Incite/Insight Spring-Summer 2019 Incite_Insight—Spring_Summer 2019 Final | Page 10

Your Play Your Way:
Slams & Games
WRITTEN BY JEFF JENKINS AND ANNE NEGRI
As TYA playwrights, we are always
looking for ways to get our work
noticed. We enter competitions,
ask friends and family to read our
scripts, send our plays to networking
contacts, and hope that someone
sees something special in our writing.
In addition to the more traditional
methods, there are a few unique
opportunities for playwrights to share
their work in a more immediate, high-
energy, risk-taking, yet satisfying
fashion.
One way is to try playwriting games
or prompts promoted through
supportive organizations such as
Write Local Play Global (WLPG). WLPG
hosts the playwriting game, “A Play
for a Day,” an international and
instant playwriting game. Playwrights
are given a prompt and have an
opportunity to create something
new within 24 hours, posting a short
play to WLPG’s website for the global
playwriting community to read.
Another way for playwrights to
shine is in a Playwright Slam. During
these five-minute performances,
playwrights take center stage by
reading an excerpt from their work.
Typically eight to twelve playwrights
volunteer or are selected to present
their work. The format allows
playwrights to read all characters
and selected stage directions
within a five-minute timed session.
Sometimes we get to see playwrights
demonstrate their acting chops,
other times it is a straight read of the
script.
This past summer and winter,
playwrights “slammed” at the 2018
AATE Conference in Minneapolis,
Minnesota and the 2019 “Write Now!”
Conference in Tempe, Arizona. They
braved the mic for a five-minute
roller coaster ride. Here is what a few
playwrights said about their Slam
experience:
Pam Sterling: “Exciting, fun, nerve-
wracking, and fulfilling. Moments of
time suspension and fast forward as
you feel your five minutes coming to
a close.”
John Newman: “Participating in a
playwright slam is both thrilling and
terrifying. The pressure to beat the
clock and the urgency to please the
audience gets the adrenaline going.”
Sandy Asher: “As a presenter,
I’ve enjoyed the company of my
colleagues, the enthusiasm of
the audiences, and—every once
in a while—the beginnings of a
relationship leading to further
development of one of my scripts. I
never fail to leave invigorated and
inspired.”
Anne Negri. “Every time I do a
Playwright’s Slam, I get nervous,
hands shaking and voice wavering—
but I also understand the rewards.
One of my plays caught fire at a
Write Now Slam and was developed
and produced! Now I never miss an
opportunity to Slam because it’s
such an amazing way to open up a
conversation about my work.”
Jeff Jenkins. “Attempting to give the
audience a sense of your play in five
minutes is an exercise in minimalism.
You deliver your lines while the time
slips away and your adrenaline is
pumping. It’s a great ride.”
If you want to try “slamming” one
of your plays, go online to AATE’s
members-only blog for a few tips
from some frequent slammers to
help you get started! To check it out,
go to : aate.com/incite-insight-
blog.
Jeff Jenkins is a Chicago playwright.
He serves as co-chair of the
Playwrights Network for AATE as well
as serving on the Young Playwrights
for Change National Competition
selection committee (AATE, TYA/
USA).
Anne Negri is a K-8 Drama Specialist
in the Evanston, Illinois public
schools. She’s a graduate of Arizona
State University (MFA Theatre
for Youth) and Ripon College (BA
Theatre, French, K-12 Education).
Her first play for young people, With
Two Wings, published by Dramatic
Publishing, has received major
awards from the American Alliance
for Theatre and Education and
the Kennedy Center and has been
produced nationally.
Want to see more?
INCITE/INSIGHT 10
Check out Playwright Slam process on our
members-only Incite/Insight blog at
aate.com/incite-insight-blog