The Things You Learn at Auditions

Twice, last week, I sat in as a reader at auditions for new plays.  What an amazing reminder it was of how hard it is to be a professional actor!  I was treated to some terrific performances...mostly from people who, just by their innate energy, their "essence," didn't have a prayer of getting the role.

Things I learned:
(1) Just about the most important thing you could do was take direction well, be able to change things up.
(2) The most exciting actors were the ones who PLAYED and made VERY SPECIFIC, BOLD CHOICES and USED THE SPACE...the guy who lay on the floor when the scene had him on a bed...the woman who grabbed a backpack to show us "pictures" to illustrate a point, the woman who nailed the "weave pat" when she wasn't wearing a weave.
(3) CONFIDENCE.  The ones who knew what they brought to the table and had fun sharing it with us, whether or not it got them the role, it got them on our side.
(4) It was actually VERY clear who was going to be most right for the role.  Lots of people brought lots of interesting choices, and that was great -- but it was like one of those tumbler locks, where you saw the performance that just "WAS" the character and you could literally see the production clicking into place. This had SOMETHING to do with talent, but not everything.
(5) The more fun the actor had, the more fun WE had, and the more they could get away with.

So now I'm trying to figure out what the analogous lessons are for a playwright (not to bring it back to writing, but...).

(1) You have to be able to take notes well, to incorporate them without losing your own voice.
(2) The most exciting plays are the ones that PLAY, and make specific, exciting, bold choices.
(3) The playwrights who know what they bring to the table and have fun sharing it with us, whether or not it actually gets them the production, get the artistic directors/literary managers/agents on their side.
(4) It's actually very clear which play is right for the season.  Lots of playwrights bring interesting plays, and that's great, but there's gonna be one (or two) that click into place for the artistic staff, for the season, for the life of the company.  This has something to do with talent, but not everything.
(5) The more fun the playwright has, the more fun the reader/audience will have...and the more the writer can get away with.

hmm....these maybe translate so well it's scary.