ICWP: Good Company For Playwrights
By Jojay, 15th Nov 2011 | Follow this author
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Posted in WikinutWritingPersonal Experiences
Feel the need to connect with other playwrights? You can't go wrong looking into the International Centre of Women Playwrights organization.
Playwrights need other playwrights
Being a writer is one of the professions that not only court loneliness, but often requires it. Since loneliness is often part of the playwright's stock-in-trade, I had a strong desire to seek the company of other playwrights. (I wanted to share war stories, talk about playwrighting opportunities, just get to know them as people.)
Psychologist tells us that the need to engage with others and the need to be alone is essential to human happiness. If we don't have time alone we can become distracted and unfocused.
But we also need the company of other people.
Playwrights (and other creative people) require the two "s" words: solitude and solidarity.
Webster dictionary defines solidarity as a noun meaning "unity based on shared interests.
Unity shared
Bingo! I had the solitude but was lacking the shared unity.
I'd been looking around for something on line that would make me feels less isolated; (not too playwrights among my friends and neighbors) a kind of community of kindred spirits as it were.
In the past I was member of some other writer listserves but I lost interest in them when they deteriorated into 'brag fests', bitching fests, or just plain: why-doesn't-anyone-recognize my- true genius? Fests.
I was getting pretty discouraged until one fine day, I came across the ICWP listserv, and was directed to The International Center of Women's Playwrights website.
I signed up right then and there.
After a couple of months of reading posts that dealt with the business of playwriting, opportunities for playwrights, advice (when asked), comments on the structure of plays, personal stories about individual experiences with playwriting, playwrights legal rights, (Yeah, we have them) and workshops around the country (and world) I decided to become a full-fledged member of the ICWP.
Even though you don't have to become a member to be on the listserv, the membership is very reasonable.
I signed up for the $25.00 sister/mister membership.
And let me tell you, that's a bargain. Since I've become a member, I've made friends that I will have for life.
Other benefits of Membership: I have contact information about other members and I'm able to have my hard copy scripts catalogued and archived for current academic research at the Lawrence and Lee Theatre Research Institute at Ohio State.
Moreover, I'm able to add information about my plays to an online public searchable [/b[b]script database.
On more than one occasion, I've had people contact me as a result of the script database and want to purchase the rights to a script.
And as member, I can apply for Professional Development Grants when available.
Bottom-line: In my humble opinion, I think as a beginner, mid-career, or even full-blown professional playwright (male or female----the listserv is open to both sexes) you should take a look at what the International Centre of Women Playwrights has to offer. And then after getting your feet wet (the water's fine) with the listserv you might want to become a member.
http://www.womenplaywrights.org/
Comments
18th Nov 2011 (#)
Thanks for your comments. I feel the same way, I have been writing plays since 1976 and no matter how crowded my life gets, I still feel lonely... it's like your characters are crying out in the wilderness of your soul. All the best, Coni
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