 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||
 |
|
|||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||||||
 |
|
|||||||||||
 |
|
|||||||||||
 |
|
|||||||||||
 |
 |
||
 |
||
|
||
       |
||
|
||
|
||
|
|
|
|
||
 | ||
 |
Moderated by Katherine Oliver, Commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting, the discussion included panelists Adam Rapp (TV: “The L Word;” Film: Blackbird; Theatre: Red, Light Winter; Essential Self-Defense), Beau Willimon (Film: Farragut North; Theatre: Lower Ninth; Farragut North), and Keith Bunin (Film: A Home at the End of the World; Theatre: The Busy World is Hushed; 10 Million Miles ). The panel was designed to look at the challenges and dynamics playwrights face when writing for film and television, and each panelist shared his experiences which ranged from starting out in the business to maintaining a successful career. In their early careers as writers, Bunin, who first attended film school, roomed with Rapp, who initially played sports. Willimon began as a painter, and it was the head of the playwriting division at Columbia University who encouraged him to pursue playwriting. When asked about differences between playwriting and screen writing, Rapp opined that with theatre, the writing can “make people forget their lives and go down the rabbit hole, where television and movie screens protect us, and everything is done for you.” Willimon pointed out that with movies there are “contracts and people to answer to” to explain why he is more disciplined with screenplays than plays. Willimon also spoke of the importance of collaboration in screenwriting where other writers “ask questions I would never have asked, [which is] helpful for revisions. The rigor is useful.” The panelists also offered advice to the members of the audience. When asked what a writer can do at the start of her career, Willimon responded, it’s “all about peers, opportunities through friends and colleagues; be part of the community.” Each writer reiterated the importance of perseverance and staying active within the artistic community. This panel was the second in a series addressing careers in theatre management, theatrical production and support, and acting. Under founder Arielle Tepper Madover, the non-profit organization The Living Room for Artists Inc./Summer Play Festival provides emerging writers, directors, designers and producers an opportunity to work on their material and their craft in a protected environment, guided by established professionals at no cost to them. For more information about SPF, visit http://spfnyc.com/.
|  |
 | ||
|
 design by  The City of New York Mayor's Office of Film Theatre & Broadcasting 1697 Broadway Suite 602, New York, New York 10019. |
|
 |
|