The Crafty Art of Playmaking

by Alan Ayckbourn

With over 60 plays written and staged, many playing in the West End or the Royal National Theatre, Alan Ayckbourn's expertise on writing and directing plays is unsurpassed. Here, he shares his tricks of the trade. From helpful hints on writing (Where has your play come from? Where is it going? How does it get there? What is comedy and how do you write it? What is tragedy and how does it work?) to tips on directing (working with actors and technicians, when to listen to the experts, how to cope with rehearsals), the book provides a complete primer for the tyro and a refresher for the more experienced.

Genres: Nonfiction, Writing, Theatre, Plays, Drama

Paperback

First published September 16, 2002

About the author

Sir Alan Ayckbourn is a popular and prolific English playwright. He has written and produced seventy-three full-length plays in Scarborough and London and was, between 1972 and 2009, the artistic director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, where all but four of his plays have received their first performance. More than 40 have subsequently been produced in the West End, at the Royal National Theatre or by the Royal Shakespeare Company since his first hit Relatively Speaking opened at the Duke of York's Theatre in 1967. Major successes include Absurd Person Singular (1975), The Norman Conquests trilogy (1973), Bedroom Farce (1975), Just Between Ourselves (1976), A Chorus of Disapproval (1984), Woman in Mind (1985), A Small Family Business (1987), Man Of The Moment (1988), House & Garden (1999) and Private Fears in Public Places (2004). His plays have won numerous awards, including seven London Evening Standard Awards. They have been translated into over 35 languages and are performed on stage and television throughout the world. Ten of his plays have been staged on Broadway, attracting two Tony nominations, and one Tony award.

Reviews

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a former stage actor and having written a few plays, it was a trip down memory lane to read this very candid, funny, and revealing first-hand account by a famous playwright and director about the interesting art form of theatre that is neither novel nor cinema, but which may have given birth to both.

Ayckbourn gives us 101 lessons, which he calls “obvious” lessons, obvious perhaps to him but revelatory to us. Thirty-nine of them are with his playwright’s cap on and sixty-two are from the director’s chair. Each of the two segments begin at the concept stage of the play and ends where each role ends, or is handed off to the other.

I found some interesting one-liners that revealed a lot:
1. Mix comedy with drama for contrast.
2. Theatre can call an emotional response, rarely objective to global issues.
3. A comedy is a play in which someone wants something and eventually gets it; a tragedy is a play where they don’t.
4. Always get your audience to look at the same thing.
5. Unity of time and setting, a strong narrative, and a few characters are essential ingredients to begin writing a good play.

He then gets into a lengthy section on dialogue that draws scenes from his own collection of plays, which is a delight to read, for the short scenes reveal much about character, relationships, and plot movement – great case studies on writing dialogue and on saying much with an economy of words.

In the director section, we get to realize the power dynamics between the director, the producer, the actors (especially the star of the show), and the diverse crew members who bring a play to life. The power rests with those who have the higher reputation, money, and audience-attraction – hence, directors are often at the mercy of star actors and producers, and are dispensable. There is always a battle for creative control between the director and the actors.

The director is alternatingly project manager, coach, mentor, traffic cop, and shrink. The director helps others create and has great difficulty building their own CV, for how does one isolate the directing from more obvious parts like the plot, the acting, the costumes, the set, and the lighting? It is also better to have no director than to have a bad director. His advice on directing that stuck with me:
1. New plays don’t built reputations. Remakes are better.
2. Most new playwrights have no clue about the theatre.
3. Don’t hire a star. Or your friends and relatives.
4. Casting is the most important job. Be sure to be present at every audition, especially when recruiting understudies.
5. A brilliant actor can take a line of dialogue with a laugh at the end and space it out to produce many short laughs in between as well.
6. Some of the best actors don’t audition well.
7. Beware the manic-depressive costume designer, the power-hungry set designer, the extravagant lighting designer, and the bored sound engineer. But always hire a smart Deputy Stage Manager.
There are many interesting revelations in this short book, all learned the hard way through Ayckbourn’s long and consistent career, and told in a humorous way, as if, having arrived at the pinnacle of his profession, nothing fazes him anymore, be that a play that shuts down after opening night or a star actress who collapses on stage because her girdle is too tight.

