Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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

I had a divided reaction to this book. On the positive side (and most of my reaction was positive), Sweet offers some wonderful insights into the profession of the dramatist, as well as some very welcome discussions on how to avoid common traps and pitfalls. He also offers some excellent and often shrewdly humorous analyses of the mistakes made even by greats like Shakespeare, Miller, and Simon (And know what? He's right). In addition, in the face of today's too-common dismissal of musical theatre as inconsequential, it's refreshing to hear Sweet's enthusiastic defense of such Sondheim gems as "Sweeney Todd" and "Forum." The book is well-written in a light, conversational manner that makes it a lot of fun to read.

On the down side, I was really, really disappointed in Sweet's opening chapter, which still casts a pall over "Dramatist's Toolkit" for me as a whole. It's unfortunate that such an otherwise helpful book nevertheless opens with a blunt, narrow, and chapter-long definition of who should attempt the life of a playwright (the journalist) -- and who shouldn't (the prose writer). As this is supposed to be a general "toolkit" to assist any attempting the art of the dramatist, Sweet's dismissal of a huge number of writers who do not meet his criteria for success is doubly disappointing.

I'm not knocking journalists (I am one), but Sweet's starting-gate assumption that a versatile writer can't straddle more than one genre surprised and disappointed me, especially in the face of such obvious successful exceptions as William Goldman, Larry McMurtry, W.B. Yeats, John Steinbeck, and many more.

Only in a small closing paragraph to this chapter does Sweet offer any acknowledgment at all that -- perhaps -- the prose writer can use his book to learn to overcome the built-in handicaps associated with his or her genre, and write a good play.

Yet to be fair, overall this is an excellent book that should probably sit on the shelf of any working or aspiring playwright. Just don't always expect to agree with him.

Its brevity aside, the most striking feature of Jeffrey Sweet's The Dramatist's Toolkit is that it's not written like most playwriting texts. Instead of ponderously essaying Aristotle (though if you want a good analysis of Poetics, I'd recommend Hatcher's Art & Craft of Playwriting), Sweet cuts to the chase of negotiations and subtext. His is the only book on playwriting that I've ever seen to really get to the heart of creating scenes (and the better part of the book focuses on just this).

Because of this emphasis, this is not going to be the book you should refer to for structure; again, Hatcher is strong there, as is Gordon Farrell's Power of the Playwright's Vision (the only text I've seen to give numerous structural breakdowns). However, Sweet's advice - taken well, and with the usual pinch of salt - is very liberating to the writer who's been struggling against formulaic playwriting texts.

Sweet's book is worth its cover price based solely on its discussions of negotiations, which really are eye-openers as to how subtext really works. His section on exposition, with a discussion on high and low contexts, is likewise strong. The book is great as a reference while doing your actual writing, just to remind you of things you can really make work.

Now, Sweet's a bit brief (but powerful) in this book, but makes up for it in the sequel, Solving Your Script. The latter is a reinforcement of the ideas from The Dramatist's Toolkit, with enlightening, well annotated examples. Together, they make up a powerful combination addressing what is so rarely touched on in playwriting books: how to actually write powerful, subtle scenes. Combine them with a couple of good structural books like Hatcher or Farrell, and you've got a much better basis than most of the formulaic texts.

Just a quick note to rephrase my previous post on this book from September.

Upon reconsideration, I think my first review of this book (especially in light of how much I enjoyed it overall) was too harsh in its discussion and dissection of the first chapter, which I had then found so discouraging. I re-read Chapter One again the other day, and it's not really as much of a downer as I made it out to be. While Sweet's first chapter certainly doesn't paint an easy picture of making the transition from straight fiction to scriptwriting, he does offer hope for those crossing formats with a discussion of the necessary skills which will be vital to doing so successfully.

Besides, upon reflection, it seems to me that this is actually a better way to prepare people for the very real hurdles they will face in writing for the stage. Those who persevere anyway in spite of the knowledge that most playwrights are not driving Rolls-Royces, or who recognize the difficulties Sweet describes -- and then learn the new skills necessary to jump into writing for the theatre -- are the ones who probably then have the best shots at making a go of it.

The rest of the book is just as excellent as I mentioned last time -- humorous, informative, conversational, and very easy to read.

So -- just thought I should be fair and add these few additional thoughts to my previous rant! (I was having a bad day when I wrote the previous review, and I think I took that opening chapter a bit too personally!)

After you've learned the basic ingredients of a play (for which I recommend Buzz McLaughlin's "The Playwright's Process"), this is the single most useful text available on the subject of playwriting. Sweet's advice on exposition in dialogue will change the way you write -- and think. His fascinating discussions on violating rituals and negotiation also will influence your work. Sweet's ideas on improvisation are equally intriguing. In addition to his writing ideas, Sweet also suggests how you might create an ongoing forum with other playwrights to read and discuss one another's works-in-progress. All playwrights want to be produced and here, too, Sweet has some extremely practical ideas for moving a play from page to stage. Anyone who wants to write a good play -- or improve one they've already written with some focused editing -- should order this book today!

Dramatists Toolkit is one of the best books on playwriting for the exact reason that it is concise and specific. It deals with concrete, specific areas of the craft instead of grand, overweaning theory. The problem with most, practically all, playwriting texts is that they start with grand theories and are dogmatic to the point of almost being formulaic. Sweet's book talks about specific components of plays and playwriting, and gives concrete examples and exercises so that a working playwright can actually try things out and come up with solutions and ideas. An earlier reviewer said that it was thin and that you could read it in two hours. Well it's thin but muscular - most of the words actually mean something and have valuable points to make. I read most playwriting books in about 30 minutes, because 95% of them are filled with seemingly grandiose but in fact simplistic theories of "what a play is." Most of them are for beginners who know nothing about what a play is and how to write it; Sweet's book is for the working playwright, from novice to professional.

If one is serious about learning to write drama, this is the place to start. A big help getting words on paper in the beginning. Doesn't concentrate on specific page numbers of a 100-page work, rather it gives good advice on the nitty gritty. I have found it very helpful.

The great thing about this book is in the title. It really is a toolkit - an assortment of techniques, craft tips and ideas for helping to make scenes work onstage. Particularly valuable is the stuff about negotiations, and use of objects.

Most books by accomplished practitioners of any theater craft - directing, playwriting, etc. - are flawed by a basic difficulty the writer has in discussing, in practical terms, how he or she actually does it. The books that do go into detail about craft are often written by people whose accomplishments in that craft are questionable. Mr. Sweet, who has actually written compelling and successful plays, is able to discuss various ways he and other writers actually do the work.

When he discusses how Peter Stone introduces the delegates in 1776, how Shakespeare uses a handkerchief to make an emotional impact in HENRY VI, how Mamet and Albee handle exposition, how characters negotiate in STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, he is really opening up a world of craft ideas for scriptwriters to use.

His sections on ethics, practical advice and screenwriting are all valuable material from the life experience of someone who makes his living in theater - and who knows the day-to-day ins and outs of the business.