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Today I’m riffing on Taylor Swift and how as playwrights we can find ways to write in a way that feels incredibly truthful, to the point that it feels confessional. In what ways can we better embrace the cringey, diaristic, oversharing in our early drafts, so that we can move through to subtle, nuanced insights in our polished work? Because you can’t get to sophisticated sincerity, if you don’t nurture your cringe. And if we think being emotional in our writing isn’t intellectually rigorous enough, I think we risk suffocating where a piece of writing might take us…
I reference:
‘All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)’ by Taylor Swift
‘All To Well’ by Taylor Swift
‘folklore’ studio album by Taylor SwiftI'm doing an AMA (Ask Me Anything) episode next up! Send me all your questions to answer by email [email protected] or on Instagram @emilysheehan__
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Should we have multiple scripts on the go? Today I delve into the benefits and challenges of writing more than one idea at the same time. As well as some strategies for focus and momentum when bouncing between stories.
I touch on:
- The temptation to do 'all the things' when it comes to new ideas.
- The complexities of managing more than one writing project at once.
- Identifying a primary project and side project and letting them ebb and flow.
- Planning your writing week when you have more than one thing on the go.
- Allocating the right amount of time to make manageable and meaningful progress.
- Leaving space for setbacks.Thank you for listening.
To learn more about me and my work visit my website www.emilysheehan.info, say hi on Instagram @emilysheehan__ or reach me in an email at [email protected].
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Having our work reviewed publicly is a strange and unavoidable part of writing. It's something we all have to deal with when we put new work out into the world. In today's episode I talk about reviews, theatre criticism and 'perfect opinions'. I touch on:
- Writers' different appetites for reading reviews of their work.
- The difference between theatre criticism and reviews.
- Frustrations with an imperfect reviewing culture.
- How reviews are one small piece of the broader cultural and critical response your work.
- Knowing what's important to you. Whether that's the audience response, the industry response, the response from the community the work represents, box office sales, awards and nominations etc.
- Asking who or what art criticism meant to serve?
- My thoughts on writers being part of the broader conversation surrounding their work.
I reference:
'Beejay Silcox on literary criticism and the art of judging' on The Garret podcast
Thank you for listening. If you're enjoying the podcast, leaving a rating or a review is a really friendly way to show your support.
To learn more about my work, visit my website, connect with me on Instagram @emilysheehan__ or send me an email at [email protected].
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Today I'm joined by Artistic Director of the Old Fitz Theatre, Lucy Clements, to talk about the rehearsal room for my play Frame Narrative.
We speak about:
- Finding the right artistic team to build out the world of the play.
- The rehearsal process and the role of a director and playwright at different stages.
- The many design elements and working with composition in the rehearsal room.
- Working with an intimacy coordinator to choreograph the work.
- Making changes to the text on the floor.Come see the show!
Frame Narrative
By Emily Sheehan and directed by Lucy Clements
8-30 March 2024
At Old Fitz Theatre
Book now: https://www.oldfitztheatre.com.au/frame-narrativeFollow Lucy on instagram @lucypodstolski and @newghoststheatrecompany
Follow me on instagram @emilysheehan__
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I've been writing an adaptation! (Frame Narrative and it’s on March 8-30, 2024 at The Old Fitz in Sydney.) Working with source material has changed some parts of my writing process. So I thought it could be useful to share what's been helpful along the way.
I speak about:
- The many kinds of adaptations: retellings, reimaginings, cover songs, fan fiction, prequels, sequels etc.
- Bridging the gap between the source material and the liveness of theatre (or whatever form you write in.)
- The relationship between form and content.
- Using research to broaden your access points to the material and find new ideas and inspiration.
- Imagine filtering a story through your voice and aesthetic like it’s a cover song. How does this particular story sound in your voice?
- Marginalia and the long history of readers writing in the margins of books.
