when there is strong emotion in my gut that needs to be expressed.  That needs to be let out.

I don’t outline.  I let it find me.  I vomit it out, and then edit and structure it later.  And then I commit to doing it, even before it is in A COMPLETED STATE, because plays are never complete until actors are performing it on stage, so I jump my plays into production as fast as I can.  The production/rehearsal process is where most of the best work is done.

When actors begin to embody your play, you can clearly see what is working and what is not.  I believe every playwright should work with actors on their play.  That is when you are out of the vacuum of your computer or your “Yellow legal Pad” or whatever you create on. (Oh for an IPAD!)   When actors embody your work, it is magic.  It is exhilarating and so much fun!  The “rehearsal” - the group creative process is why they call it a PLAY.  Rehearsals with committed actors are just awesome to me.  A glorious “mindmeld” of creativity and pure fun. What happens in rehearsal cannot be created on a computer or a “Yellow Legal Pad.” It is that gloriously fun creative mastermind experience that very few NON-ARTISTS ever experience — The collaborative creative process.  So cool….  when it works.

Yes, it is not always a perfect experience, but it is always exciting and new.  Much better than that day job, huh?

If you are thinking about writing a play, vomit it out now.  Commit to producing it however you can, even if it is in your living room.

Start the process today.

Play with your play!

With best regards,

Ken Wolf, Artistic Director, Manhattan Rep