PLAYS IN PROGRESS MENTOR

COTTON WRIGHT

Cotton Wright has had the pleasure over the past 14 years of working on new works, both as an actor and a director. She has collaborated with writers in various stages of their careers (from first-time writers to seasoned professionals), in multiple styles and genres (from plays to musicals, realistic to absurd, period pieces to sci-fi) and seen scripts progress from 10 minute sketches, to full length readings, to workshops, to full productions. As an actor, she has honed the ability to track the continuity of a character's journey. As a director, she focuses on weaving those individual journeys into a cohesive whole. Some of the companies and institutions that she has worked with here in New York include NYU's MFA Creative Writing program, New Dramatists, Women's Project, The Lark, Flux Theatre Ensemble, Amios/Shotz, Artistic New Directions and Gideon Productions. For more of her thoughts about theater, check out her blog at cottonwright.blogspot.com

I am great at honing stories of redemption. Stories about the hard learned lessons - the identity forged by trial, the victory that comes through sacrifice, the loss only realized once it is too late. Whether it’s an intimate two-hander or an ensemble cast of many more, I can be helpful strengthening the character journey, clarifying relationships, and tracking consistency within the world of the play. Additionally, if your piece is highly theatrical, I can assist you in making sure that those devices are serving your story. 

I am not a great fit for pieces that are an exploration of ideas - pieces in the style of Waiting For Godot. Nor can I guide you on how to make your piece funnier. I can tell you whether I found it funny, but I am not a comedy doctor. If you’ve written a genre specific piece (sci-fi, noire, farce, etc.), I am not the person to help you determine how successful your piece is at evoking that genre (i.e. how noire your noire is). I can address the story elements within such pieces, but not the style as it relates to that specific genre.”