- Working with the expectations audiences bring to a work when they know it’s an adaptation. Can you deliver on the expectations that open up possibilities, and subvert the ones that don’t.I reference:
- G Flip’s cover of Cruel Summer by Taylor Swift on triple j Like A Version
- 'Like A Version and the art of making a cover song' by Madi Chwasta on ABCSee Monument at Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre!
By Emily Sheehan and directed by Ella Caldwell
February 20 - March 10, 2024
Book now: https://www.redstitch.net/monument-2024See Frame Narrative at The Old Fitz Theatre!
By Emily Sheehan and directed by Lucy Clements
March 8-30, 2024
Book now: https://www.oldfitztheatre.com.au/frame-narrative -
Sometimes in order to make a piece of writing stronger you have to remove something. Whether that's a conversation between two characters, a whole scene, a whole narrative thread or maybe even a whole character. In today’s episode I unpack the common piece of writing advice to ‘kill your darlings’ and share some of the provocations and writing tasks that have helped me cut material from my latest draft.
I speak about:
- Stepping back and looking at your play as a whole rather than its individual parts.
- We often default to adding something to our draft to improve it, but subtraction is just as important.
- How to know when to add something and when to take something away.
- When not to kill your darlings.
- Why going for clarity in each moment of the script isn’t the same as being vanilla.
- Some prompts for cutting dialogue, cutting drama beats, cutting key events, cutting scenes, cutting narrative threads, cutting whole characters and cutting stage time.I reference:
- Episode 28 ‘Character Development’
- Episode 38 ‘Stay With the Story’
- Mark Ravenhill’s series of tweets ‘101 Notes on Playwriting’See Monument at Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre!
By Emily Sheehan and directed by Ella Caldwell
February 20 - March 10, 2024
Book now: https://www.redstitch.net/monument-2024See Frame Narrative at The Old Fitz Theatre!
By Emily Sheehan and directed by Lucy Clements
March 8 - 30, 2024
Book now: https://www.oldfitztheatre.com.au/frame-narrativeGet one-on-one support for your writing by visiting www.emilysheehan.info/dramaturgy and say hi, ask a writing question or request a podcast topic on instagram @emilysheehan__.
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What’s your play about? What questions is it trying to answer? What provocations does it make? After a period of intense focus on the big ideas of the play, it can be helpful to switch focus and 'stay with the story'.
In today's episode I speak about:
- Writing from your authentic voice. The place where you are the most honest, most lyrical, most creative.
- The difference between what your play is about, and what it’s really about.
- Developing the story versus developing the ideas.
- The dance between complex ideas in a simple story, and simple ideas within a complex story.
- Looking at feedback through a story lens.
- Looking at your outline through a story lens.
- Using note cards to physicalise your story spine.
- Why I always print out the material I’m working on.I reference:
Episode 22 'Writing a Draft Zero’
‘36 Assumptions About Writing Plays’ by José RiveraGet one-on-one support for your writing by visiting www.emilysheehan.info/dramaturgy
Say hi, ask a writing question or request a podcast topic on instagram @emilysheehan__
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A seductive psychological defence is that we will one day feel ready. Ready to start a draft. Ready to tackle these rewrites. Ready to send the script to a friend to read. But feelings of readiness don’t always arrive…
Today I share my thoughts on whether we need to feel ready before we take the next step in a creative project. And some strategies and tools to try out if we don’t feel ready. I speak about:
- Readiness is an emotion and emotions are fickle.
- How to focus on what you can control: where you place your attention and the action you take.
- Discovering a supportive writing routine and setting up writing sessions.
- Getting curious about the pace your project wants to move at. Does it want to go slow? Or does it want to bolt? Are you getting in the way of that pace?
- A travel story about the opulent dinner parties thrown by Salvador Dalí and his wife and muse, Gala. Hint: if you’re given a bottle of champagne, it’s only good on your shelf for a year. So don’t save it. Drink it!
