"Toolbox for the Theatrical Lyricist: Our Language," which employs the use of hybrid forms of writing and language in storytelling for the stage. 

To an unusual degree among writers, playwrights’ creations are not simply words on a page. Instead, a well-wrought play is an intricate machine that will be used by directors, actors, designers, and other creators to bring a fully staged, real-time performance into the world. The construction and maintenance of that machine is the playwright’s job, and it requires an array of complex, interconnected skills and techniques.

Enter Justin Maxwell and The Playwright’s Toolbox, a stimulating and wide-ranging resource for both beginning and experienced dramatists. It brings together invigorating, provocative, and irreverent exercises contributed by nearly 60 leading English-language playwrights, covering all stages of the writing process. It offers an accessible roadmap for those who have never written a play before, while providing new angles and solutions for seasoned writers struggling with a particular challenge. Covered here is everything from generating ideas and world-building, through dialogue and plotting, to revision and the last steps before releasing a play into the world, making this an endlessly useful guide to building better plays.

A staged reading is a rehearsed read-through of a script, performed in front of a seated audience. Actors are not off-book for a staged reading, and some (or all) of the stage directions are read aloud—one reason these performances are compared to audiobooks or radio plays. Another is their lack of visual elements such as props, sets, and costumes. But as pared-down as stage readings tend to be, there’s a lot more to these events than simply printing out the scripts and inviting actors to read aloud. The details can make all the difference—in fact, a well-executed staged reading has served as the springboard for a number of successful theater projects. 

How to Do a Staged Reading Successfully:

1. Choose an Appropriate Venue

Whether your piece is performed in a theater, private home, rehearsal studio, community room, or parking lot, there are several important considerations: Continue Reading on Backstage.com 

Facilitating Creativity for Dramaturgs, Playwrights, and Everyone Else

Lenora Inez Brown is the author of The Art of Active Dramaturgy: Transforming Critical Thought into Dramatic Action (Focus, 2011). In addition, she has authored numerous articles, essays, and chapters in texts focused on dramaturgy and dramatic criticism. She has developed new work at Sundance Theatre Lab, Pacific Playwrights Festival, New Visions/New Voices, and other play development workshops.

"This is a book for dramaturgs of new work, but it is also a particularly effective book for anyone working on new plays: playwrights, directors, producers, even actors. Lenora skillfully dissects the process of workshopping new writing, and clearly defines the roles for all involved. 

I learned not only how to make a new play workshop more effective, but how to approach my writing and my directing, and how to meaningfully collaborate with others in this unique process. 

This is a necessary handbook for anyone working on new plays today." --Anne Marie Cammarato, Director