Playwright's Process Podcast Emily Sheehan

Having our work reviewed publicly is a strange and unavoidable part of writing. It's something we all have to deal with when we put new work out into the world. In today's episode I talk about reviews, theatre criticism and 'perfect opinions'. I touch on: 
- Writers' different appetites for reading reviews of their work. 
- The difference between theatre criticism and reviews.
- Frustrations with an imperfect reviewing culture.
- How reviews are one small piece of the broader cultural and critical response your work. 
- Knowing what's important to you. Whether that's the audience response, the industry response, the response from the community the work represents, box office sales, awards and nominations etc. 
- Asking who or what art criticism meant to serve?
- My thoughts on writers being part of the broader conversation surrounding their work. 
I reference: 
'Beejay Silcox on literary criticism and the art of judging' on The Garret podcast
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To learn more about my work, visit my website https://www.emilysheehan.info/ or connect with me on Instagram @emilysheehan__ or send me an email at emily@emilysheehan.info.

Today I'm joined by Artistic Director of the Old Fitz Theatre, Lucy Clements, to talk about the rehearsal room for my play Frame Narrative.

We speak about:
- Finding the right artistic team to build out the world of the play.
- The rehearsal process and the role of a director and playwright at different stages.
- The many design elements and working with composition in the rehearsal room.
- Working with an intimacy coordinator to choreograph the work.
- Making changes to the text on the floor.

Come see the show!
Frame Narrative by Emily Sheehan
Directed by Lucy Clements
At Old Fitz Theatre
8-30 March 2024
https://www.oldfitztheatre.com.au/frame-narrative

Follow Lucy on instagram @lucypodstolski and @newghoststheatrecompany

Follow me on instagram @emilysheehan__

I've been writing an adaptation! (Frame Narrative and it’s on March 8-30, 2024 at The Old Fitz in Sydney.) Working with source material has changed some parts of my writing process. So I thought it could be useful to share what's been helpful along the way.

I speak about:
- The many kinds of adaptations: retellings, reimaginings, cover songs, fan fiction, prequels, sequels etc.
- Bridging the gap between the source material and the liveness of theatre (or whatever form you write in.)
- The relationship between form and content.
- Using research to broaden your access points to the material and find new ideas and inspiration.
- Imagine filtering a story through your voice and aesthetic like it’s a cover song. How does this particular story sound in your voice?
- Marginalia and the long history of readers writing in the margins of books.
- Working with the expectations audiences bring to a work when they know it’s an adaptation. Can you deliver on the expectations that open up possibilities, and subvert the ones that don’t.

I reference:
- G Flip’s cover of 'Cruel Summer' by Taylor Swift on triple j Like A Version
- 'Like A Version and the art of making a cover song' by Madi Chwasta on ABC

See Monument at Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre!
By Emily Sheehan and directed by Ella Caldwell
February 20 - March 10, 2024
Book now: https://www.redstitch.net/monument-2024

See Frame Narrative at The Old Fitz Theatre!
By Emily Sheehan and directed by Lucy Clements
March 8-30, 2024
Book now: https://www.oldfitztheatre.com.au/frame-narrative

Sometimes in order to make a piece of writing stronger you have to remove something. Whether that's a conversation between two characters, a whole scene, a whole narrative thread or maybe even a whole character. In today’s episode I unpack the common piece of writing advice to ‘kill your darlings’ and share some of the provocations and writing tasks that have helped me cut material from my latest draft.

I speak about:
- Stepping back and looking at your play as a whole rather than its individual parts.
- We often default to adding something to our draft to improve it, but subtraction is just as important.
- How to know when to add something and when to take something away.
- When not to kill your darlings.
- Why going for clarity in each moment of the script isn’t the same as being vanilla.
- Some prompts for cutting dialogue, cutting drama beats, cutting key events, cutting scenes, cutting narrative threads, cutting whole characters and cutting stage time.

I reference:
- Episode 28 ‘Character Development’
- Episode 38 ‘Stay With the Story’
- Mark Ravenhill’s series of tweets '101 Notes on Playwriting'

See Monument at Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre!
By Emily Sheehan directed by Ella Caldwell
February 20 - March 10, 2024
Book now: https://www.redstitch.net/monument-2024

See Frame Narrative at The Old Fitz Theatre!
By Emily Sheehan directed by Lucy Clements
March 8 - 30, 2024
Book now: https://www.oldfitztheatre.com.au/frame-narrative

What’s your play about? What questions is it trying to answer? What provocations does it make? After a period of intense focus on the big ideas of the play, it can be helpful to switch focus and 'stay with the story'.

In today's episode I speak about:
- Writing from your authentic voice. The place where you are the most honest, most lyrical, most creative.

- The difference between what your play is about, and what it’s really about.

- Developing the story versus developing the ideas.

- The dance between complex ideas in a simple story, and simple ideas within a complex story.

- Looking at feedback through a story lens.

- Looking at your outline through a story lens.

- Using note cards to physicalise your story spine.

- Why I always print out the material I’m working on.

I reference:
Episode 22 'Writing a Draft Zero'
'36 Assumptions About Writing Plays' by José Rivera

Get one-on-one support for your writing by visiting www.emilysheehan.info/dramaturgy  

Say hi, ask a writing question or request a podcast topic on instagram @emilysheehan__

A seductive psychological defence is that we will one day feel ready. Ready to start a draft. Ready to tackle these rewrites. Ready to send the script to a friend to read. But feelings of readiness don’t always arrive…

Today I share my thoughts on whether we need to feel ready before we take the next step in a creative project. And some strategies and tools to try out if we don’t feel ready. I speak about:
- Readiness is an emotion and emotions are fickle.
- How to focus on what you can control: where you place your attention and the action you take.
- Discovering a supportive writing routine and setting up writing sessions.
- Getting curious about the pace your project wants to move at. Does it want to go slow? Or does it want to bolt? Are you getting in the way of that pace?
- A travel story about the opulent dinner parties thrown by Salvador Dalí and his wife and muse, Gala. Hint: if you’re given a bottle of champagne, it’s only good on your shelf for a year. So don’t save it. Drink it!

I reference:
Episode 14 Episode Creative Resets Between Projects
Episode 15 'The Artist's Way' Weeks 1-4
Episode 16 'The Artist's Way' Weeks 5-8
Episode 17 'The Artist's Way' Weeks 9-12
Episode 25 Writing Habits to Overcome Procrastination
‘Dali: Les Diners De Gala’ by Salvador Dali.

Get one-on-one support for your writing by visiting www.emilysheehan.info/dramaturgy

Say hi, ask a writing question or request a podcast topic on instagram @emilysheehan__