10 Ways Writers Changed Me This Year by Kaela Mei-Shing Garvin (they/she) BAPF45 Play Selection Advisor Hard as I try to shift my mindset from scarcity to abundance, the going can get rough around this time of year for playwrights. While rejections flood my inbox like El Niño...
Studying the Stars in our Universe of New Plays by Heather Helinsky, Playwrights Foundation Literary Manager 2021 Applicant Demographics Report prepared by Kieran Beccia, Associate Literary Manager Playwrights Foundation strives to put the writer at the center of the dramatic universe. But the path writers make each season---applying...
[caption id="attachment_8885" align="alignleft" width="150"] Michael Gene Sullivan[/caption] What made you want to become a writer? My fourth grade class had to do a drama project, and I convinced my fellow students to write something about school funding. They agreed, but all dropped out of the creation process, which left...
[caption id="attachment_6274" align="alignleft" width="150"] Bennett Fisher[/caption] What made you want to become a writer? I studied theater in college and initially wanted to pursue acting. When I graduated and moved back to the Bay Area, I bounced around doing a lot of different things - acting, dramaturgy, directing,...
Moving BAPF Online Opportunities in the Challenges by Executive Artistic Director Jessica Bird Beza Playwrights Foundation has been producing the Bay Area Playwrights Festival (BAPF) for 43 years, but this summer it was like it was our 1st and 43rd Festival at the same time. When I started...
What does the day-to-day process of playwriting look like for you personally? I carry around a small notebook for each of my plays. Before I sit down in front of the computer, I jot down character’s traits, histories and relationships. I write about the events before...
Creating Community across the World: The BAPF Virtual Retreat Written by Lucas Nash [caption id="attachment_8586" align="alignleft" width="300"] We discussed jazz music and enjoyed songs by composer and bassist Charles Mingus.[/caption] The BAPF retreat. It’s an essential part of our development process. For three days, our staff and artistic...
What was it about the environment of the play, an office, that inspired you to have the story take place there in particular? Offices have always been so interesting to me especially when a person has been inhabiting one for a very long time. The books...
What made you want to become a writer? I grew up constantly writing in journals and reading. My family members used to make fun of me because of how focused I could be while reading a book - they labeled my singular ability to focus on...
What does the day-to-day process of playwriting look like for you personally? Writing is really hard for me! I love it but it can be absolutely torturous. I’ve never been one to either have a rigid schedule (like Murakami) or to write based only when I...