I recently had the good fortune to instruct a playwriting workshop at a writers' conference with the aid of Ted Swindley, a very accomplished playwright and creator of musicals. Ted, who splits his time between Manhattan and Nashville, is a longtime veteran of theater - first as a director, then as a writer. Most notably, he wrote the musical, Always ... Patsy Cline, which has been produced many times at venues all across the country (and outside the country) in the last two decades. 

When we weren't teaching, Ted and I talked playwriting, and he gave plenty of great advice. Here are some of the best bits:

On self promotion: "You have to market yourself and you’ve got to get your stuff out there. There are opportunities for (staged) readings and so forth where you can go to a local theater and say, 'I would like to do a reading of my play at your theater. May I rent your theater space for a nominal fee and produce this reading myself?' I’ve done this many times. You’ll have to find a director or direct it yourself. Ask the theater if they will e-mail their patrons and (promote) your new play. You can find opportunities that way to get your play read. Normally, somebody from a theater will attend the reading and say, 'You know that guy who came in and rented the space and did that reading - it was really, really good. Maybe we should consider this for further development.' "

On networking: "Develop relationships with people. I know it sounds silly, but volunteer with theaters. Get involved in different aspects of the theater and just be around the theater. Develop relationships that will pay off later."

On writing for the stage and keeping it simple: "When you have a scene, you have to write with the practicalities of the theater in mind. Plays are not movies. You can't say, 'Scene 1: The Peer at Lake Michigan; Scene 2: A Skyscraper Penthouse; Scene 3: Central Park.' That is a nonrealistic play. Frankly, there are a lot of logistical things that producers will look at in a script. They may say, 'This is an interesting play, but it's got too many characters, it's too many costumes, it’s got too many props.' "

On getting started: "Join the Theatre Communications Group."

On why certain plays get produced: "There are two reasons that certain plays are repeatedly produced. One is that they make money and that they become popular – that’s just economics ... But there’s also a practical reason why plays are done: They're really good plays that are really simple to produce. (Playwright) David Mamet’s a prime example. Brilliant writer - simple to produce. It’s all about his language."

         Ted and I talked about teaming up again for another writers' conference - Killer Nashville - in August. That all depends on whether the conference wants me to speak on playwriting vs. other topics. More info on that when I get it.

Ted Swindley at the TWA writers' conference.