Looking forward to it Daniel.

www.meltheco.org.au

I am not sure if it will be exceed seeing you in a nappy, but we shall try.

"Writing is a craft. Much more I believe, than acting, which can come natural to some people."

I have seen alot of people with what I would call raw talent, but I have never seen someone stand on stage for the first time and deliver a monologue flawlessly. Also give someone who has never done any Shakespeare ever a scene to perform and see how well they cope.

My point is, I would be careful about making comparisons between two skilled crafts as you'll only serve to alienate one of them. I certainly wouldn't work for a playwright who didn't value my skills and I doubt you'd want to work with me if I said  "acting is a craft, much more so than writing because some people are just naturally talented writers. Projection and timing are hard things to master"...

I'm never going to live that down, am I?

www.meltheco.org.au

"Writing is a craft. Much more I believe, than acting, which can come natural to some people."

Garreth, did I say acting was NOT a craft? I said that to attain a level that is reasonable for the stage is much harder than with acting. A lot of people have raw acting talent, which can be transformed into skill in a short period of time. Try developing your writing talents in just a few short years and tell me how far you get.

I used the word 'believe' to state that this was my opinion This is a blog. It is allowed to be subjective. Please do not assume that I have little to no respect for actors. It is quite the opposite. During "The Myth of Julian Rose" I have attended most rehearsals because the performers have inspired me to make minor adjustments to the play. Yes, their craft has helped me develop my own. They will be the real stars of the show, not me.

"acting is a craft, much more so than writing because some people are just naturally talented writers"

Garreth, if you said that to me, I would still want to work with you. And if you would refuse to work with someone over a single statement, well that's your decision.

Let's not make this a thing. I've grown tired having to defend my thoughts. If you do not agree with me, do not read my blog. I will still have respect for you.

Writing may be a craft.

Acting is an ART.

Ssstinger>>>

...is writing.

Writing can be taught as can acting but in both cases without the spark you won't get anywhere. There is technique that you can learn from classes or from observation in both cases.
The same applies to directing, Peter Brook (possibly the greatest theatre director of the twentieth century and untrained) once said that he could teach anyone the technicalities of directing in a few hours but without the spark it wouldn't do any good. I paraphrased because I can't find my copy of his second book.

Actors without professional college training
Bob Hoskins
Johnny Depp
Christina Ricci
Heath Ledger
Jody Foster

Is that all there is? Well if that's all there is my friend, then let's keep dancing.
www.tonymoore.id.au

I just wrote a long reply and I lost it all. GRRR.

Anyway,

I am used to getting bombarded by negativity on this forum, hence why my defences were up. I completely misunderstood your intention, Garreth, and I apologise.

It is an interesting topic. I believe that people can excel in both fields with relatively little training. I would also like to clarify my position on ‘craft’. In my semantic interpretation of the word, I take it as a field that require specialised knowledge. In writing, it can be as simple as formatting your script properly. If someone sent a theatre company a script that had chaotic formatting, chances are the reader of which would disregard it as the work of a novice. Even though there is more required knowledge for film scripts, people still need to be aware of certain facts if they wish to attain professional status as a professional playwright. And I agree very much with Stinger. Acting is an art. Very few playwrights, again, in my opinion, have made writing into an artform. Actors are visual artist, like painters, while writers are craftsman (or persons as we probably should call them now). I want to use the metaphor of a chair, but don’t want to sound like Plato. Oh hell, I’ll just go for it. Writers make chairs. The chairs may vary in shape and form and people may have different subjective responses to them, but ultimately, the chairs have similarities and can be all sat upon. I am rambling now. Thank you Garreth.

And Logos also made a valid point. You do need the spark. You can tell when someone has it, because a fire burns in their eyes.

Well, there is my lengthy response.

I'll be there...with bells and boots on.

I wonder who you could be

Congratulations Daniel, seriously. It is hard to get keystrokes on e-paper and then even harder to get someone else to read the damn thing, let alone to see it actually performed.

I don't live in the right state so won't be able to attend but offer my best wishes to you and all concerned.

PS: got to agree with Logos, without the "spark" all the lessons, classes, technique in the world won't make you either a good actor or writer.

"Life is too short to stuff a mushroom"

Good analogy by the way. All plays are chairs, and different people sit in, or around, them and thus temporarily change them...but they remain, at heart, the same chair.

"Life is too short to stuff a mushroom"

Thank you Rapunzel. Most appreciated.