BWW Blog: Don't Forget to Write

In high school, my Freshman English teacher told me, "I don't know what your future career is, but I have this feeling it's going to focus on words." Words? A pretty ambiguous job title...

But sure enough, words became my life.

In undergrad, my degree was multimedia journalism and of course, a minor in theatre. I would often get frustrated asking the question, "how will these two work together?"

There couldn't be a better pairing.

Now that I'm getting my MFA in directing, I'm seeing the clear connection between the two. Both mediums strive to tell stories. Both mediums attempt to communicate with clarity. And the skill of writing has fueled my work and understanding of theatre.

You don't have to have a journalism degree to be a good director or playwright, but practicing your writing skills and developing them will benefit you as a theatre maker. Here are reasons to practice your writing skills:

1: Writing helps us communicate a clear vision.
2: Writing is a great way to organize thoughts and ideas.
3: We write all the time: texts, emails, and captions for social media posts... better writing leads to more engaged followers and less confused readers.
4: As directors, we are ultimately leaders and editors. Our work centers around actions, words, and people. Quality communication is key. Writing helps us become efficient communicators.
5: In academia, the need to write is found in reports, a CV or resume, new course proposals, academic articles...
6: Directors may discover the importance of writing press releases and grants.
7: Quality writing shows professionalism.

I went from journalism and writing about shows to being a playwright and directing shows. In both worlds, I've found that the study of words and honing skills of writing are essential to the storytelling process, even in theatre. My English teacher was right, I would be studying words for the rest of my life. And next week, I'm excited to share with you one opportunity I received in theatre because of my writing.

So all you theatre makers out there, actors, directors, playwrights, designers, crew, educators... don't forget to write.