I reference:
Episode 14 Episode Creative Resets Between Projects
Episode 15 'The Artist's Way' Weeks 1-4
Episode 16 'The Artist's Way' Weeks 5-8
Episode 17 'The Artist's Way' Weeks 9-12
Episode 25 Writing Habits to Overcome Procrastination
‘Dali: Les Diners De Gala’ by Salvador Dali.Get one-on-one support for your writing by visiting www.emilysheehan.info/dramaturgy
Say hi, ask a writing question or request a podcast topic on instagram @emilysheehan__
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It’s time to reacquaint ourselves with rest. Rest and recovery are as much a part of the creative process as phases of enormous artistic output. And we can validate our ambition to create our best work and chase our dreams, at the same time we talk about wellbeing and meeting our needs as artists. ‘Pushing through’ when we’ve hit our limit is rampant in the arts industry. This podcast is an invitation. I want to release you from the myth that those who are experiencing the most artistic success and the most artistic fulfilment are the ones who are pushing the hardest.
In this episode I speak about:
- The myth that those who are successful are pushing the hardest.
- Rest’s relationship with capitalism.
- My honest opinion on our obsession with ‘pushing through’ in the arts industry.
- How we can find rest within a broken system.
- The difference between high quality rest activities and unhelpful numbing techniques.
- My strategies for setting up small ways to rest, extended ways to rest, and making space for mindful distraction techniques during the week’s schedule.References:
'Rest is Resistance' by Tricia HerseyIf you’re enjoying the podcast, please leave me a rating or a review. It’s a really friendly way to show your support.
To learn more about my work, visit my website, connect with me on Instagram @emilysheehan__ or send me an email at [email protected].
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As part of the publicity for Monument at Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre, I’ve done a number of radio interviews. This episode is a compilation of three of my favourite radio conversations.
So much about theatre and live performance is ephemeral, so including these in my podcast feed is a way to archive interesting conversations about the play. And even though art and writing can and should speak for itself and stand alone, I also really believe that artists should be part of the conversation about their work.
Listen to these interviews in full and check out other conversations with interesting artists by following:
Steff Kechaya on Arts Weekly on 3MBS Melbourne
Yvette Kean on She Bop on 3CR Radio
Richard Watts on SmartArts on Triple RRead the play!
Monument by Emily Sheehan
Buy online at Readings
Buy online at Booktopia
Buy online at Currency Press -
Today I'm joined by Artistic Director of Red Stitch Actors' Theatre, Ella Caldwell, to talk about the rehearsal room for my play Monument.
We speak about:
- Finding the right artistic team to build out the world of the play.
- Bringing different perspectives into the development room.
- The rehearsal process and the role of a director and playwright.
- New discoveries in the rehearsal room and going all the way with a choice to reveal the next layer.
- Being brave enough to expose your work early and when to open up the rehearsal room to outside eyes.
- The themes of Monument (politics and beauty culture) and our personal relationship to makeup.
- The challenges of working with a closed time closed place play.
- Engaging subject matter experts at different points of the artistic process.
- Working with a makeup consultant in the rehearsal room.Come see the show!
Monument by Emily Sheehan
Directed by Ella Caldwell
At Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre
9 August - 3 September, 2023
Book nowRead the script!
Monument by Emily Sheehan
Published by Currency Press
Buy here -
Monument by Emily Sheehan
Directed by Ella Caldwell
Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre
9 August - 3 September, 2023
Book now: www.redstitch.net/monument-2023Next Episode
If you have questions about the rehearsal room or working with a director that you want Ella or myself to speak about, DM me on Instagram @emilysheehan__ and that will give Ella and I some ideas for our podcast chat later this month.Playwriting Workshop
September 5 - November 7
Details here: bit.ly/banyule-playwriting -
I’ve been intrigued by the concept of ‘slow looking’ from my visits to galleries in my travels. Slow looking is an approach to visiting a gallery that encourages spending more time with a few selected artworks, rather than rushing through to try and see everything.
