Notes from a Working-Class Playwright

Award-winning British playwright, composer and screenwriter, Leo Butler looks back over 25 of writing for the stage and his extensive experience teaching and mentoring emerging playwrights through the Royal Court Young Writers' Programme. With honesty and humour, Leo Butler shares his experiences from his working-class upbringing in Sheffield, including his disastrous state education and his getting kicked out of drama school, to his development into the professional theatre industry. This personal account criss-crosses his life and career, exploring the influences and experiences that informed critically acclaimed plays such as Redundant , I'll Be the Devil, Lucky Dog and, more recently, Boy . We learn about the people - directors, writers, students, friends and family - who inspired his work, and how becoming a father affected him professionally and personally. Throughout, Butler includes a wealth of tips and practical exercises, tried and tested on his students, to help the reader with their own playwriting development; discusses how to actually make a living from this work - especially without family financial support; and considers how the landscape has changed today from 25 years ago. Through including insights from his professional peers (including playwrights Sarah Kane, Tanika Gupta, David Eldridge and Simon Stephens) and ex-students (including Polly Stenham, Anya Reiss, Alice Birch and Nick Payne), Leo Butler gives an insight into the intricacies of the early 21st century theatre scene in which playwriting skills were developed and shared. He also includes excerpts from personal rejection letters, rehearsal notes and his journals to bring his playwriting journey to life. Often brutally honest, often surreal, often funny, this book will entertain and inspire anyone who has ever written, or thought of writing, a play.