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Rhythm in Dialogue, Playing with Different Structures, and the Flaws of Rewriting on Stage - Playwright's Spotlight with Brad McEntire
Manage episode 482556424 series 3300254
Longtime-listening playwright Brad McEntire streamed into the Spotlight to discuss his experience and approach to the craft. We discuss the exercises and lessons from studying under Will Power at Southern Methodist University and the Dallas Theatre Center, playing with the rhythm of dialogue, what beginning playwrights don't do or practice, and whether or not you can achieve impossible stage directions with a small budget. We also delve into his background as a literary manager, his process of one-person shows and the difference between solo performances and personal stories, the one-person structure as well as playing with different structures, tackling solo long-form improv, staging your own one-person show and finding opportunities for them. We wrap things up with the flaws of rewriting on stage and his podcasts - The Cultivated Playwright and Brad McEntire Plays and - and the difficulty of monetization. Brad's energy is contagious and his insight is valuable. Enjoy!
Brad McEntire is a playwright, solo performer, and stage director. He is the author of more than a dozen plays, including Que Sera Giant Monster, I Brought Home a Chupacabra, Dinosaur and Robot Stop a Train, Raspberry Fizz, Langdon the Seasonal Barista, I Have Angered a Great God and The Yeti in the Airport Lounge among others. He is a satellite member of The Playwrights' Center and studied playwriting with Will Power as part of the Dallas Playwrights Workshop at Southern Methodist University.
He has toured his original one-person shows Cyrano A-Go-Go, Chop, Robert's Eternal Goldfish and The Beast of Hyperborea performing in venues and festivals all over North America. Since 2008 he has served as artistic director of the small-batch theatre company Audacity Theatre Lab, and in 2015, McEntire served as the first theatre-artist-in-residence at the Kathy George Indie Artist Residency in Ashford, Oregon. He holds a B.F.A. from the College of Santa Fe and a M.A. from Texas Woman's University. He has a YouTube channel where he talks about theatre, including playwriting and solo performance.
To watch the video format of this interview, visit - https://youtu.be/m1U8hBL9S50
Links to sites and resources mentioned in this episode -
Playwrights' Center - https://pwcenter.org
Jerome Fellowship - https://pwcenter.org/programs/jerome-fellowships/
McKnight Fellowship - https://pwcenter.org/programs/mcknight-fellowship-in-playwriting/
Dallas Theater Center - https://dallastheatercenter.org
Undermain Theatre - https://www.undermain.org/
New York City Fringe - https://frigid.nyc/new-york-city-fringe/
Edinburgh Fringe - https://www.edfringe.com
Minnesota Fringe - https://minnesotafringe.org
Hollywood Fringe - https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/
Elgin Fringe Festival - https://www.elginfringefestival.com
Website and socials for Brad McEntire -
www.bradmcentireplays.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/BradMcEntire
IG - @dribblefunk
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