On Things That Are Irrelevant

A few things that are (more or less) irrelevant...from Dietz's class.

Author's Intent. This is neat and interesting, but isn't a big part of telling the story of your play.

Your character's past. "Tell me your character's past" is common director question, and fine in terms of giving your collaborators background, but can lead to mushy thinking in terms of the structure of your play. Nobody cares about a character's background. Characters become interesting when there is an INCIDENT.

LET YOUR CHARACTERS HAVE SPECIFIC, STRATEGIC HISTORIES.