INTERVIEW WITH JASON AARON GOLDBERG, President of Original Works Publishing Visit the OWP website at: http://www.originalworksonline.com And on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/owp_newplays
edd: It is my pleasure to welcome Jason Aaron Goldberg, President of Original Works Publishing. Original Works Publishing is a Los Angeles based play publisher and production company dedicated entirely to bold and innovative new plays. Along with its growing play catalog, OWP has a film division with numerous projects in development. Be sure to look for their ad in the latest issue of American Theatre Magazine. Jason, welcome. Is there anything you’d like to say before we begin our Q & A?
Jason-OWP: Happy to be here. A nice turnout. Feel free to ask me anything you want folks. I don't pull any punches.
edd: Let me start with a question from a member in the UK. Playful wants to know if you publish/license playwrights from the UK?
Jason-OWP: Absolutely. We want more plays from UK writers. I think the US and the UK have an equal admiration for one another these days when it comes to new plays. I know that Rose Martula has a nice following there. I am in touch with a few UK writers, but always wanting to meet more.
edd: Great. in media res has a question for you.
in media res: What five or so new productions of new American plays have you seen in the last year that you think have really made great theatre? Doesn't matter what venue you saw it in.
Jason-OWP: Geez, I don't really know. There are a few. I am a big fan of FURIOUS THEATRE COMPANY here in LA. They are doing incredible work. They just did Matt Pelfrey and Alex Jones (A UK writer.) But most of the work I have seen lately is subpar. People are putting up plays that aren't ready. Most of the plays I really enjoy aren't getting done much in LA.
edd: Casarino has a question.
Jason-OWP: Go for it, Matt.
Casarino: Jason, I wanted to know how you got started in this biz...and how you make connections with theaters.
Jason-OWP: OWP got started while I was in college. Playwright Nick Zagone and I thought that there needed to be a company dedicated entirely to bold and innovative writer. So we started it. But he left the company early to focus on writing. I connect with theatres by inquiring to them on a personal level. Asking what they are looking for and if I can help them find it. Lots and lots of emails.
edd: Thank you. We have a question from Vekimberlin.
vekimberlin: I was wondering if you consider sites like the UK-based PlaysontheNet to be in competition with you.
Jason-OWP: It is all a competition to some degree. But I just try to stay focused on finding great work and giving it a showcase for people to find it. I am hoping that people are starting to trust OWP to be a source for quality plays. We don't publish any crap. That is why our catalog grows slowly. We also focus on the professional theatre scene more than most other publishers. But, yes, we are all competitive.
edd: Liz has a follow up question.
vekimberlin: Assuming it's okay to stay on the subject, how do you feel about plays that are already published on another website?
Jason-OWP: When we sign a play we start with an exclusive contract. That said, we carry plays that are published more than once. That is fine if it helps get the work out there. Maybe we would change our contract to be US based, and the other company would be UK based. Something like that. But just to clarify, we don't publish online. Our catalog is online, not the plays.
edd: in media res has a question.
in media res: Where did you attend college? Also, why do you think plays are being mounted before they are ready? I and other professionals I know have noticed this too. Is it just the inability to judge when it is completed? How do you mean you focus on the professional theatre scene more than others? At what level do you consider "professional?" Off-Off Broadway in NYC? Off-Loop in Chicago? 99 seat Equity Waiver in LA?
Jason-OWP: I went to UNLV in Las Vegas. I think people aren't patient and they want gratification now. Artists want to be loved. They also don't really have a strong place to develop work. For professional, I mean anything out side of High School. We are trying to get more into the University scene, but that is hard. Professors don't really look for new work. They go based on what is popular. So they all love THE PILLOWMAN. But they won't look at THE PORNOZOMBIES, even if it would be a fun show for their students. Or even something like JUDY GRAY, which is great for college age actresses. But I'm working on it.
edd: Jason, our next question comes from muncy in the UK.
muncy: Hi Jason. I am just wondering about email submission. What proportion of submissions come to you by email and which method do you prefer?
Jason-OWP: Mostly I get emailed subs. Which is fine. However, if the play is a full length I prefer that the emailed sub is an initial inquiry. If we want to further consider the work I like to get a full hard copy package. I can't stress enough how much playwrights need to pay attention to submission guidelines. Ours are simple, and yet people still don't follow them.
edd: Paddy, our co-moderator, has a question for you, Jason.
Paddy: So...tongue placed firmly in cheek...would the Canadians then be published in the US sector or the UK?
