This article shares how we discovered that, when we changed the form of how feedback was given, playwrights found the feedback much more discerning, yet still respectful of their artistic independence.  

The Discovery

On a rainy Portland evening, a playwright in our Writing The Script workshop found themselves receiving feedback from a fellow participant they found interesting, but frustrating. The participant was giving a laundry list of comments about the lack of motivated action and, despite how the scene contained a few potentially powerful moments, the pages read flat and didn’t make much sense.

The playwright shook their head as the participant spoke, rejecting the notes, but then asked the participant if they could put their feedback into the form of a question. The participant paused, pensively, then asked, “What story are you trying to tell? Are you trying to tell four stories at once? Did you just write the four stories separately then try and hack moments from those stories into a single play?”

The playwright shot up in their seat. “Well, yeah. I did. But it makes sense once you know that, right?” The participants agreed unanimously that it did not—and, at the playwright’s request, the group began discussing which of the playwright’s choices undermined the intent and how those choices might be addressed in a rewrite. By the next workshop, the playwright brought in a new draft that was much improved.

From that point forward, NWTW asked workshop participants to put all feedback in the form of a question, and only proceeded to discuss the work or give further feedback when it was solicited by the playwright.

As we began this practice, the overall feedback from playwrights was positive. They found it provoked a better understanding of their work and deterred the kind of feedback they were trying to avoid.

But the more experienced playwrights reported that the questions often came across as random and superficial, as though the participants were simply asking themselves, “What questions could I ask about these pages?” At that point, we started to investigate how participants were approaching the questioning and discovered this observation wasn’t far from the truth.

We then started experimenting with the Socratic method.

A Different Approach

The Socratic method is an approach to questioning that encourages reflection and the examination of ideas in an attempt to ascertain the validity of those ideas. Our intention with using the Socratic approach was to instill a practice of disciplined, thoughtful dialogue that would explore the pages in more depth, promote deeper, independent thinking by both the participant and playwright, and give playwrights more ownership in their process.

During the feedback session, we asked the playwright to do nothing more than listen to each participant’s list of Socratic questions. Then, the playwright had a choice: Simply end the session and take home a list of questions to ponder for their next rewrite, or choose from the list of questions and solicit a discussion to get a deeper understanding of one of the questions asked.

Playwrights report this approach provides useful, highly effective feedback and often leads to stronger rewrites. Furthermore, participants report the challenges of giving this kind of feedback in the new process has improved their ability to analyze and understand scripts in general and the questions they ask themselves about their own work.

It has also been an excellent way to deter participants from giving the common kinds of comments and suggestions playwrights have reported as ineffective and frustrating in the past. The new approach has been equally effective when used with playwrights and participants at all levels, and is useful at different stages in the writing process. We were also surprised to find that it built a stronger sense of community within the group. It opens up the playwright and strengthens their sense of interrelation with fellow participants. More constructive feedback creates a connection among everyone in the workshop as we think, discuss, debate, evaluate, and analyze the content through the observations of the playwright and and those surrounding them.

Examples of Questions with Purpose

Assumption Questions

• Are you assuming that the audience/reader already understands […] and, therefore, knows how this event came to happen?

• Has [Character A] made the assumption […]? Why would the someone make that assumption?

• What might [Character A] assume instead?

• Do I understand your intent correctly? Is it to […]?

Reason and Evidence Questions

• How is the premise of the play expressed in the plot of the story?

• What other information might the audience/reader need to understand why this event happened?

• What other information might the audience/reader need to understand why this character is who they are or do what they do?

• Could you explain your reason for including […] in the scene/play?

• By what reasoning does [Character A] come to the conclusion that […]?

• Is there reason to doubt the claim the play makes about […]?

• What leads [Character A] to believe […]?

• Where is an example of your intent to explore/show […] in the play?

• Why does [Character A] think that […] is true?

Clarification Questions

• What happens onstage/offstage?

• What are the rules to which the world of the play adheres?

• Could you describe your intent in another way?

• What is the main issue in the scene/play?

• What is an example of how you’re exploring the main idea/issue?

• How might you expand upon that idea/issue further?

Tips and Tricks

Giving and receiving feedback in this form takes some practice. But, we’ve learned a few tips and tricks that help our playwrights, participants, and workshop hosts master the endeavor.

Ask Probing Questions

Workshop hosts remind participants that their goal is to ask probing questions that provoke a deeper examination of the pages and direction of the dialogue.

Offer Time to Plan

After reading the pages, participants are given time to plan out questions that have the potential to provoke deeper though and direction to the dialogue.

Ask Questions First

The participants pose all of their questions to the playwright first. The playwright doesn’t respond.

Allow the Playwright to Lead How to Proceed

The playwright then decides how they’d like to proceed:

• Take away the list of questions they’ve received to ponder further and their feedback session;

• Ask questions of the participants to get more clarity on the questions and why they were asked;

• Engage the participants in further discussion about one or more of the questions asked;

• Consider a combination of the above.

Pause Before Responding

Encourage playwrights and participants to allow at least thirty seconds to respond.

Empower Host to Guide

• Draw as many participants as possible into the discussion.

• Periodically summarize key points that have been discussed.

Examples from Workshop

When we first made these changes, participants initially slid back into the old habit of stating their observations. But once again, a slight nudge from the workshop hosts to rephrase their observation as a question forced participants to think more deeply and yielded more satisfying feedback for playwrights. Examples over time reinforced the effectiveness:

Observation as a Statement:

“The scene is super repetitive. If everything that happens in it only happened once, you wouldn’t lose anything and it would be a third of the length.”

Same Participant Rephrasing Observation as a Question:

“Is the circulatory repetition intentional? If it is, what motivates the characters to do such similar tasks and discuss such similar subjects over and over again? How does the repetition serve the play’s story or themes? If it’s not intentional, what are the characters’ objectives in the scene beat-to-beat? Where in the scene is there evidence of the characters pursuing those objectives? At what point in the scene do the characters fail or succeed in their objectives?”

Observation as a Statement:

“The dialogue reads like random, overheard dialogue. It’s not about anything. It doesn’t reveal anything.”

Same Participant Rephrasing Observation as a Question:

“What is the premise for the play? How is the premise explored in this scene?”

Observation as a statement:

“The action of the scene isn’t clear. I don’t actually know what’s happening.”

Same Participant Rephrasing Observation as a Question:

“Are all three of the characters in the same room? Do they see each other? Why is the younger daughter rollerskating around the mother and older daughter while they sew the tear in the dress? Is the younger daughter trying to get the mother’s attention by rollerskating around them? If so, why? Is she often ignored? Why is the older daughter simply repeating what the mother says while helping her mother repair the tear? Is the mother teaching her how to sew? If so, why? Does this take place in a time when women were expected to sew? How did the dress get torn in the first place? Is that important?”