Playwriting In Process: Thinking and Working Theatrically
Michael Wright has a passion for theater - not theatrical trends or chic stepchildren of theater - but theater, real theater in all its inherent size and mythic power. He wants those he mentors to inhabit the stage: put their bodies and minds there, and think theatrically. In doing this, he offers concrete advice and takes his readers on his own ever-illuminating journey into theater. In every chapter, Michael Wright gives his readers invaluable ‘assignments.’ Playwriting in Process is not a facile how-to book; rather, it is a book which prompts the reader’s living engagement. I mentored playwrights for over 30 years and never found a text which satisfied me. Were I still in the classroom, Playwriting in Process is the text I would use.- David Kranes, Founding Artistic Director of Sundance Playwrights’ LabHere is a book that acknowledges that the most difficult aspect of writing in a play is not the lack of a clear formula, but rather the lack of a process that offers structure without impeding inspiration.  Michael Wright’s self-proclaimed ‘anti-how-to’ book is a rare and wonderful gem. His etudes offer a practical road map to the intangible heart and soul of the creative impulse; reminding us that writerly muscles must regularly bend, expand and breathe. With this new edition, Mr. Wright truly takes us to the next level, including ‘call-outs’ that invite the writer to actively engage the world-at-large as a part of his/her writing process. This is far more than a book of exercises. It is an invitation to focus on the process of writing, rather than the product.- Jeni Mahoney, Artistic Director, Seven Devils Playwrights Conference (id Theater)and Head of Playwriting, Playwrights Horizons Theater School/NYU Tisch School of the ArtsTheatre gives voice to stories that have had no voice. Playwriting in Process helps you to tell those stories that need telling, without forcing them into the molds of the past. Michael Wright empowers his readers and students to discover more than what worked for some famous playwright once upon a time, but what works for you - now.- Brian Nelson, screenwriter, HARD CANDY