The Blunt Playwright: Second Edition

Review\n“As I embarked on my first playwriting commission, I felt lost, underqualified, and afraid. The Blunt Playwright became a companion to me during my playwriting journey, and filled in the gaps in my knowledge and training. It was simple but significant, easily digestible, and gave me the tools I needed to put my fear aside and start writing!” (Emily Dallas, author of Brave Girl)\n“I use The Blunt Playwright for all of my playwriting classes and for myself because it’s a system of writing that works, is easily understood, and clearly makes sense about process and structure.” (Aaron Bushkowsky, Creative Writing Instructor at Kwantlen Polytechnic University and award-winning author of After Jerusalem and My Chernobyl)\n“The Blunt Playwright is a great resource for both emerging and established playwrights. I have kept a copy on my desk for the last ten years where it can easily be found when I need it ... which is often.” (Meg Braem, Co-director of the Alberta Theatre Projects Playwrights Unit and award-winning author of Blood: A Scientific Romance and The Josephine Knot)\n“Clem Martini is blunt, all right — and passionate, challenging, deadly serious, and wryly witty. He covers all the techniques that a playwright might need at any stage while ardently championing this muchmisunderstood art form, and from a welcome Canadian perspective.” (John Lazarus, Associate Professor at Queen’s University and award-winning playwright of Babel Rap and The Grandkid)\nThe Blunt Playwright won’t tell you everything there is to know about playwriting. It won’t even try. What it will do is examine process, structure, dialogue, and character; provide classic and contemporary scenes to study; outline clever exercises to strengthen writing skills; and so much more. Highly regarded and used in schools everywhere, this updated edition cements its place as one of the best resources for playwrights.
From organizing the structure of a script to developing characters’ voices, from employing visual effects on stage to writing comedy, or from self-promotion to getting produced and published, this guide has something for everyone, no matter the stage of their career.