[Raúl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alan Ayckbourn es un dramaturgo muy exitoso, que busca contar sus historias de una forma original, casi experimental, sin perder nunca el ojo en el público. Su obra Smoking/No Smoking es famosa por la doble película de Alain Resnais, en la que la misma historia by los mismos personajes variaban en cuanto a su dependencia o aversión del tabaco. Este breve y muy sustancioso manual es uno de los más aprovechables sobre los oficios de escribir y de dirigir obras de teatro. Dividido en dos partes, en cada una de lla una serie de pequeños consejos o tips, muy razonables, se desarrollan de una manera franca, directa, y nos hacen darnos cuenta de que no solo Mamet nos lanza proposiciones sobre la escritura y dirección de teatro de forma tan clara y patente.

[Benito · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating insight into the mind of a writer-director (or a 'hyphenate' as the Oz media might put it) who has, according to the chronology in the appendix, had a show on every year since 1959. This short book is broken neatly into two halves, first on writing and then on directing. Oddly, as I am a playwright who has never directed, I found the second half more interesting (possibly because I found less to argue with there.) I think anyone who works (if you could call it work) in the theatre would find this a worthwhile read.

[Angelique · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this specifically because Ayckbourn directs the plays he writes. But he doesn't talk about what that's like, besides one line about how you don't have another person to bounce ideas off of, so you have to be extra critical on yourself. (p. 99 there is no one...who's going to tell you if you've got the whole thing wrong. Self-criticism has therefore to be rigorously applied). I found his writing tips more helpful than the directing. And it's amusing how disparaging he is about those who both write and direct. What he did with the shelves is pure genius. It makes me think about something I already realised is important, what can the audience see and what the playwright can put there. He also knows these are obvious tips, as he writes his obvious rules. But sometimes, it's too obvious.

[Owen Townend · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny and invaluable guide to the process of a writer/director for stage.

Ayckbourn takes us through key aspects of writing and directing in chronological order, highlighting 'obvious rules' along the way. His experience in multiple aspects of the theatre fill the pages, as does his understanding of fragile creative temperaments.

I first picked up The Crafty Art of Playmaking to learn Ayckbourn's writing process. It was a relief to find my instincts for penning scripts with one setting and basic furnishing were reinforced. I also found his advice to find the seriousness in comedies and the humour in drama fascinating. When I next set out to write a 'funny' script, I will certainly make use of his suggestion to put two serious performances in conflict with one another. Miscommunication is ideal comic fodder. That being said, after Ayckbourn made it clear that writing a farce is tremendously complex, I think I'll shy away from it for now.

While I have no immediate desire to direct any kind of show, I also benefited from his section devoted to the subject. It's good to know just how many people there are on an average crew, plus how and when they each come to work on the play. Having spent a life being only a spectator of such things, it was eye-opening to learn the number of rehearsals involved and how a good director deals with wayward actors and keeps on the good side of a deputy stage manager and technical crew.

Industry revelations aside, I am grateful that Ayckbourn kept things accessible through plenty of wit and eccentric anecdotes to drive his points home. Though I haven't read any books about stagecraft before now, I would wager that The Crafty Art of Playmaking is a good one for beginners. If you match that descriptor or just enjoy hearing more from one of Britain's finest playwrights, I can heartily recommend this book.

[jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book hit me to the the point of how much I love theatre. It also showed me how much I haven't done. How much I should do and I shouldn't do.

This book has tickled me to do more - whatever it takes.

[Brian K · Rating 3 out of 5]

The long series of "Obvious Rules" (each one explained as they exhibited themselves in Ayckbourn's own oeuvre) were extremely helpful, and is a pattern that more writing books should follow. The second half of the book -- about directing a play -- is only applicable if you're in theater (I'm not).

[Joz1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

what it says on the tin

Craft oriented, unfussy, clearly written obviously useful advice. The first half is the best but it’s all good and fun to read. No theory just what works from an obviously generous and intelligent person.

[Jenna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had some good tips but was a bit outdated.

