I'm a playwright who's been using this site to explore markets for a while, and thought it was time I joined the discussion a little. My most recent play, which I'm shopping at the moment by electronic mail (one theatre has it, along with how many others I don't know, on hold as a possibility depending on funding) is called Beggar's Banquet--a day in the life of eight people living in a garbage dump. I produced a number of ten minute plays last year in response to a number of calls for them, but no nibbles there as yet. My favourite of these (which actually goes back a few years, and is loosely based on a Ben Hecht story) concerns a murderer on death row who's a transvestite and, when fully made up and dressed in old style Victorian garb, is courted by the warden, the chaplain and the hangman in a song and dance routine that concludes at the gibbet. Still can't figure why nobody's snapped that one up, unless it's the slightly involved set--but that could be simplified in various ways.
I've read your death row script. You sent it to our short play festival in Wagga. I love it! I keep pushing it as the sort of daring thing ten minutes can do but there's a lot of fraidy cats out there.
Thanks to both of you for your comments. Hope to be more active in these conversations soon.
Nic, I'm pleased to hear my death row script attracted at least one sympathetic reader. I recollect with pleasure the short correspondence we had at the time of the competition. If it comes up again this year, I'll see if I can have something new to send your way.
Last edited on Thu Jan 3rd, 2008 02:57 am by Martin H