Jason-OWP: If it was exclusive the play would be available to the whole world. If it was already published in the UK, we would handle North American rights. North America being US, Canada, and Mexico.
edd: Our next question comes from Casey.
caseyc: Thanks and hello! :) What would you say the best thing or things are most helpful for developing a play to its best? Also, how do you decide how much you charge theaters for performances? And how much of this reaches the playwright? And finally, for fun, could you tell us your favorite play at the moment? :D
Jason-OWP: The best thing to develop a play is to take your time. Read the play yourself many times over. Then have it read out loud with actors. Get notes, but be firm in your convictions. You don't have to take all the notes. We negotiate with theatres based on size of house , ticket prices, and length of run. 80% goes to the playwright. I try not to play favorites because different plays have a different place in the theatre community. POONA THE FUCKDOG has a different place than AN IMPENDING RUPTURE OF THE BELLY.
edd: Liz has a question for you, Jason.
vekimberlin: Do plays with previous production history, especially professionally, get considered at OWP ahead of those which aren't published or produced? And does it help to provide previous production details and reviews?
Jason-OWP: I see you've never been to our website. We only consider plays that have had a production and are proven. If it hasn't been produced we won't look at it. We require all submissions to provide a production history and reviews if it has them.
edd: Jason, we have a question from moon.
moon: What are some of the signs that a play is right for OWP, rather than another publishing company?
Jason-OWP: If it is daring in subject, style, and structure. ORIGINAL!
edd: Jason, in media res has a question for you.
in media res: Are there any "best ages" you look for casting when you read a script? Is a play for characters mostly over 40 and 50 and 60 out of the question? There is a plethora of actors out there to do them. I ask, as these are the people, sadly, who attend most theatre? But, they do have the money.
Jason: I don't age discriminate. I just look for good material. That said, older folks aren't really the ones producing these days. It is mostly younger college grads and professionals.
edd: in media res, do you have a follow-up?
in media res: God knows Ibsen and Shaw and Miller wrote for these ages? Why not so much now? When we live so much longer.
Jason-OWP: Because back then we didn't have reality TV. The theatre was your outlet for acting.
edd: I write for those ages. Casey has a question.
caseyc: What's been your greatest challenge in publishing? What do you see in the future for OWP? Does OWP attend any playwright conferences that upcoming new playwrights should attend?
Jason-OWP: The biggest challenge is getting people to actually pick up new scripts. People aren't really out there hunting for new work that is tested. They think it will land on their desk as a submission. It won't. We don't really attend conferences because there are so many, and unless we are there to teach or lecture, what do we really have to offer. We would go if we were asked by the hosts to participate. Absolutely. I'd love that.
edd: Liz your next.
vekimberlin: I'm trying to keep up, so sorry if you've answered this before. Who then would you consider your biggest customers in the theatre scene? Community arts groups? OOBs or local companies?
Jason-OWP: Smaller theatres who like a challenge. Actors looking for material. Bigger theatres only seem to do work that they hear is good or popular. Like Rabbit Hole. They won't do a Johnna Adams play, no matter how great it is, only because she didn't win a Pulitzer. It isn't because the work isn't good. They are trying to play to their audience. But they don't really know what people want.
edd: casey, you have the floor.
caseyc: Just a few followups... What can new playwrights do to help their publisher overcome this challenge- of picking up new scripts? (Sorry if this has been asked!) In your words, what separates you from the old big publishers out there? (to specify- it was the challenge you talked of... theaters not taking new work)
Jason-OWP: They need to continue to submit their work if they don't have an agent doing it for them. We offer our writers their books at cost so they can keep submitting it. It winds up being cheaper than printing and mailing manuscripts. But most of the time a writer rests on being published. They think that people will pick up their script because it is available. They won't.
edd: Now it is in media res' turn.
in media res: What are several of your most succesful - not necessarily your favorites - acquired scripts? How many productions? And has it led to more interest in the playwrights' other works?
Jason-OWP: POONA is huge. Gets done Worldwide. Too many productions to count. It has lead to interest in Jeff Goode's other works. Joshua James' SPOOGE is also getting attention and getting done a bit these days. But again, it seems that people/producers need to hear that a play is getting done a lot before they will pick it up.
edd: in media res, do you have a follow up before I call on muncy?
in media res: Yes. Is there a trend I see in these Titles? I have no concept of the play from the title!
Jason-OWP: What do you mean? If it has a dirty title, will people pick it up? The short answer is Yes.
edd: Hmmm. That's interesting! muncy has a question.
muncy: We have seen theatre threatened by cinema, then TV, then the revival of cinema, but still it hangs on. How do you see the future? Who will be going to the theatre in 2057 and what will they be watching?
