Don't Just Write Scripts- Act

Step on the other side of the mirror occasionally, live what the actors go through, so you have better understanding when they're working on your script.

I have always avered that one becomes a better scriptwriter when one stays actively involved with productions. Acting, working lights and props, directing, and even taking tickets provides opportunities to see some of the other sides of the entire process. Whether a movie or play, the scriptwriter will benefit immensely from taking part in a production from time to time.

This week I began rehearsals for a series of one-acts that will be produced in a couple of months. The play I'm in, Maxwell Edison is loosely based on the Beatles' song "Maxwell's Silver Hammer." I play the judge at Maxwell's murder trial. The script is written in verse, almost as a dark Doctor Seuss.

While I, as a scriptwriter, would not have thought of such a script, it is nonetheless an interesting exercise for me. To memorize a script takes a lot of reading and re-reading, along with intimate learning of nuances in dialogue and the director's take, too. It reinforces what a script of mine goes through when I let it take on its own life.

I also got a call from a screenwriter who wants me to participate in a readthrough of his new script. The magic of writing a script occurs when others bring it to life, even for just a reading. And while the writer will yield fruits from the reading, the writer can also yield fruits from being a reader and becoming immersed in another's world.