The Playgoer: Playwrights on TV, continued

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Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Playwrights on TV, continued

An interesting and smart conversation over at the Dallas Morning News between their theatre and TV critics over the phenomenon of playwrights working in television. Among the topics addressed are why the small screen is better suited to dramatists than the silver one, and what is it about cop shows that seems to thrive on stage talent!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Apart from Mamet, one could make a solid argument that all these writers are better suited to television than theatre.

Anonymous said...

Apart from Mamet, one could make a solid argument that all these writers are better suited to television than theatre.

And one could also make an argument that you don't know what you're talking about.

Eric Overmeyer, for example, is one of this country's best playwrights of the last 25 years.

As a friend of mine, I also happen to know he has kids, a wife, bills to pay, and yes, he even likes to be able to afford to take his children shopping once in a while. He doesn't do that by writing plays, bub, but by writing television, which he happens to be very good at.

Just what is it that you're good at, besides, talking about something you know nothing about?

Anonymous said...

Anyone who was born after 1970 probably doesn't know a single Eric Overmeyer play. Nothing against him, but when you don't write plays for 20+ years, people tend to not think of you as a playwright.

Malachy Walsh said...

Really don't understand the antagonism toward writers who work in TV. Seems more based on jealousy and bitterness than anything else.

If there's actually a reason for it, I'd love to have it explained to me.

Anonymous said...

Perhaps it has to do with the fact that TV exists to make the corporations that advertise on it rich. Which means that writers tend to subtly or not so subtly confirm dominant culture assumptions to keep the fat paychecks coming. And then we have to suffer plays by those wealthy writers like Teresa Rebeck which condemn "capitalism."

Etc.

Malachy Walsh said...

So, anonymous (I mean the anonymous who replied, not the other anonymous), how do you make a living?

I'm actually curious, since your objection is based on more than Theresa's wealth and opinions (which I'm not familiar with in any way).

I don't want to get silly about this, but I'm interested.

Playgoer said...

Okay guys, we're getting a little off topic here. So please, take it outside if it's going to get personal...