It's brave (if a little foolhardy) of Mr Shinn to post this just before his new play opens. Judging from the reactions to this post he'll either have a lot of jerks coming up to him after the show, or his friends who didn't like it will run away because his requirements are so outspoken and specific. Navigating the post-show of a friend's play is like walking through a minefield. Writer's tend to be even more needy than actors when it comes to approval. I've written a play or two that's been produced, and I think playwrights should do themselves a favour and do one of two things: Either tell your friends outright "I don't care if you loved or hated it, I'm just so glad you're here to support me" (who could be mean after that?), or just don't linger around after the show looking for handouts. Just like when you choose to read your own reviews, you gotta take the good with the bad, right?
On How To Tell A Playwright You Didn’t Like His Play
It's brave (if a little foolhardy) of Mr Shinn to post this just before his new play opens. Judging from the reactions to this post he'll either have a lot of jerks coming up to him after the show, or his friends who didn't like it will run away because his requirements are so outspoken and specific. Navigating the post-show of a friend's play is like walking through a minefield. Writer's tend to be even more needy than actors when it comes to approval. I've written a play or two that's been produced, and I think playwrights should do themselves a favour and do one of two things: Either tell your friends outright "I don't care if you loved or hated it, I'm just so glad you're here to support me" (who could be mean after that?), or just don't linger around after the show looking for handouts. Just like when you choose to read your own reviews, you gotta take the good with the bad, right?