In order to have a plot, you have to have a conflict, something bad has to happen.
What I try to do in a play is put a problem on stage, head-on, without evasion.
Real life is messy, and drama is a shaped version of real life.
At the heart of drama is conflict.
A compelling story requires conflict, friction, an obstacle to be overcome.
The idea of a rupture between acts occurs in a number of my plays.
In each scene, the writer sets up a situation, which brings a conflict as well as either a small victory or a loss at the close of that particular scene.
The way I view drama is life with the boring bits taken out.
Drama usually has some sort of intense conflict.
The main question in drama, the way I was taught, is always, 'What does the protagonist want?' That's what drama is. It comes down to that. It's not about theme, it's not about ideas, it's not about setting, but what the protagonist wants.
Drama is all about the moment of ultimate conflict for a person.
