Language is an important factor when it comes to dramatic writing. Every character that has ever been created has some sort of unique language associated with them. Throughout my academic studies, I’ve learned that language can sometimes be too complex. It’s like contemporary playwrights and screenwriters are using complicated language simply because of authors like William Shakespeare used it during their time.
As a dramatic writer, you get to make the decision on what type of language your characters will use. For some writers this is a very difficult decision, myself included. When I sit down and I get ready to create something dramatic, I can’t help but think of all the great plays that I’ve read and seen produced and how the language seems so complex. I think about plays like The Importance of Being Earnest, Death of a Salesman, The Glass Menagerie, August Wilson’s ten-play cycle and of coarse Shakespeare. It is really tempting to try to create characters in much the same way as they did. However, it is more important to be unique as a writer; you really should strive to develop a unique approach.
After conducting interviews and doing research on Arts Tribune, I’ve learned that contemporary artists and patrons prefer modern language. I recently interviewed Director Marcelo Zimmler and we discussed language used to describe art. He also expressed an appreciation for modern language to describe art pieces instead of the complex language many writers use simply because that’s how other critics may have approached it in the past. I’ve also had the opportunity to work on Neil LaBute’s The Shape of Things and had the opportunity to read some of his other plays. LaBute uses contemporary language. In my future works many of the things I will write will be more modern like LaBute’s work. I will incorporate this strategy with both dialogue and stage directions.
