Unlike novelists, playwrights do not communicate with their audience directly, but through directors, designers and performers. The writer can safely assume that her/his work will become transformed as it moves from page to stage.

• The transformation will essentially be concerned with the translation of written words into live action. The writer cannot hope to dictate the details of this transformation but there is much that s/he can do to shape it.
• However, there may also be transformation at the more mundane level of the written word. The structure and content of the play may undergo significant changes during rehearsals, often without the writer's knowledge or consent, and the writer must be prepared for this eventuality.

Additional Creative Dimensions

Just as the playwright must aim to motivate the audience to stay with the play, s/he must also seek to motivate the producer, director, designers and performers to prepare and deliver a faithful and engaging account of the play. Insofar as writers usually work alone, before the production team has even begun to take shape, the task of writing a play is like teamwork without the other members of the team being present and without their views being known.

Accordingly, the playwright must communicate her/his vision of the play without compromising the potential creative input of the others who will eventually join the team. Professional theatre people are generally interested in understanding the playwright's view of how things should be, but only as a starting point for their creative thinking.

However clear the writer's vision, therefore, the temptation to be too prescriptive must be carefully avoided. If the director and/or the actors feel that the writer is over-reaching her/his role, they are unlikely to do their best for the play or to suggest changes that the writer might find truly inspirational. If, on the other hand, the writer leaves tantalising questions unanswered, there may be a chance for creative dialogue with the writer and/or among the members of the team.

The potential for creativity in the production process may be greatly enhanced by seeking to exploit to the full the opportunities for subtext. In short, the writer should review her/his work critically with a view to removing every word that is not strictly necessary.

• The writer should refrain from describing locations, characters, accents, action, etc unless such descriptions are essential aids to understanding. For example, it may be appropriate to say that a certain character speaks with a strong foreign accent if his accent eventually alters the course of the play: the actors would eventually discover this fact for themselves, but its revelation in the early pages of the script will help them get to grips with characterisation more quickly.
• When reviewing characters' speech, the writer should consider removing all references that may be communicated to the audience through voice or action. For example, a character does not generally need to explain her emotional state if it may be more effectively communicated by the actress playing the part.

The Production Process

Getting your play into (professional) production is likely to be a slow process unless you are able to meet the production costs yourself or find someone wiling to bear the risk of financial loss in the project.

Generally speaking, theatre producers have few slots available for full-scale productions of new work and are reluctant to risk their capital on untried writers. Most producing companies are inundated with unsolicited scripts, so that the chances of any unsolicited script being taken forward for production are accordingly reduced further. Scripts submitted by literary agents are much more likely to be well received, but agents are reluctant to take on writers without production credits. It is therefore not easy for new playwrights to find a way of bringing their work to the attention of theatre professionals.

Amateur productions may offer a step in the right direction. The financial rewards are usually non-existent, but the playwright stands to gain experience of the production process and the effects of her/his work on audiences. The chances of an amateur production attracting professional attention are slim, however.

The preferred route is via readings. Professional rehearsed readings are the first step towards production for virtually all new plays, even plays by established writers or plays that have already been provisionally selected for production. Readings are primarily aimed at an audience of professionals - producers, directors, actors and agents - who may offer anything from critical feedback to financial backing.

The playwright must make all the running in organising and conducting a rehearsed reading. The costs of such a reading can be considerable too, for example if well-known actors and a central London venue are deemed necessary to attract potential investors. Nor is their any certainty that the rehearsed reading will actually lead towards a production.

In short, playwrights who wish to have their work produced need not only a good play, but also a powerful cocktail of deep pockets, patience, influential contacts, organisational skills and good luck.

Above all, one needs a thick skin! Professionals invariably offer incisive feedback that often demands major reworking by the playwright. Many simply dismiss out of hand any work that they consider to be inferior. Even if the producer likes the play, the chances are that the director will require some rewriting.

Notwithstanding the writer's crucial role as the provider of the source materials, s/he must be prepared to be given little more than a marginal role in the production process, even in the preparations for a rehearsed reading. Writers are invited to rehearsals principally for the purpose of answering the director's and actors' questions. Writers who talk too much or express views that are out of step with those of the director are likely to find themselves excluded from rehearsals. Producers invariably insist that they have every right to alter the action of the play without the playwright's consent in necessary, simply as a means of protecting their investment in the production.