Open Wardrobes

I finally got around today to adding my new commedia play, The Captain's Treasure, to my website where the full script is now available as a PDF. Every now and then on the Binge list the question comes up as to how much (if any) of a script people put on their websites. I seem to be in the minority in that I post the scripts in their entirety (my unpublished ones, at least). This certainly increases the odds that someone can download the full script and perform it without my permission (and indeed I have had that happen). Most playwrights in the Binge seem to go the route of posting selections of their plays, then sharing the full script upon request (and still, as much as I can gather, for free). Everyone had to make their own decision here as to what they feel comfortable with, of course, but my own personal decision is that I like to make it as easy as possible for someone to read my scripts and to do so for free. (If someone decides they want to put on a production, then of course I do charge for royalties.) Interestingly enough I think I've had more productions from people coming across one of my plays on my website than I have had from submissions I've made myself. It's never a huge number, but it always amazes me as to how far plays can travel just being out there on the Internet. Here's hoping The Captain's Treasure will find some interest out there as well!

I've written before about how playwrighting can be a numbers game - each "Yes" usually requires experiencing dozens of "No"s. They're never fun (even when you knew it was a long shot you still hope), but it's just part of the game. Fellow PlaywrightBinge member Jack Dyville wrote recently of receiving 5 rejections in one day. Claudia Haas replied that she had once received 3 rejections in one day, at which point she turned off the computer (very wise). All this to say that when you do get a "Yes," it's something to savor. Which makes today very much worth savoring and I learned that Heuer Publishing has accepted not one, but two of my plays! (The Tiger, the Brahman, and the Jackal and Eponine) It's always exciting to place a play with a publisher and know that through it the play will find a greater reach, but two in one day... well that's something to smile about.

As someone with this unique combination, I am always interested to find others who find ways to synthesize science and the arts in their own lives. Below is a link a friend (also a physicist and playwright) forwarded to me with wonderful thoughts by astronomer and actor/director Virginia Corless:

http://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/201002/backpage.cfm