Sunday, October 21, 2018

The Dead Stage - A Journey From Page To Stage by Dan Weatherer


Release date: October 19, 2018
Subgenre: Non-fiction, Playwriting 

About The Dead Stage - A Journey From Page To Stage:

 

“The Dead Stage – the period of time between completing the working draft of a stage play and placing it with an interested party.” Dan Weatherer

Dan Weatherer, an author turned playwright, learned quickly that there are practices playwrights can implement to dramatically increase the appeal of their work.

Inside, you’ll find advice that will enable you to better tailor your work to the needs of the theatre industry, without having to compromise on style, content or subject matter. Dan discusses his early mistakes, and presents the advice of notable theatre professionals including the award-winning playwright, Deborah McAndrew, noted actor Matthew Spence, and London Horror Festival producer, Kate Danbury (along with many, many more!).

You’ll also be able to read several of Dan’s completed stage plays, which are presented in a preferred industry format, and often contain side-notes detailing the success (and failures) of said pieces.

From budgets to set design, run-time to cast size, if you ever felt the desire to write for the stage, following the advice presented in this book will help improve your chances of pairing your script with an interested party, hopefully making The Dead Stage pass almost unnoticed.

Proudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing—Tales from the Darkest Depths.

 

Excerpt:

 

So you have penned your theatrical debut and it is a masterpiece, but what now? How do you get your freshly completed stage play from your hard drive and onto the stage?
Believe it or not, this is not as daunting or as complicated a process as it might sound. While there is no 100% sure-fire way to ensure your piece gets to be performed on stage, I will share a few useful tips that will save you a lot of time when it comes to submitting material, and help manage your expectations of what you can expect to experience during the process. Again, I must stress that this is in no way, shape or form the ONLY way to get your work onto the stage, but as of writing this I have only been writing as a playwright for eighteen months, and I have already had several pieces of work staged/aired in the UK/USA, and have successfully landed representation as a playwright. What has worked for me may work for you.
OK, so let’s dive in with what I have learned during my short stint as a playwright:
First, some truths as regards to theatre and new writing (most of what I will discuss is born of my experience with the UK theatre scene, but I imagine some of it will ring true wherever you are in the world). New writing is seen as a gamble, more so than with regard to traditional book publishing. Many believe that theatre is the toughest nut to crack when compared to film and book industries. The aim of the theatre is to make money by filling seats. The sad truth is that new writers are not often seen as seat fillers, and theatre companies are reluctant to take a risk on any piece, regardless of its merit, if they feel the name of the author is not enough of a draw to cover their overheads and make a profit.
However, don’t despair! There are many theatres that DO encourage new writing, and they often post submission calls detailing exactly the kind of work that they are looking for. I use the Play Submission Helper and the London Playwrights Blog. Check them often and I guarantee you will eventually come across a theatre/group that will be willing to read your work. From then, it is a case of following their submission guidelines and waiting patiently for a response (please bear in mind that response times vary considerably, and as with any submission, decisions are based a multitude of factors, and feedback is rarely provided with a rejection).

 

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About Dan Weatherer: 

Award-winning author, Dan Weatherer, was first published by Haunted Magazine in Spring, 2013. 'The Legend of the Chained Oak' was an immediate success and was made into a short film which won the award for 'Best Horror' at the Portobello Independent Film Festival (2014), 'Best Short' at The Bram Stoker International Film Festival (2014) and also the 'Best UK Short Film' award at the Stoke Your Fires Film Festival 2014. The film featured at numerous film festivals around the world during 2014. The premiere screening took place in his hometown of Cheadle.
In 2015, Dan was shortlisted for the prestigious position of Staffordshire Poet Laureate 2016-2018.
Aside from the publication of numerous short stories with a multitude of presses, his next major project was a solo collection of short stories titled 'The Soul That Screamed' (Winner of the Preditors & Editors™ Readers' Poll 'Best Anthology 2013').
A further two collections Only the Good Burn Bright (Spring 2015, James Ward Kirk Fiction) and Neverlight (Spring 2016, Spectral Press) quickly followed. In 2017, Neverlight was shortlisted for the first annual Arnold Bennett Literary Prize. His fourth, Just Eventide, was released in August 2017.
2017 saw the release of Dan's historical novella, 'Crippen', courtesy again of Spectral Press.
His first non-fiction book titled 'What Dwells Within' was released in the Autumn of 2015 and details the life's work of paranormal investigator Jayne Harris.
An accomplished playwright, Dan was a winner of the 2017 Soundwork - UK play completion, a finalist in the Blackshaw Showcase Award 2016 and a two-time finalist of the Congleton Players One Act Festival, 2016. Dan has had several of his plays appear at festivals and fringe events.
Completed novels 'The Underclass' and 'The Tainted Isle' are currently with his agent. Expect to see The Dead Stage, a book detailing Dan's experiences as a novice playwright appear via Crystal Lake Publishing in 2018.
Continuing on from the success of 'Legend of the Chained Oak', 2017 has seen Dan's short film Beige, added to The British Comedy Guide, and it continues to appear at film festivals nationwide.
He has had several of his tales published in a variety of anthologies.
Dan lives in Staffordshire, where is married to his wife Jenni and is a (proud) full-time dad to his daughter Bethany, and his son Nathan.

 

Website | Crystal Lake Publishing

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