Stay True to Yourself (Or Watch Your Play Disappear)
I’ve been telling our writers something over and over the past few weeks:
Stay true to yourself.
Yes, it sounds generic. It’s not.
I mean it in a very specific way: knowing exactly where your play lands.
Playwrights—especially early and mid-career—are hungry to be produced. And because of that, they become incredibly good at working with notes. They implement changes quickly. They listen closely. They adjust to make the play better.
Especially when the notes are coming from a “successful” director.
And that’s where things can go wrong.
Because in the middle of rewrites, it’s very easy for a writer to lose their way.
And once they lose it—they don’t always get it back.
Let me exlain.
The Mistake That Kills Good Plays
Here’s what just happened:
We had a writer who had done the work. Months of development. The script was strong. Funding was in place. A venue was secured.
We brought in a highly recommended director. Enthusiastic. Experienced. Seemed like the right fit.
At first, everything looked good.
Then we scheduled a table read—because after major rewrites, you have to hear the piece out loud.
What we heard wasn’t the writer’s play.
It was the director’s.
The original piece was about a family navigating grief, disconnection, and misunderstanding.
The new version? A political debate.
Same characters. Same structure. Completely different play.
And here’s the part no one wants to say out loud:
If that version had gone forward and succeeded—it wouldn’t have been the writer’s success.
It would have belonged to the director.
Fortunately, we hadn’t signed the contract yet.
What This Cost (And What It Taught Us)
This wasn’t just creatively frustrating—it was expensive. Time, energy, momentum.
But it clarified three non-negotiables:
1. Stop trying to please the room.
If you’re making changes to keep a director or producer happy, you’ve already started drifting.
2. Know what you want your audience to walk away with.
Not your “message.”
Your impact.
What should they understand, feel, or question when the lights come up? What do you want them to think about on the way home?
If you can’t answer that clearly, someone else will answer it for you—and rewrite your play in the process.
3. Choose your director like it matters—because it does.
Never go with the first “yes.”
Talk to multiple directors. Ask them one simple question:
“What is this play about at the end?”
If their answer doesn’t match yours, they are not your director. Full stop.
Don’t Become the Wrong Kind of Playwright
Let’s be clear:
I am not telling you to become the “resistant playwright” everyone dreads working with.
Collaboration is essential.
But there’s a difference between collaboration and compliance.
If you’re so open that your play can become something different… it will.
And then it no longer is yours.
The Line You Cannot Cross
You can take notes.
You can explore alternatives.
You can rewrite entire sections.
But you cannot lose sight of why you wrote the play in the first place.
Because once that’s gone—
You’re no longer developing your work.
You’re developing someone else’s.
And that is a much more expensive mistake than you think.
Ready to Develop Your Work Without Losing Your Voice?
This is exactly why we built our development pipeline at CreateTheater.
Because getting your work “ready” isn’t about collecting opinions—it’s about strengthening your voice so it can stand up in the room.
Inside our development programs, you’ll learn how to:
- Take notes without losing your core idea
- Clarify what your play is actually about
- Collaborate with directors from a position of strength—not insecurity
- Get your work to a place where it’s ready to be seen as you intended it
If you’re serious about developing your play or musical the right way:
👉 Explore our development opportunities here: https://createtheater.com/develop/
Don’t wait until your play has been rewritten into something you don’t recognize.
Build it right from the start.