I've Never Been to Development Hell

It's humiliating to admit it. I've never had a play "in Development." Perhaps I shouldn't tell you this, because then you will think that I'm not such a good playwright after all.

I've heard other writers use it as a calling card. They've filled their resumes with this reading, or that workshop. They've gotten this grant, that commission. They can name-drop and rub elbows with a bunch of cool people. Quite frankly, I was jealous. I wondered what was wrong with me, that others didn't take such a keen interest in my work. Last year, I told Brad that I had never even been to Development Hell, so my playwriting career must not be going very well.

But then, I remembered something...

When I first heard of the "Development Process", I thought it was for pussies. I wondered what was wrong with writers who couldn't see their plays through to the "production-ready" phase. So, I dodged it. I went to plenty of readings, and listened to people give awful advice to writers. Horrible advice. While working in theater offices, I saw writers get readings and workshops - knowing that the theaters weren't going to produce those writers publicly. The only reason they were getting the attention was because of larger issues: a powerful agent, as a favor to someone, or because it was politically advantageous to do it.

Sad, because I often saw that the playwright would think the project wasn't moving forward due to something that he or she did. In reality, it had nothing to do with the writer or the writing.

While I'm at it, I'll make another confession: I've never had anything produced that I've submitted blindly through email or mail. This means that I've never had entered anything and gotten something out of it. All those submission fees, all that postage. Nada.

And I've still gotten productions... How, you ask?

Well, one sunny afternoon in San Francisco, I skated past the Cable Car Turnaround on Market Street and a stranger started a conversation with me. Somewhere in the conversation, I looked down and noticed that he was reading a play. Turns out he was a director. I told him I wrote plays. He asked to read one. A few days later, we met over donuts and coffee and I handed him my work. A week later, he offered to direct the play. Two months later, the play was produced. Another producer saw it and offered us the opportunity to go to the Edinburgh Fringe. We did.

More examples?

I met a woman at the Seminary. Turns out she was a choreographer. We talked about our respective careers and she asked to read my poetry. A few months later, she choreographed and performed one of my longer poems - twice at two different venues.

Oh yeah and then there was the time I got a palm reading. The palm reader looked at my hand and decided that she knew someone who would like writing... And she was right... Got two productions out of that whole thing - and I was intensely grateful to her for it.

One time I went to an open mike so I could learn to work through my own feelings about my writing. I read my work, and the woman who running the show "got it." A month later, there was an opportunity for a wider audience and she was receptive to me reading more work.

You see the point I'm making, right?

I'm writing this because, in a way, I've had a lot of feelings about not going the conventional route. But I can honestly say that I've never experienced that particular annoyance.

Currently, I have a play that needs readings. It needs "Development." It's a big-ass play with lots of stuff in it. I would love to have the play "in Development" because I need actors to read it back to me. I wouldn't mind having a director's opinion on the possibilities of staging it. If I was in New York, I could easily get the play read - methinks. At least, informally. But being where I am and having just moved here I don't know actors or directors. So Development Hell might be my best bet for being able to continue working on this thing.

So I'm mixed on it all. I do understand the frustration, however...