The Great Inspirers: A Mentoring Theory of Playwright Development

Abstract

In this century it is common for a young playwright to seek guidance from a teacher (a developer) who can be instrumental during the formation of the writer's artistry. This pattern of development, that is the relationship between a young playwright and a director, is explored throughout the dissertation.

Developers such as George Pierce Baker, Margo Jones, George Devine, and Lloyd Richards worked with significant writers sometimes from the first blank page to the final act curtain; all built developmental programs, and all are widely recognized by scholarship as having made contributions to the field of playwriting.

This study demonstrates that often significant development can fall under a mentoring pattern. Mentoring is a unique discipline within the area of management that considers developmental relationships. The applied mentoring theory urges a consideration of the developmental relationship through the various mentoring functions; the mentor's professional standing, attraction between mentors and playwrights, atmosphere, encouragement, teaching, promotion, feedback, and protection.