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 Miller
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 emily@emilysheehan.info.