How to write a play and get it produced - a manual for playwrights.

Playwright and former literary manager Tim Fountain guides the budding playwright over the many hurdles involved in getting a play on - from finding a story that only you know, through the detailed construction of the play, and on to the strategies you can use to get it on stage.

• What kind of play do you want to write?

• Where do you get your ideas from?

• How much exposition do you need?

• Where do you find your characters' voices?

• What should you do when you get stuck?

• Where should you send your play?

The book also deals with the actual production: choosing directors, designers and actors, and coping with rehearsals, previews and press nights.

Includes appendixes of vital websites, and contact details for new-writing theatres, agents and publishers.

'A marvellous and invaluable guide... full of wisdom and no-nonsense practical advice on the tricky but thrilling business of making plays' Willy Russell