I was wondering if anyone has advice on how to get your work to see the light of the stage and getting your plays published. Writing a novel, which I have done and trying to get a publisher interested in your book is pretty straight forward process. You write a book that has a target audience and your story is put into a book for your audience to read. Either they will or will not like it, and either the publisher will or will not take on the risk. Plays and getting them published is another ball of wax. The play that you wrote must interest a director and gain traction with a theatre company while engaging an audience with the production of it. The publisher of a play has that double edged blade that they have to dance on. Is the story and writing good, and will it attract directors, theatre companies and put butts in the seats?
So how do you get a company interested in putting on a play that you wrote, and when you do get your play published by a publishing company, what does your rights as the creator look out and what should you be weary of?
I look forward to your feedback and thank you for your time.
Gavion E. Chandler~
'Man is his own devil.'
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Hi Gavion E. Chandler, I don't know much about this process but I'm commenting so that your post can reach my wider network. I'm hoping someone I'm connected to here can provide you with clear advice and insights.
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Gavion E. Chandler The first thing I would consider doing is filing a registration with the US copyright office to protect it. The following is second-hand knowledge passed down from a friend who produced her own. After you've filed it, consider entering it into contests, (Kaplan comes to mind) then connect with local theater companies and see if anyone will read it and perhaps even, produce it. Then move on to play publishers. Here's a list: https://www.tckpublishing.com/play-publishers/
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Thank you and I appreciate the heads up and the link.
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Gavion E. Chandler , I used to run The Drama Book Shop in NYC so I do know a bit about the world of play publishing. I'm not sure that your focus should be on publishing your play rather than getting it produced. The success of a published play is primarily based on the success of it as a production. Plays can be pretty inexpensive to produce yourself, in a small local theatre (or setting) and I see from your profile that you are working on that. Get the play up, and keep doing it, if it has value for you to do so. Best wishes!
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That's good advice, Domenic Silipo - I can't remember the last non-published play that I paid money to read but I recently reread Mamet's Glengary Glen Ross as a way to revisit something I was blown away by when I saw it live.
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Sam Sokolow , that's one of my favorites, as is much of Mamet's stuff. And what a great film it was too!
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Gavion E. Chandler , I spoke with an old friend today who used to work for Samuel French (one of the biggest, if not THE biggest publishers of plays). He confirmed that the main requirements for publishing is the number of, and success of productions. Though it certainly may be different with some smaller publishers, theatre companies look to secure rights of well-known plays, as that's what sells tickets. I see you're from VA. I once did a play in a little black box in Dunbar, VA.