Screen stories are visual stories. They are told through their landscape and imagery, through the actions of their characters and then, through their dialogue. Theatre stories are character stories, told mainly through their dialogue and their actions. 

Screen stories are told to an inactive audience. (In actual fact they don’t even need an audience to exist. The film goes on as long as the projector keeps running.) Not so with theatre stories. Your play not only needs actors to bring it to life it needs a live audience to experience it.

The dramatic action of your play happens in the present, in the now, right in front of your audience. Catherine Ryan and Louis Nowra are just two of the playwrights who talk about the excitement of being able to connect directly with their audiences.

Live people, actors, give life to your stories. It has an immediacy because of the audience reaction and because no two performances are the same. (Louis Nowra)

And we have the ultimate gem, real human presence – and that’s such a powerful thing. Not only about actors in relation to the space and each other, but most importantly, the actors and the audience, there together in each new moment. (Catherine Ryan)