Tools of the Trade

No. 1

Vol. 24

Sep/Oct 2021

The Tools of the Trade issue of The Dramatist takes a deep dive into the nerdiest aspects of the craft, from “The Great Software Debate,” where playwrights go toe-to-toe discussing their scriptwriting software of choice, to “Old School Tools,” which begins as a talk about pens and turns into much more.

This issue also features a compelling roundtable led by Jay Alan Zimmerman, where composers speak on their software and hardware of choice, as well as a “Ten Questions” double feature with Erika Dickerson-Despenza and Vanessa Severo. Finally, Virginia Ambassador Clyde Santana takes a closer look at The Z, Peter Parnell explores “What Copyright Means to Me,” and Kirsten Childs explains “Why I Joined the Guild.”

Learn more about why there is no print edition of this issue.

The Dramatist is made possible by funding from the Council of the Dramatists Guild of America, a generous gift from the John Logan Foundation through a grant from the Dramatists Guild Foundation, and contributions from Guild members like you.

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Guest Editor

Amelia French

is a playwright, librettist, and editor of The Dramatist.

Cover Illustration and Artwork

Cheryl Jacobsen

is an artist in Iowa City. Her work varies widely from design and straightforward lettering, to illustrations and art. She is an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Iowa where she teaches a variety of classes for the University’s Center for the Book including a history of lettering, and several in basic and more advanced calligraphic hands. Her personal lettering work uses text as a medium to create images that speak in a visual but not necessarily literal way. https://cheryljacobsen.com

Bekka Lindström

is based in New York City. Her first published work was winning a poster competition for Seventeen magazine in 1972. She has gone on to design work for the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Bruce Weber, Crain’s New York Business and Project Renewal (a nonprofit working on homelessness in NYC). Bekka is currently the art director for The Dramatist.