*** FREE THEATER IN NYC ***
Hudson Classical Theater Company
The Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument in Riverside Park
Behind the Monument at West 89th Street and Riverside Dr.
No reservations necessary. Just show up before 6:15pm and we will take your name and contact info (for Riverside Park COVID-19 Safety Rules).
We cannot seat you once the show starts at 6:30pm.
Audience members must wear face masks during the show.
If you don't have a mask, one will be provided for you. Shows begin at 6:30pm so we recommend arriving to the monument no later than 6:10pm to ensure a good seat. You may bring your own folding chair, but be forewarned, there is very limited space for folding chairs. Our performances are typically under two hours. There is no intermission. Dogs are allowed, but we ask you to sit at the top of the monument if you bring pets.
We are WHEEL CHAIR ACCESSIBLE! Please email us one day before the performance so we can make accommodations.
Love's Labour's Lost
Thursday through Sunday Night at 6:30pm
July 1st – July 25th, 2021
The Count of Monte Cristo
Thursday through Sunday Night at 6:30pm
July 29th – August 22nd, 2021
Please pay what you can
*** DRAMATISTS GUILD FREE WEBINAR ***
Writing & Producing in Spanish: Reshaping Theatre in the USA
Thursday, July 29
6pm-7:30pm EDT
5pm-6:30pm CDT
4pm-5:30pm MDT
3pm-4:30pm PDT
Join us for a working group discussion, led by dramatists of varying factions of the Latinx and native Spanish-speaking diaspora, on how the American theatre can be a cultural leader in the inclusion of artists who write and perform in the Spanish language.
This discussion will take place in the form of a ‘working group,’ in which all participants will be encouraged to engage in idea-sharing and the vision of future work. Focused questions will be posed to participants, before, during, and after the discussion, to formulate further action and direction of the working group.
Language inclusion is an under-addressed topic in our inclusivity and diversity work, especially the Spanish language. The US is home to 41 million native Spanish speakers, according to census data - that's 13% of the population. And with another nearly 12 million bilingual Spanish speakers, the US is the second largest Spanish-speaking country in the world.
This event is free and open for all to attend. Dramatists who write creative material in the Spanish Language, and who are of the Latinx and native Spanish-speaking diaspora, are strongly encouraged to attend and participate.
More:
*** OPPORTUNITIES FOR PLAYWRIGHTS ***
Welcome to the 2nd Annual SOOP to NUTS Short Play Festival original short-play competition at our 530 Studios in Pelham, NY (28 minutes from Grand Central Station!)
PRIZES: 1st place: $500, 2nd place: $250, 3rd place $100
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SPIDER, a literary magazine for children, features fresh and engaging literature, poems, articles, and activities for newly independent readers. Editors seek energetic, beautifully crafted submissions with strong “kid appeal” (an elusive yet recognizable quality, often tied to high-interest elements such as humor, adventure, and suspense).
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11th Annual National Jewish Playwriting Contest
We are currently seeking unproduced full-length (65+ minutes) plays and musicals that focus on aspects of 21st Century Jewish identity, culture, and ideas, and the complex and intersectional nature of contemporary Jewish life.
*** FOR MORE INFORMATION about these and other opportunities see the web site at https://www.nycplaywrights.org ***
*** WHAT DOES YOUR CHARACTER WANT? ***
Your character needs to want something more than anything else in the world. What your character wants should be simple without being simple to get. For example, your character may want true love. She might want to become a billionaire, or to rescue her kidnapped sister. She may want to escape an abusive husband, survive a sinking ship or any number of other things. Each of those examples, though, is fraught with possible setbacks and challenges.
The things characters want that drive their motivations should be specific and concrete. Then obstacles between your character and their heart’s desire supply narrative tension.
Some genres supply us with character’s desires by default. In a romantic novel, for example, the character wants the object of their affection. In a detective or crime novel, the investigator wants to solve the crime. When you have the desire supplying your character’s motivations already, think about ways you can complicate these motivations.
