The play's the thing

A month or two ago, our local theatre asked me to serve as a volunteer on its play-reading committee. I was super-flattered and accepted at once.

Each year, the theatre produces one new play as part of its Eudora Welty New Play Series. As part of my duties on the committee, I help read through some of the 150+ submissions to the new play series to help them separate the wheat from the chaff.

So far, I've read around 20 plays, and two things have become very clear to me.
1.) Some people think they can write, but they are clearly awful writers. As you read these submissions, you start to think, "Geez, if these people consider themselves writers, why the heck aren't I writing plays?!"
2.) The people who have actual talent can write WAY better than me. As you read their work, you think, "No wonder I'm not writing plays."

It's simultaneously ego-boosting and humbling.

Although there have been more duds than gems in the selection of plays I've read, I have seen some pretty good ones. It makes me excited to see which script the theatre will eventually choose to produce this year!

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