Writing Excuses 9.52: From the Page to the Stage

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Writing Excuses 9.52: From the Page to the Stage

From http://www.writingexcuses.com/2014/12/14/writing-excuses-season-9-52-from-the-page-to-the-stage/

Key Points: To adapt a book to the stage, start by identifying what is important, plot, character, character development, theme, motives. What are the iconic elements? Look at what is playable, what can be read on a stage. Go through, scene by scene, and look at what's important, what characters are introduced, what information is revealed. Think about using audience address (narrative) to compress. Know the size of the theater and the budget. Pay attention to scene changes! If you can, get a troupe of actors to read it. Simplify stage directions, and depend on the director.
( The play's the thing... )

[Howard] Outstanding. Dan is... You have our writing prompt?
[Dan] I do have the writing prompt. The core idea for this story, for Blacker Darkness, when I started writing it years ago, was let's take vampires and depict them as having all of the weaknesses and none of the strengths of a traditional vampire. The story kind of grew out of that. So that's your writing prompt. Pick a monster and then write a story in which that monster has all of the weaknesses traditionally associated with it, but none of the strengths that make it powerful.
[Howard] You are out of excuses. Now go write.