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| Yes | 43% | 128 votes | Total: 301 votes | |
| No | 57% | 173 votes |
Yes
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Add to FavoritesA script is a product, and like every other product, it needs to be interesting to be purchased. Furthermore, it needs to be interesting enough to be preferred over other scripts. The customers always have the right to choose something else, another story which will appeal to them more. And the one who obviously stands to loose is no other than the writer.
I understand that the writer has a certain vision and he does not want to alter it. This is his own labour of love. He put his own heart and soul into this script, he spent hours considering different options about the plot and his characters, he finally made a decision about all of them and then he realises that his work is not accepted. He feels angry, disappointed, frustrated, betrayed even. He feels he went to all this trouble over nothing, that he wasted his time. He starts questioning his own writing skills, at extreme cases the thought of quitting altogether might enter his mind. All these are understandable up to a point but...
From the moment the writer decided to present his work in public, he also decided to be open to criticism. He knew there was a chance his work wouldn't be embraced with open arms. Soap opera writers are probably the best example, since their work is criticised on a daily basis. They all aware of the risks taken, if they are not, then they have overestimated themselves and their abilities.
It is very important for writers to remember that the ultimate goal is for the script to be liked enough so that the viewers will want to watch the story, more than any other story. That automatically, puts the viewers in the driver's seat. They are the ones in charge, the ones who will determine what will be a success and what will be a failure, therefore the writer has no other choice but to try to understand what the viewers really want to see and give it to them. I am not suggesting that the writer should totally rewrite everything he has written so far by any means, it is of high importance to put his own stamp in his work, but he should be willing to make some necessary modifications to be able to connect more with the viewers. If he is not willing to do that, if his ego is more important than selling his product to the market, then it would be better if he just wrote for himself and kept his work private, accessible only to a few friends who will sing his praises like he obviously wants.
Learn more about this author, Maria Papadopoulou.
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No
Theatre is an art form, and as such, it is often found by the general public to be controversial. However, if we alter the script to fit an audience, we often find ourselves unknowingly sacrificing the true message of the play, and abandoning the true purposes of theatre.
The trouble isn't in taking a script and then fitting it to the audience, but rather in finding one that already fits. If it is necessary to make changes in order to keep it unoffensive and acceptable, then we should realize that we have perhaps chosen the wrong script to begin with.
Playwrights do not merely throw things together and hope that their message shines through. They meticulously research and study in order to piece together a story that carries with it a greater meaning. There are few, if any, elements in a play that are not wholly intentional; everything is purposeful and carries with it its own significance within the greater scheme. When we alter the script to fit our own individual concerns, we sacrifice the integrity of the play.
Unfortunately, many people do not realize the incredible care that is taken in writing a play, so it is easy for them to underestimate the damage they may be doing. Playwrights do not include profanity in their work because they feel like it, but rather because to do any less would not accomplish what they intended, and would fail to illustrate the message they are attempting to convey to their audience.
It is easy to miss the significance of the smaller details, particularily for those who come to the theatre merely to be entertained. If your goal is to do just that, then I suggest you find a play that is unoffensive and amusing in it's entirety. However, if you wish to pass a message on to your audience and expand their knowledge of the world and it's various people, I then suggest that you find a more challenging script and preserve it's original message. It may not go off without controversy, but in the end, we will all be better for it.
Some people are incapable of seeing theatre as an art form that is not intended to make you happy. Those who approach theatre with the goal of being amused for an evening may easily find themselves out of their depth. Such is the nature of this craft. What we must realize is that to alter a script is to sacrifice the full effect of it's meaning, simply so that we may worry less about the backlash of its inherent controversy.
Learn more about this author, Trouble In Paradise.
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