Playwrights in Rehearsal: The Seduction of Company

By: Susan Letzler Cole

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Synopsis: Playwrights in Rehearsal is an inside look at the writer's role in the creative process of bringing his or her words to life on stage. Susan Letzler Cole, granted rare access to some of the major playwrights of our time, recounts the participation in rehearsal of Arthur Miller, Sam Shepard, Tony Kushner, Suzan-Lori Parks, and others. She follows these writers from staged readings in small rooms to season-opening world premieres, as they work with such acclaimed directors as Joseph Chaikin, Mark Lamos, James Houghton, and Garland Wright, and with such distinguished actors as Kathleen Chalfant, Ellen McLaughlin, Charlayne Woodward, and Joseph Wiseman. Seeking to understand the playwright's role in the collaborative process of rewriting the script during rehearsal, Susan Cole examines the relation between the author's revision of the text and the director's reimagining of the script. Playwrights in Rehearsal vividly depicts both the pleasures and the tensions of playwrights working in company with actors, dramaturgs, and directors. In this revealing book, we see eight playwrights--who vary widely in age, fame, and dramatic technique--responding to the questions and dealing with the anxieties of their collaborators. As we watch and listen, and these writers watch and listen, plays come to life.