Rachel Bykowski - Playwright

Writer’s block can feel like staring into a void. ⚫️

You can hear echoes of what you want to write, but you can’t quite get a firm grasp on it.

Start small.

Don’t jump in thinking, “I’m going to write an entire play right now.”

Instead, write want about your character wants in tangible, concrete terms.

Everyone wants
Love ❤️
Revenge 🔪
Happiness 🤗

But what does that specifically look like for your characters.

Allow your audience to
Touch 🫳🏻
Smell 👃🏻
See 👀
Hear 👂🏻
Taste 👅
what your character wants.

Another great way is to read Elinor Fuchs’s essay, Visit to a Small Planet 🌎and answer as many of the questions you can.

Read the full blog with the link in my bio for more details 🔎

Burnout is REAL for playwrights. One of the main contributors to burnout is what I call, "The New Play Development Ring of Hell." 👹

It's a never-ending cycle of readings, workshops, residencies, drafts, and festivals that never seem to end with a world premiere production.

I invite you to read my blog (link in bio) that goes in-depth into my thoughts as to why this ring exists::cough::capitalism::cough::🤑

But also, let's start a conversation on what needs to happen so more new plays get produced and exit the ring of hell faster.

One of the biggest myths in theatre is the concept of "overnight success." 😎🏆

For playwrights, the journey your new play will take from first draft to world premiere isn't a linear path. It is a series of development opportunities that build on top of one another.

Much like the glacier metaphor, all those opportunities build and build, but underwater where no one can see. So, by the time the world premiere arrives, to the audience, it's as if the play has always been in this condition. 🗻

But let's face it, this "build" leaves you disheartened, to say the least. That's where a shift in thinking is necessary. It's not about how fast your play can get produced, but how you stay motivated when it seems the world premiere will never come.

I wrote about every phase of the new play journey in my newest blog.
Read the full article via the link in my bio 👩🏻‍💻

Feels like a dream
🤍🤗💜✨💅🟣

Eight years ago, 28 Light Years From Now existed only as words on my laptop. This summer, thanks to the extraordinary artists at Sansuyu Theater (극단 산수유) in Seoul, those words became a world premiere.

I'm endlessly grateful to every artist, collaborator, reader, dramaturg, director, actor, and theatre who helped shape this play along the way. Every one of you left fingerprints on its journey.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be sharing a series of lessons from those eight years—not because I think my path is the blueprint, but because I know how isolating the new play development process can feel.

If these reflections help even one playwright, director, or producing theatre navigate that journey a little differently, they'll be worth sharing.

Thank you again to Sansuyu Theater (극단 산수유) for believing in this play and giving it such a beautiful first production. Gyeongmi Bang

The first lesson begins tomorrow.

(You can also read the full story at the link in my bio.) 💜

Star struck 💫

Meet the cast of 28 Light Years From Now
Premiering in Seoul, South Korea
Produced by 극단 산수유
Featuring: 사랑해 S4ranghae, 황정윤, kkang_zzzi