Playwright's Process Podcast

Nov 01 2024 48 ep. 28 mins 3
Playwright's Process Podcast artwork

The Playwright’s Process Podcast is a monthly podcast that takes you behind the scenes of script development, storytelling, and the creative process. Each episode dives deep into an aspect of playwriting craft and offers practical advice, thoughtful insights and helpful anecdotes to writing and life as a writer.

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Dramaturgy With Jenni Medway at Melbourne Theatre Company

Nov 01 2024 41 mins  
In today’s episode, I’m joined by Jenni Medway, Head of New Work at Melbourne Theatre Company. With over a decade of experience in dramaturgy within theatre companies, Jenni shares her approach to developing plays, the role of a company dramaturg, and the unique responsibilities that come with programming new works for a state theatre company. As a dramaturg dedicated to new wr

Dramaturgy With Dom Mercer at Belvoir St Theatre

Sep 06 2024 57 mins  
How does a new Australian play end up on the main stage? One way is by being commissioned by a theatre company. In today's episode, Dom Mercer, Head of New Work at Belvoir, talks us through this process. We discuss how new plays go from an idea to a story outline, and then through three drafts before they are considered for programming in a main stage season. Dom takes you step by

Playwriting AMA (Ask Me Anything)

Aug 05 2024 58 mins  
Today I answer your writing questions in an ‘ask me anything’ episode. I cover loads of topics related to playwriting, theatre and dramaturgy. Here’s what you asked: - How do play development workshops work, and how do you structure each day? - What do you do when you're struggling with writer's block? - How do you organise your life as a writer? - Do you speak to people ab

Turning Ideas Into a Play

Jul 03 2024 36 mins  
AMA (Ask Me Anything) episode is next up! Send me any questions you want answered to [email protected], or via DM on Instagram @emilysheehan__. We all have ideas for plays (and movies and novels) that never make it to a finished draft. So today’s episode is about the steps you can take to develop an idea into an outline for a play. Turning your ideas into a play is the pr

Confessional Writing (Emily’s version)

Jun 02 2024 29 mins  
Today I’m riffing on Taylor Swift and how as playwrights we can find ways to write in a way that feels incredibly truthful, to the point that it feels confessional. In what ways can we better embrace the cringey, diaristic, oversharing in our early drafts, so that we can move through to subtle, nuanced insights in our polished work? Because you can’t get to sophisticated sincer

Writing Multiple Projects at the Same Time

May 01 2024 39 mins  
Should we have multiple scripts on the go? Today I delve into the benefits and challenges of writing more than one idea at the same time. As well as some strategies for focus and momentum when bouncing between stories. I touch on: The temptation to do 'all the things' when it comes to new ideas. The complexities of managing more than one writing project at once. Identifying a prim

Reviews, theatre criticism and perfect opinions

Apr 01 2024 26 mins  
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. - Fr

The Frame Narrative Rehearsal Room with Lucy Clements

Feb 29 2024 38 mins  
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 rehears

Adaptations

Feb 01 2024 47 mins  
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.

Kill Your Darlings

Dec 31 2023 48 mins  
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 ma