Tom Erb - Playwright

Well, it’s been a while since I posted anything on here, but that’s because I stepped away from the keyboard and back into the real world of theatre. I just finished directing Born Yesterday at Lemon Bay Playhouse in Englewood, Florida.

What an experience.

I had an incredible cast, built a fantastic set, and together we created a really special show. We ran for three weeks, had great audiences, and had one hell of a good time doing it.

But coming back from directing reminded me of something about playwriting that I think every playwright struggles with: focus.

Playwriting is dangerous that way.

We sit down at the computer to write one play… and suddenly another idea shows up. Then another. Then another. Before long, we’ve got one finished script, five unfinished ones, ten new title pages, three synopses, and twenty random scenes sitting in folders on the desktop.

That’s the curse of the playwright. The ideas never stop coming.

The hard part isn’t finding ideas. The hard part is staying loyal to the play you’re already writing.

I know this from experience. In the past two months alone, I completed one play… and started about twenty-five unfinished ones. No exaggeration. Every new idea felt exciting enough to chase, and before I knew it, the original project was suffering because my attention was split in too many directions.

So that’s something I’ve learned this past year:

Stay present.

Write the idea down if it comes to you. Save it. Table it. But don’t immediately create the title page, character breakdown, synopsis, and thirty pages of dialogue for a brand-new script while abandoning the play that already has your heart and your momentum.

Finish the play in front of you first.

Anyway, I’m back. I’ve got a new project coming up that I’ll be talking about soon, and I’ll also be posting several new plays on New Play Exchange.

I’ve still been following everybody on here, and you’re all doing amazing work.

I’m having fun out here.

Till later.