[Andrés · Rating 3 out of 5]

De lectura imprescindible para todo aquel que pretenda ser creador de teatro, en cualquiera de sus múltiples facetas. Lo malo es que pone de ejemplo sólo a sus obras.

[Sisi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful guide for beginners. He uses his own experience which makes it so useful, showing the process of creating and directing.

[Bill Potter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful play to read. Have to digest it more before I opine.

[Marc Garrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and useful read

Ayckbourn maintains a conversational tone as he imparts his years of experience and wisdom. His writing is both fun and highly useful.

[Archie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very illuminating, all be it blunt, review of theatre from its earliest stages to when the curtain goes down. As the book says it’s is full of ‘obvious rules’ that I found to be very helpful.

[Zoe Thorman · Rating 3 out of 5]

some good advice, some not-so-good advice - don't think he needed to say as much as he did but alas, I learned some things!

[mar font]

nah que divertido replanteándome una carrera como dramaturga

[James Binz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific stuff! The writing section has 39 top notch tips. Ayckbourn is a master

[Carenza · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really informative book about play writing, one I’ll be looking at in the future

[Andrew Fish · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was a present. As a fan of Ayckbourn's plays and a writer (albeit primarily a novelist) myself, my wife thought I'd find it interesting. And it is, if not for the reasons Ayckbourn intended. The truth is that writers are not inherently scientific creatures and whilst some of us are more analytical than others, that doesn't mean we can systematically boil down what we do to a recipe for others to follow. Ayckbourn admits as much himself, but nonetheless proceeds, by way of analysing his own work, to attempt just that.

Much of the analysis is, as implied by his "obvious rules", fairly obvious. There are little things, like the conventions in writing overlapping dialogue or phrasing speech to help actors remember their next line, which are novel to a novelist, but much of what he describes should be obvious to anyone with literary experience. Where this first half of the book is interesting is where he analyses his own work to explain his points. The script extracts are occasionally overlong, but their dissection - even if it is ad hoc - gives a little insight into the way the great mind works.

In talking about direction, Ayckbourn becomes rather more cynical. As someone who ended up directing by default rather than design, he doesn't share the inflated view of the role that other directors do. Likewise, his decades at the helm have taught him to recognise the pitfalls caused by the foibles of other theatrical types, from stars who want a vehicle for their reputation to writers who can't see why their play is doomed to fail. Some of the advice he gives might be eminently practical, but some of it feels like a counsel of despair. Some also betrays Ayckbourn's lack of interest in particular elements of production, notably the technical aspects of lighting and sound design, where he more or less dismisses one and cautions against the other on grounds of expense.

As a guide for a budding writer or director, then, this book is thin on useful content - at least, unless you have an actor in your family and need a crash course in steering them away from an emotional breakdown. Perhaps, as with the direction, the guide was another thing Ayckbourn never really set out to do, but as a one-shot it's not something he's had chance to master. It is, however, frequently amusing and probably quite effective at putting people off from a career in the theatre if they'd only casually considered it. Then again, perhaps that was Ayckbourn's intention - after all, if reading the master dissuades you from competing with him then it does ensure his latter years will be well remunerated. But then perhaps that's just Ayckbourn's cynicism rubbing off on me.

[Ian Ayris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is basically two books in one.

The first half of the book is about writing plays and the second half is about directing plays. The whole is written in an easy going, humourous style, making the whole thing a pleasure to read. I sense, though, the second half of the book, though entertaining and interesting, will hold value but to a small minority of readers.

If you are looking for a book on playwriting, be warned, therefore, the relevant part of this book is less than a hundred pages long.

Though a very enjoyable ninety-six pages it is.

[Lyf · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good and straightforward read about play making and the art of direction. I personally got more out of the directing section, however the play making section is very valuable reading from a writers perspective.

[Duncan Maccoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most interesting books on writing and directing plays. There are many more anecdotes on the art and craft of directing than writing, but they are all written in typical Ayckbourn style.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good, but not entirely applicable in all areas I was seeking information. This is on me, not the author. But still an informative read.

[Linnea Gelland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining and rather inspiring.