Chair of the New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Dramatic Writing Program and mentor to such theatre figures as Neil LaBute, Kenneth Lonergan, Doug Wright, and George Wolfe, Janet Neipris distills a career's worth of wisdom, advice, and encouragement in these collected lectures and essays for every playwriting student and practicing playwright. With her gift for succinct and practical instruction, she lays out the questions (and answers) that face every dramatic writer. Chapters like "Fifty Questions to Ask About Your Play" illuminate the concrete work of writing dialogue, plot, scene, and act. Through it all, Neipris never forgets the joy of writing. This is an essential book that will coach and inspire anyone writing a play or a script.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
With an educator's care and a playwright's insight, Janet Neipris has compiled a thoughtful and eloquent collection of her essays and lectures which, when taken to heart and properly adhered to, offer the aspiring writer a roadmap to artistic fulfillment.
–Richard Wesley, Chair, Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing, Tisch School of the Arts, New York University
Here is so much more than merely a list of nifty, useful rules. Janet Neipris's extraordinary book overflows with the warmth and affirmation and--dare I say it?--the love that art demands of artists and audiences alike. It is essential reading not only for playwrights but for all people who love good theater. Its keen, personal insights blend seamlessly with practical, hands-on observations that illuminate the elusive challenges confronting creators of dramatic expression from the moment they write 'Act One, Scene 1'.
–Richard Walter, Writing Chair, UCLA Film School
This book is indispensable for the neophyte; for the veteran playwright, it is an engaging reminder of the challenges, techniques, and occasional exhilarations of our craft. If I were teaching, I would assign it.
–Doug Wright, author of I Am My Own Wife
Neipris's book is packed with personal wisdoms and practical insights that will prove invaluable to any playwright.
–Mark Ravenhill, author of Shopping and F***ing
–Richard Wesley, Chair, Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing, Tisch School of the Arts, New York University
Here is so much more than merely a list of nifty, useful rules. Janet Neipris's extraordinary book overflows with the warmth and affirmation and--dare I say it?--the love that art demands of artists and audiences alike. It is essential reading not only for playwrights but for all people who love good theater. Its keen, personal insights blend seamlessly with practical, hands-on observations that illuminate the elusive challenges confronting creators of dramatic expression from the moment they write 'Act One, Scene 1'.
–Richard Walter, Writing Chair, UCLA Film School
This book is indispensable for the neophyte; for the veteran playwright, it is an engaging reminder of the challenges, techniques, and occasional exhilarations of our craft. If I were teaching, I would assign it.
–Doug Wright, author of I Am My Own Wife
Neipris's book is packed with personal wisdoms and practical insights that will prove invaluable to any playwright.
–Mark Ravenhill, author of Shopping and F***ing
About the Author
Janet Neipris is a Professor of Dramatic Writing at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Her own plays have been produced nationally and internationally at theatres including the Manhattan Theatre Club, the Arena Stage, the Goodman, the Royal National Theatre, London, and the China Arts Theatre, Beijing. She has lectured around the world on playwriting as craft and art.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
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This review is from: To Be a Playwright (Paperback)
I found these essays, which address the day-to-day rules for writing a play, filled with such deep and comfortable wisdom that they can easily and usefully be taken as addressing the rules for living a good life as well. They will inform any class of young playwrights with wonderful insight into the theater; but they'll also make for a nice evening of pure pleasure in the company a warm, smart, sensible, humorous writer--whose own story of how she became a playwright is nothing short of inspiring.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Real Thing,
This review is from: To Be a Playwright (Paperback)
I've read scripts for a living and taught writing, and have been looking for a book like this to recommend. It's the perfect combination of "How To," inspiration, and encouragement. In most writing books you can't find much real content; maybe one or two nuggets buried in the many pages. This book is chock full of real helpful information. It's the real thing. It also addresses the fears and realities of life as a writer which is funny, encouraging, and inspiring.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Inspirational Journey,
This review is from: To Be a Playwright (Paperback)
As both a playwright and teacher of playwriting, I find this a unique book. It is inspirational both to playwrights in the field and students of playwriting. It gives me inspiration to keep on "Keeping the Flame" and comfort in seeing myself in Ms. Neipris' journey. My students,I feel will find inspiration in the role model Ms. Neipris provides as they identify with her playwright's journey. Never a "How-to-do-it" book, never a textbook with exercises and assignments, this is a beautifully crafted, personal and affecting book for every playwright young or old, and for all devotees of the theater. A must read!
Shirley Lauro, playwright/novelist/screenwriter
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
For me, the stage will always be a place where large things happen. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, South Africa, Shi Wei Jin, Madame Zaza, Cultural Revolution, United States, After Marseilles, Three Exercises, Tisch School of the Arts, Beijing Film School, Ministry of Culture, Arthur Miller, Forbidden City, Cape Town, China Youth Arts Theatre, Emily Mann, John Guare, Los Angeles, Richard Walter, Shirley Lauro, Tennessee Williams, Tiananmen Square, Eden Garden, Frank Galati, Israel Horowitz New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
For me, the stage will always be a place where large things happen. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, South Africa, Shi Wei Jin, Madame Zaza, Cultural Revolution, United States, After Marseilles, Three Exercises, Tisch School of the Arts, Beijing Film School, Ministry of Culture, Arthur Miller, Forbidden City, Cape Town, China Youth Arts Theatre, Emily Mann, John Guare, Los Angeles, Richard Walter, Shirley Lauro, Tennessee Williams, Tiananmen Square, Eden Garden, Frank Galati, Israel Horowitz New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 67
books:
See all 67 books this book cites
- A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry on 4 pages
- Three Sisters (TCG Translations) by Anton Chekhov on page 74, page 78, and Back Matter
- Far Away by Caryl Churchill on page 76, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Sam Shepard : Seven Plays (Buried Child, Curse of the Starving Class, The Tooth of Crime, La Turista, Tongues, Savage Love, True West) by Sam Shepard in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Plaza Suite; a Comedy in Three Acts by Neil Simon on page 218, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
See all 67 books this book cites
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