In today’s episode I’m sharing some thoughts on slow looking, how it’s extended to my experience watching theatre, and how I’ve been using it as an entry point for writing scenes.
References
'A guide to slow looking' on the Tate websiteTo learn more about my work, visit my website or connect with me on Instagram @emilysheehan__. If you’re interested in working with me as your dramaturg then send me an email at [email protected].
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In today’s episode I share one of my favourite pieces of writing about playwriting. José Rivera’s ‘36 Assumptions About Writing Plays’, originally published in the American Theatre Magazine. It’s a beautiful list of provocations about playwriting craft which I have found enormously helpful and returned to again and again.
References
‘36 Assumptions About Writing Plays’ by José Rivera
To learn more about my work, visit my website or connect with me on Instagram @emilysheehan__. If you’re interested in working with me as your dramaturg then send me an email at [email protected].
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Today I talk about staying consistent in our writing practice even when life gets busy. I've been feeling motivated and inspired, but despite my best intentions, life has been intruding on my writing time. This has made for some rushed and unsatisfying writing sessions this month.
So today I'm sharing what has been helpful creative process wise when it comes to writing when life gets in the way. Because I hope that my artistic self can still feel welcome in all seasons of life, even if the conditions are less than ideal.
I cover:
- Physical, mental and emotional exhaustion.
- When to rest and when to persevere.
- Asking 'Do I know what the next step is?' Followed by, 'Do I have everything I need to take the next step.'
- Writing in less than favourable conditions.
- Why taking smaller steps more often is more supportive than finding days for enormous progress.
- Finding smaller pockets of time to create in.
- Journaling on life's big themes when they're present in our life.
- The inhale and exhale of a writing life.
- Sarah Ruhl’s wonderful words on why writing is more about life than it is about writing, and so life by definition is not an intrusion.
- And finding what you can drop and where you can lower your standards, because there is magic in C-grade work.References
'100 Essays I Don't Have Time to Write' by Sarah Ruhl
Episode 10: Creative Pace, Timing and PatienceTo learn more about my work, visit my website or connect with me on Instagram @emilysheehan__.
If you’re interested in working with me as your dramaturg then send me an email at [email protected].
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As playwrights, it’s useful to understand the audience-facing aspects of the genre we’re working in, so we can make interesting decisions as we write. In this episode I share how I'm letting genre inform many of the dramaturgical choices I’m making in this draft.
I speak about:
- Leaning into the natural momentum of a genre you’re writing in and letting it draw things out of you.
- Managing and playing with audience expectations and the kind of story they might expect to see.
- How genre can influence: the world of the play, the emotional and stylistic palette, the controlling ideas, the themes and the wants and needs of our characters.
- Knowing which genre conventions you’re aligning with and which you’re choosing to twist and subvert.
- How different genres have slightly different ways they work to evoke emotions, frame central questions, and show specific changes across the arc of a story.
- The fear of predictability when working with well-known story conventions.
References:
Prima Facie by Suzie MillerTo learn more about my work, visit my website or connect with me on Instagram @emilysheehan__. If you’re interested in working with me as your dramaturg then send me an email at [email protected].
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Creating characters that are both interesting and integral to the plot of your play can take several rounds of revisions. I’m currently in a second draft and working on enmeshing my characters with the themes and story more.
In this episode, I share some of the writing exercises and prompts that have helped me develop my characters in meaningful ways.
These include:
- Identifying when a character doesn't feel fully developed on the page.
- Basic story work to uncover a character's wants, flaws, wounds, and needs.
- Journaling to explore a character's relationship to the themes.
- Making a list of the decisions each character makes within the timeline of the play that moves the story forward.
- Mapping out the character constellations in each scene.
- Experimenting with point of view in key moments.
- Rewriting scenes to centre a different character's perspective.
References
16 Personalities test
Thank you for listening! If you've found this episode helpful, leaving a rating or review is a really friendly way to show your support.
