About this ebook
A concise guide to playwriting to awaken creativity, from a playwright who has taught the subject for over a decade.
“If you want to be a playwright, here’s your bible.” —David Lindsay-Abaire, author of Fuddy Meers and Wonder of the World
During the more than ten years that Sturt Spencer has taught playwriting, he has struggled to find an effective handbook for his courses. Although most of the currently popular guides contain useful ideas, they all suffer from the same problems: poor organizations; quirky, idiosyncratic advice; and abstract theorizing on the nature of art. As a result, they fail to offer any concrete information or useful guidelines on how to construct a well-written play. Moreover, few of these books are actually written by working playwrights. Out of frustration, Spencer wrote his own. The result, The Playwright’s Guidebook, is a concise and engaging handbook full of the kind of wisdom that comes naturally with experience. Spencer presents a coherent way of thinking about playwriting that addresses the important principles of structure, includes insightful writing exercises that build upon one another, explores the creative process, and troubleshoots recurrent problems that playwrights actually face.
“The Playwright’s Guidebook is indispensable. Clearly and thoroughly, Mr. Spencer—a playwright himself—leads all playwrights (not only the beginner) through the travails of creation and the jungle of production.” —Edward Albee
“Eureka! A clearly written, well-structured, intelligent how-to book about playwriting. Like the good teacher and good writer that he is, Stuart Spencer guides rather than browbeats. Should be next to the laptop of any aspiring, or working, playwright.” —Warren Leight, author of Side Man
“If you want to be a playwright, here’s your bible.” —David Lindsay-Abaire, author of Fuddy Meers and Wonder of the World
During the more than ten years that Sturt Spencer has taught playwriting, he has struggled to find an effective handbook for his courses. Although most of the currently popular guides contain useful ideas, they all suffer from the same problems: poor organizations; quirky, idiosyncratic advice; and abstract theorizing on the nature of art. As a result, they fail to offer any concrete information or useful guidelines on how to construct a well-written play. Moreover, few of these books are actually written by working playwrights. Out of frustration, Spencer wrote his own. The result, The Playwright’s Guidebook, is a concise and engaging handbook full of the kind of wisdom that comes naturally with experience. Spencer presents a coherent way of thinking about playwriting that addresses the important principles of structure, includes insightful writing exercises that build upon one another, explores the creative process, and troubleshoots recurrent problems that playwrights actually face.
“The Playwright’s Guidebook is indispensable. Clearly and thoroughly, Mr. Spencer—a playwright himself—leads all playwrights (not only the beginner) through the travails of creation and the jungle of production.” —Edward Albee
“Eureka! A clearly written, well-structured, intelligent how-to book about playwriting. Like the good teacher and good writer that he is, Stuart Spencer guides rather than browbeats. Should be next to the laptop of any aspiring, or working, playwright.” —Warren Leight, author of Side Man
Ratings and reviews
4.0
7 reviews
Susan Cinoman
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September 17, 2016
This is the seminal text for playwrights. It distills into understandable terms the crucial but complicated ideas of action, pursuit and obstacle. Structure is hard won but once achieved, life changing for a writer. Go there!!
Donald Tongue
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October 14, 2017
I can't describe it any better than Edward Albee's one word review on the front cover - "Indispensable."
A Google user
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January 17, 2012
To my Droid bionic. Thank goodness for my iPad. Works fine on there.
About the author
Stuart Spencer's most recent play, Resident Alien, has been produced around the country and been optioned for film. He teaches playwriting at Sarah Lawrence College.
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