James Elden's Playwright's Spotlight

Taking Leaps, Wearing Many Hats, and the Development of The Playwright's Desk App - Playwright's Spotlight with William Smith

James Elden Season 5 Episode 18

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Playwright William A. Smith streamed into Playwright's Spotlight to talk about the recent release of his app The Playwright's Desk and its features to assist in the management of the playwriting business. It's a fascinating resource that will help playwrights of all levels looking to track their submissions as well as streamline the process. We also discuss his other apps The Literary Desk, designed for theatre companies, and The Drama Desk, designed for drama teachers in the K-12 education system. We delve into the journey of his playwriting and how it evolved while building a theatre company from the ground up, taking leaps, and wearing many hats. We discuss the lessons in under and overwriting as a novice, overcoming a gap in playwriting and writing disappointing ending, and the point he began submitting his work to outside entities. We discuss the importance of building a support system, unnecessary requests when submitting, finding opportunities, and working with long time collaborators. This is a very heartwarming, inspirational, and motivating conversation, and Bill's charm shines through the entire interview. Enjoy.

William A. Smith is an award-winning American playwright whose work spans, comedy, drama, musicals, political theatre, and intimate character studies. An alumnus of American Academy of Dramatic Arts, he brings over forty years of professional experience as a writer, actor, director, and producer. He recently created apps and platforms for dramatists of all sorts, including The Playwright’s Desk, The Literary Desk, and The Drama Desk. Plays include A Room Without Windows, The Regulars, The Divide, Layover, Layunder, Lie Down and Weep, The Last Table Diner, The Cabinet, and Lox and Loaded.

To watch the video format of this episode, visit - https://youtu.be/3v-Av3Sn8ac

Links to sites and resources mentioned in this episode -

The Playwright's Desk - https://theplaywrightsdesk.com

The Literary Desk - https://theliterarydesk.com

The Drama Desk - https://thedramadesk.com

Play Submissions Helper - https://playsubmissionshelper.com

New Play Exchange - https://newplayexchange.org/get-started

Smith and Kraus - https://smithandkraus.com

Website and Socials for William A Smith and his apps -

www.williamasmithplaywright.com
FB - https://www.facebook.com/WASmithPlaywright
IG - @WASmithPlaywright

The Playwright's Desk - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579411259265
The Drama Desk - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574286990671

Websites and socials for James Elden, Punk Monkey Productions and Playwright's Spotlight

Punk Monkey Productions - 
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com

PLAY Noir -
www.playnoir.com

PLAY Noir Anthology –
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.html

James Elden -
Twitter - @jameseldensauer
IG - @alakardrake
FB - fb.com/jameseldensauer

Punk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir - 
Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods
                  - @playnoirla 
IG - @punkmonkeyprods
       - @playnoir_la 

FB - fb.com/playnoir
        - fb.com/punkmonkeyproductions

Playwright's Spotlight -
Twitter - @wrightlightpod 
IG - @playwrights_spotlight

Playwriting services through Los Angeles Collegiate Playwrights Festival
www.losangelescollegiateplaywrightsfestival.com/services.html

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