Book review: Notes From a Working-Class Playwright

Part of Methuen Drama’s Theatre Makers series, Leo Butler‘s Notes From a Working-Class Playwright is a book that draws on the author’s years of experience writing for the stage, teaching, and mentoring emerging talent at the Royal Court.

Taking us through the minutiae of writing a play, from the first word on the page to dealing with critical reviews, Butler offers humour and pragmatism throughout.

He explores how to deal with rejection, writing exercises, becoming involved in casting, and nurturing those who wish to create successful shows.

The author’s note early in the book informs us that this is not your typical ‘how to write’ manual, instead revealing a more personal look at one person’s practice, telling an enjoyable story alongside the realities of becoming successful in the theatre business.

Butler, born and bred in Sheffield, is not only a playwright (of over 20 titles) but also a lyricist/composer, screenwriter for the cinema and television, and musician.

He moved to London at 18, and his Yorkshire roots and metropolitan living experience pervade his writing both in drama and in this book.

Appendices offer a Q&A you can ask yourself as a writer, or as one of your characters; an outline for a writing course; and a list of plays and films suggested for further study.

No prior knowledge of Butler’s plays is needed or expected, although it may be interesting to read one or more of them alongside the chapters focused on writing, revising and rehearsal.

A particularly potent chapter is on the mechanics of putting an idea into action, depending on budget, cast, or venue. How many characters? What is the set like? If you are dramatising a life, how many scenes are required (or needed)? How many can be used to make the play work?

Personally, the section on critical appraisal is worth a look as it details how successful plays have survived negative feedback, and how social media can sometimes help to build up a show. This suggests that both populist and professional commentary are needed to grow as a writer.

Aspiring playwrights will find Notes From a Working-Class Playwright a perceptive text, although it isn’t relevant to just those from working-class backgrounds.

Butler does indeed champion those writers, but this isn’t about overcoming the lack of finance and connections more fortunate playwrights may enjoy; it is also heavily focused on the top tier of theatre, where a fringe perspective may be very welcome.

Notes From a Working-Class Playwright by Leo Butler is now available, published by Methuen Drama at Bloomsbury.