Jason-OWP: Good question...
edd: (Plays by ECW)
Jason-OWP: I think the theatre is due for a big comeback as long as the work is good. More often than not a play gets done a lot, but it isn't that good. SO the audience has a bad or so-so experience. I think people will be going to see plays that say something about the current state of the world. And wild comedies that make them forget about how the world is going to shit. But hopefully, playwrights will be writing work that is important. Not just writing the same old story. That is why we don't really carry any kitchen sink dramas. Go to Sam French for that shit. I have a question.
edd: Ask us.
Jason-OWP: How many people in this room are reading their fellow playwrights works? Have any of you read plays carried by OWP?
edd: Yes to first question and no to second.
Paddy: As I'm also producer, I read a lot of plays. A lot are really quite bad. And too many don't read the guidlines, which are crucial to site-specific theatre.
edd: I have gone through your catalog, however, and read all the blurbs to get a feel for OWP.
in media res: Yes and no to second. I attend theater as well.
muncy: I always read the submission on the forum and visit peoples websites. No to the 2nd at the mo.
Jason-OWP: That proves my point. These are great plays, and you as a producer aren't reading them, you are reading bad plays that land on your desk as a submission. We offer script samples. It isn't like you have to buy everything. But you can browse and find something that makes you go nuts.
Paddy: Do you have a site-specific section, because if no, I'd be reading a lot of plays.
Jason-OWP: I think I beat you to the punch Paddy. Have you ever been to the OWP website?
Paddy: I have, I just obviously have not spent enough time there.
Jason-OWP: It is fine, I'm just saying, we are all in the same boat.
Paddy: Yes.
Jason-OWP: There are just so many hours in the day and you can't read everything. I get that. But I think if playwrights are more supportive of one another, and aware of what is going on, the theatre will be better.
edd: in media res has a question for you, Jason. And then we have a question from Liz.
in media res: I do not see any theatres really producing any serious or comical political plays of any worth/danger/questioning. They will not do them because of fear of offending their donors. I have had personal experience with this, especially after 9-11. Frost /Nixon was done in USA, but that was British. Do you carry any you can recommend? I'd be curious to read some.
Jason-OWP: We have lots of plays that are political, but not pointed. TERMINUS AMERICANA, MAN MEASURES MAN, DEADLINE. THE SACRED GEOMETRY OF S&M PORN. I want to be offended when I go to the theatre. Make me think!!!
in media res: Me too! THANKS.
edd: Liz has a question for you, Jason. To be followed by one or two from me.
vekimberlin: And appropos to In media res' question, at the moment do you see any kind of regional trend as far as your customers? For instance, assuming most of your customers are American, do you see a lot of purchases coming from more conservative Middle America? Or does it tend to be either coast where there's more professional theatre and professional actors? If so, do you think that accounts for reluctance to read that which is new or takes risk, etc.?
Jason-OWP: We don't have any conservative plays, so I don't think that is a problem. We only carry plays that take risks and are edgy. That is the whole point of OWP. That is the reputation we are trying to build.
edd: Jason, how active are you in getting the word out to producers? Do you mass mail catalogs? Do you have your plays in bookstores?
Jason-OWP: In terms of producers, we are not an agency so we do not submit material for playwrights. That said, I take it upon myself to contact lit managers and artistic directors about new plays that we have. I send them free scripts if they ask, but via email. If they want hard copy I have the playwright send it. We are working on getting our plays into stores, but that is a process. Most stores know that plays don't sell that well. SO they want to carry them on consignment, and that is bad business.
edd: The Internet Theatre Bookshop handles virtually every play in print worldwide. That would be a place worth considering.
Jason-OWP: The Internet Theatre Bookshop hasn't ever contacted me. How do they do business? I know it is Paul’s thing, but how will it serve playwrights with OWP? What are your numbers like Paul?
thain: Numbers? You mean how many plays do we sell in a month?
Jason-OWP: I am open to everything. It is about getting the work out there for me. We aren't getting rich over here. Hits, plays sold? Do you take a % of sales, how do you operate?
thain: I can't discuss this here.
in media res: Pardon, but being in business myself, should this not be a private conversation over martinis or something?!
Jason-OWP: I agree.
edd: Yes, indeed it should. I just wanted to get it started.
in media res: Giving away business models on the Internet is not my idea of fun!
marys: Well, I find this interesting information.
edd: Our time is up. Feel free to stick around for an un-moderated free-for-all. Thank you, Jason, for your time and we all applaud you!
Jason-OWP: Thanks for having me.
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