For example, give your character flaws that get in their way. The romantic lead might have an unfortunately shy or stiff manner. It could come across as cold and disinterested to the love interest, for example. Jane Austen milks this character flaw for all it’s worth in her classic novel Pride and Prejudice. Mr. Darcy’s standoffish behaviour comes across as rude to Lizzie Bennett. We enjoy the narrative tension in Lizzie’s gradual realization of Darcy’s true nature. It is much kinder and more caring than first appears.
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Kurt Vonnegut famously advised writers: Characters must want something, even if it’s just a glass of water.
Desire in storytelling describes what the character thinks they want. What we want is influenced by society and acculturation, so a character’s desires will be affected by their past and present setting.
The word ‘desire’ is often used in the context of sexual desire, which connects to hunger (for food).
There are three sorts of appetites, described below by (unexpected) gastronome, Alexandre Dumas, in his Dictionary of Cuisine:
Appetite that comes from hunger. It makes no fuss over the food that satisfies it. If it is great enough, a piece of raw meat will appease it as easily as a roasted pheasant or woodcock.
Appetite aroused, hunger or no hunger, by a succulent dish appearing at the right moment, illustrating the proverb that hunger comes with eating.
The third type of appetite is that roused at the end of a meal when, after normal hunger has been satisfied by the main courses, and the guest is truly ready to rise without regret, a delicious dish holds him to the table with a final tempting of his sensuality.
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Are you struggling to finish your first draft, lost in an aimless middle act or lackluster conclusion? Is your manuscript worrisomely bland, lacking a strong narrative thread to draw readers from Point A to Point B? Writer, it’s time to rev up your story’s narrative engine…
The surest way to drive your plot forward is to arm your characters with goals they’re motivated to achieve. Pit your characters’ goals against one another (or against their internal needs), and you’ll create deliciously engaging conflict that keeps readers turning pages.
But how does one develop goals that effectively serve their characters and story? Is it even necessary to give every character a goal, for that matter? Let’s delve into this topic together, writer.
Story goals as a catalyst for conflict…
A story’s narrative engine is the force that gives its plot momentum, moving the characters through each act with clarity and direction. This force is also known as a story’s central conflict, the question that keeps readers engaged from beginning to end.
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Thoughts on Building a Character
What does your character want? It is important as an actor to ask yourself what your character's objectives are. Most likely, they have a grand objective for the show, but they also have objectives for every scene they are in (sometimes even from moment to moment). Really think about what your character wants whenever they are onstage--- after all, why else would they be there.
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If you asked ten people this exact question, you’d get at least twelve different answers, from action and drama to prose and description. However, beyond all these things is a single element that readers respond to, even if they don’t know it at first—want versus need.
You see, characters are the real drivers of a compelling story, even in more action focused genres. So, what does want versus need have to do with writing interesting characters? Well, it’s the secret to creating realistic character conflict!
Your Character’s Want versus Need
Want Versus Need: the Secret to Character ConflictI’m sure you’ve faced a dilemma similar to this one before—you want to eat an entire box of doughnuts, but what your body really needs is a refreshing salad. The protagonist of any good story will experience a similar pull between two desires, but their conflict will go far beyond shallow dietary habits.
Instead, it will affect the entire progression of their character arc.
The foundation of this conflict is their want versus need.
For instance, let’s say your hero believes that by becoming prom king he’ll gain friends, popularity, and happiness. However, in reality what he needs is to let go of his ego and embrace those lower on the popularity ladder to find true, lasting friendships.
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Figuring out what your character wants will help you add depth and interest for your character, making them more realistic and believable. A character that doesn’t want anything is a boring character. Having a want, wish, goal, or desire will push your character throughout the show – what do they want and how will they go about achieving it?
The following series of questions will help you figure out exactly why your character is in the scene and what they want. Go through your script and make notes while you’re thinking about these questions. The script will give you clues and information about what your character wants. For each question, note what it was in the script that gave you that information. List the page number and/or the line number in the script, for you to refer back to. It could be a line spoken by your character, a line spoken by another character, a stage direction, or something else.
If you can’t find proof in the script, you may wish to brainstorm some ideas about your character and what they want. Talk to your teacher or start a class discussion to get more ideas and insights!
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