Letters to a Young Playwright: Practical and Impractical Advice on the Art of Playwriting

Adam Szymkowicz is that rarest of things: a full-time playwright. In an era when the business of live theatre seems perpetually on the verge of implosion, most dramatists survive only through soul-sucking day jobs, the largesse of patrons or their own families, or writing for television. Szymkowicz has carved out a distinctive niche for himself without relying on big institutions or the brass ring of a mega-hit Broadway production. Each year, his body of work--over thirty sharp, funny, pop-culture-inflected plays animated by an unabashed romanticism--is staged everywhere from big-city theatres to colleges and high schools.In Letters to a Young Playwright, Szymkowicz dispenses hard-earned, unsentimental, and entertaining advice to early-career dramatists. Modeled on Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet, it covers topics like writer's block, self-promotion, and the pluses and minuses of pivoting to Hollywood in insightful and digestible short essays. Perfect for beginning playwrights as well as mid-career writers looking to reinvigorate their craft and career, it contains endlessly useful advice and reflections from one of the most-produced living playwrights in America.

• | Author: Adam Szymkowicz
• | Publisher: Applause Books
• | Publication Date: Sep 24, 2024
• | Number of Pages: 194 pages
• | Binding: Paperback or Softback
• | ISBN-10: 149308819X
• | ISBN-13: 9781493088195