Dramatist's Toolkit,The: The Craft of the Working Playwright [Paperback]

Jeffrey Sweet (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0435086294 | ISBN-13: 978-0435086299 | Publication Date: November 1, 1993

In The Dramatist's Toolkit, playwright and Backstage columnist Jeff Sweet offers an intensive and practical guide to being a working playwright. In this informative guide, Sweet discusses such matters as:

• The building blocks of playwriting
• How characters relate to one another
• The differences and similarities between musicals and plays
• Screenwriting vs. playwriting
• and much more!

Jeff Sweet offers guidance for the beginning playwright and advice for the seasoned professional.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jeffrey Sweet's plays - including Porch, The Value of Names, and Routed - have been presented off-Broadway, internationally, and in a variety of regional and developmental theatres. His American Enterprises won the American Theatre Critics Association Award for play-writing. His book for the musical What About Luv? won the Outer Critics Circle Award, and he is the author of the book and co-author (with composer Melissa Manchester) of the lyrics for the musical I Sent a Letter to My Love. Sweet has written drama, sitcom, miniseries, and TV movies for ABC, NBC, and CBS. His work has won the Writers Guild of America Award and been nominated twice for the Emmy.A popular teacher and author of many newspaper and magazine articles, Sweet is also the proud father of Jonathan Sweet.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Heinemann Drama (November 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0435086294
• ISBN-13: 978-0435086299
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 5.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #138,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Aside from writing scripts (plays, musicals, TV stuff, the odd screenplay), I write about writing, teach writing, run workshops in improvisation, occasionally direct, and sometimes perform. It is my great pleasure to serve on the Council of the Dramatists Guild, to be resident playwright of the Victory Gardens Theatre of Chicago, to be a member of Ensemble Studio Theatre and to be an alum of New Dramatists. I live in New York, but frequently travel to participate in productions of my stuff or to teach guest workshops at universities and professional schools.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delivers what it promises-tools of the craft of playwriting., September 24, 1998

By 

walter (Rego Park, N.Y..) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dramatist's Toolkit,The: The Craft of the Working Playwright (Paperback)

Sweet's book is a valuable compilation of tools for playwrights. It contains original concepts, not just a rehash of other playwriting books. Negotiation over objects, high and low context dialogue, violating rituals, the unspoken concept and characters speaking with different voices are all extremely useful tools which have changed my writing for the better. After reading "Toolkit," I went back and reread Pinter and Albee and Ibsen and others. Sure enough, they utilized these tools in their plays. I just never recognized them before. This book is a quick and entertaining read - probably about two hours. But the concepts have to be practiced. The only thing Sweet doesn't do in this book is write your play for you.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BEST BOOK ON PLAYWRITING I'VE READ, September 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Dramatist's Toolkit,The: The Craft of the Working Playwright (Paperback)

I like to read, and I like to write plays. The not-too-surprising result is that I've read a lot of books on playwriting. Jeff Sweet's The Dramatist's Toolkit is by far the best I've read. With most books on playwriting, I count myself lucky to learn one or two tips I find useful. In the Dramatist's Toolkit, I marked ten interesting points in the first three chapters alone. Sweet is extraordinarily gifted in analyzing why something works in a play and presenting the analysis in a readily understandable way. His discussions of the difference between literature and a play script, the need for audience participation in a play (and how to create it), the use of objects, the transformation or destruction of objects, and the way in which the use of space can illuminate different aspects of a play are all right on the money. While I would recommend this book strongly to anyone thinking of writing a play, I do think it is especially useful to the working playwright struggling to solve a specific problem in a specific script. Just as a wrench is most useful if you have a nut to loosen, and only a paperweight (or blunt instrument) otherwise, The Dramatist's Toolkit is most useful when a deadline looms and a scene just won't jell. If that happens to you, a quick reading (or re-reading) of this book will surely provide several ideas worth trying.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Basics with Clarity, Brevity, and Wit, January 29, 2000

By 

Jeff Barker - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dramatist's Toolkit,The: The Craft of the Working Playwright (Paperback)

I teach college playwriting, so I've read lots of these books. My ideal book for use in the classroom (and for my own review as a writer) is one that strikes a balance between clearly describing the basic principles, providing inspiration and courage for the journey ahead, and leaving enough time to actually write! Jeff Sweet's "The Dramatist's Toolkit" is my current choice. This book introduces a few especially useful tools. It also provides enough biz illustrations to make the beginner feel in safe hands and make the road-weary glad for Sweet's wise and witty companionship. I recently spoke with a dramaturg who said that Sweet's chapter on Ethics was the best writing she'd seen on that subject. I heartily agree. The final sentence in the Ethics chapter is well worth becoming a calligraphied, fancy-framed plaque posted high above the callboard for future generations to hide in their hearts.

Jeff Barker, Professor of Theatre and Playwright in Residence, Northwestern College, Orange City, Iowa