One of my favorite things to do is casting.
I love actors and truly believe that if you cast the right person in the right part, the project will fly smoothly. A new company is publishing three of my short plays and are including audio recordings along with the text. While some authors hire Judi Dench and Anthony Hopkins to read their masterpieces, I hire wonderful actors like Taylor Treadwell and Danny Lippin. Frankly, I think I got the better deal… because even though it’s all on a SAG experimental contract…they don’t need trailers and are quite content being temporarily paid in pizza and beer.
Above are stills from a recording session for three of my short plays: (from left to right; Ellipses…, First to the Egg and Shoshanah’s Shabbat.)
E-publishing is quickly becoming the way of the future and new publishing companies are popping up every day, trying to corner the market with a particular niche.
Here is a partial excerpt from a blog I did last year which best explains the digital revolution.
When I first came to Los Angeles, I’d spend countless afternoons in Samuel French, scouring the shelves in search of the perfect play. After pulling a variety of one-acts, full lengths and anthologies from the copious shelves, I would sit cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by my bounty. And I’d start to read everyone from Aeschylus to Wendy Wasserstein; attempting to find something which spoke to me: comedies with parts which were age appropriate, dramas with compelling plots, tragedies with engaging characters. And I simply picked plays at random, guided only by a store structure limited to the alphabetization of the authors’ last names.
Today, finding an ideal play is easier. Much easier. The Internet has provided the consumer with search engines galore and opportunities to find exactly what one is looking for. For example, someone searching for Hamlet may type in; 25-35 year old male, dysfunctional family, Denmark. And, voila! Smart companies are starting to take advantage of the digital revolution, previously reserved for novels, by publishing plays online. And the opportunities out there are limitless if your material is strong.
As I lament the impending death of the physical book store, I try to stay optimistic about the exposure online publishers can give to the next generation of eager young drama students who are searching for the perfect play.
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