To learn more about my work, visit my website or connect with me on Instagram @emilysheehan__.
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So you finished the first draft, now what? Today I share some thoughts about where to begin for Draft 2. Because if we jump in and start editing out the weird bits before we sit with what is so uncomfortable about them, and why are we so desperate to tidy them up, we’re going to lose that deeper insight. We won’t discover the gift of understanding the more shadowy depths of this play that could be explored through a second draft process.
I speak about:
- The difference between a genuine artistic impulse and our inner editor.
- Setting aside the impulse to jump in and start ‘fixing’ things.
- Consider what the messy parts of your draft might reveal about the ideas underneath your idea.
- Discovering the shadowy parts of your draft that are hiding in the corner or under the bed.
- Letting the strangeness feel welcome in your story, even if you’re not totally comfortable with it being there.
- How scary it can feel when more and more of our idea becomes known to us, and we discover parts of it that make us squirm.
- If your first draft isn’t messy, then perhaps you’re hiding your mess from yourself?Thank you for listening! This is an independently produced podcast, which means I do all of it myself. Rating and reviewing is a really friendly way to show your support.
If you’re interested in working with me as your dramaturg then send me an email at [email protected].
You can learn more about my work on my website or say hi and ask me a question via @emilysheehan__ on Instagram.
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Today I’m speaking about the benefits of hearing your script read aloud in a group environment and some methods for getting useful feedback on your play. I recently finished a polished first draft of a new play, and organising a table read with actors was a key part of moving the draft into its next iteration.
I speak about:
- The similarities between playwriting and music composition, and why we need to hear our words read aloud.
- Methods for giving and receiving feedback in a group environment.
- Knowing when you’re ready to discuss your ideas and unpack aspects of your play in a group environment.
- The concept of ‘works in progress’ in your artistic pursuits as well as more broadly in your life.
- Types of table reads and how they’re used as a tool at different phases of the creative process.
- Using table reads and development discussions to find those gemstone notes that will unlock that next iteration of your play.
- Tips for making table reads run smoothly.
- Prompts and questions to ask for areas of playwriting craft you might like to get feedback on.
I reference:
Episode 9 Dramaturgy, Feedback and Implementing Notes
‘The Critical Response Process’ by Liz Lerman and John Borstel
‘The Director’s Craft’ by Katie Mitchell
Thank you for listening! This is an independently produced podcast which means I do all of it, end-to-end, myself. Rating and reviewing is a really friendly way to show your support.
If you’re interested in working with me as your dramaturg then send me an email at [email protected]. You can learn more about my work on my website or say hi and ask me a question via @emilysheehan__ on Instagram.
Special thanks today to Ashton Sly, Joshua Monaghan and Danny Carroll.
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Today I share the habits that have helped me overcome procrastination and get back on track to finishing a polished first draft before the end of the year.
I speak about:
- The fatigue of continuous self-motivation.
- Creating manageable and meaningful goals worthy of pursuing regardless of the outcome.
- Deciding on a lighthouse to 'sail towards' for this draft only (knowing you can always change course in the following draft).
- Discovering what habit cues support a fulfilling writing session for you (everyone's different). And what cues in your environment distract or delay your writing sessions.
- How to switch between intrinsic and extrinsic rewards.
- Minimising multitasking on writing days - something Twyla Tharp goes into in her book 'The Creative Habit'.
- Building up our tolerance for solitude.
- Using meditation and mindfulness to better hear the voice of our work.I reference:
Episode 24 Playwriting and Procrastination
The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp
Dr Rebecca Ray 'Breakthrough' podcast on AudibleThank you for listening! This is an independently produced podcast which means I do all of it, end-to-end, myself. Rating or reviewing is a really friendly way to show your support.
You can learn more about my work on my website or say hi and ask me a question via @emilysheehan__ on Instagram. If you’re interested in working with me as your dramaturg then send me an email at [email protected].
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