Laughs (Or Lack Of…)

Thoughts and Musings

Goddard MFAW faculty member Rogelio Martinez on writing comedy: “I place laughs in a play to carefully track the play’s relationship with the audience. If a laugh fails to land then there may be several reasons why. It may be the acting or the directing, but usually it’s the writing. It has little to do with the laugh itself but with those things surrounding the laugh – plot, characters, obstacles, etc. In other words, it’s not whether the joke is funny or not but whether the audience has been paying attention to the play.”

The Backup Plan

Thoughts and Musings

Next year Duke will once again be in contention for the national championship, you will be in contention for a special place in some theater’s season, and some poor soul in high school will be hoping to be more than just someone’s backup plan.

My First Time

Thoughts and Musings

There’s nothing like the first time. Everyone remembers it, don’t they? I remember my first time as if it were yesterday. I had never been to the theater before.  I’d seen local productions of The King and I and Annie Get Your Gun, but I had never seen a play. As it...

Limboland

Thoughts and Musings

Most writers live in Limboland. Limboland is that place you go to while waiting for someone (anyone!) to get back to you with a response to your work. The good thing is that it’s full of people just like you doing exactly what you’re doing…waiting for a response from...