All: If you could bring in new blood, who would it be?

[leevo64]

It may not lead to daytime passion, but for the most part the primetime writers people have suggested write mature, adult stories - not juvenile junk like Jean Passanante, Hogan Sheffer (don't throw anything at me, people!) or even Rob Guza (who I think writes sharper than most writers on any soap).

[EricMontreal22]

Then there are people who fail at Primetime soaps (Pratt anywone) and still get hired for Daytime...

I still say it's all about looking to the theatre:D

[leevo64]

That's actually a really good point. You find the STRONGEST characterizations and ideas in theater. That's not to say that Neil Simon should be writing a soap, he'd turn it into a sitcom; but I could think of a few playwrights who would be good for soaps such as Lanford Wilson, who wrote one of my favorite plays, Hot L Baltimore.

[EricMontreal22]

Wow great minds and all that--Lanford was actually someone I was thinking of who i could see making the transition.

As Sylph mentioned, in the past often people from theatre need help--Lemay had a lot of help from Irna Phillipes, Baitz on Brothers and Sisters ended up with a lot of help from Berlanti-- in actually structuring the episode to episode formula of a serial--but where these shows really get their basis from is in characterization (and like I said soaps mirror theatre in that the stories are nearly always driven by character and dialogue rather than plot and action and setting).

E

[Sylph]

The problem with playwrights, and we started this discussion in The Directors and Writers Thread, is that they know how to plot only for a play that lasts 2 hours max. And you need to fill 250 eps a year. So, there are good playwrights and bad ones, but I think the episodes would have been much tighter, well-structured, based upon characters' internal conflicts, not some made-up external forces and melodrama, and the dialogue would be better, because in a play you have to tell everything in dialogue.

Where is R Sinclair?

[leevo64]

Well, look at Anna Theresa Cascio. I believe she began as a playwright, then as a script writer for AMC, then when she was promoted to head writer she really refocused Gordon Rayfield's horrible vision. With Cascio, we saw the return of family to AMC, the Bianca/Lena story and the beginnings of Erica/Kendall's good relationship. Granted, it took a while for her to adjust but after a month her work was Emmy-worthy.

[EricMontreal22]

Totally which is why I mentioned that Baitz (As I think you mentioned) needed some help from someone whoknew tv (Berlanti in this case even if I'm not the fan of B most people are I recognize his contribution as pretty necesary)--ALan Ball had help with SFU too and Lemay had help from Irna--a LOT of it according to his autobio. All of these men seemed to learn the ropes prettyquickly (I guess we'll have to see how this season of B&S is for Baitz' now that Berlanti is busy with two other shows) although some don't--novelist Malone who I have a lot of respect for had both of his tenure's at OLTL lose all momentum when Josh Griffith (sp?) left as his partner in crime.

However as I think you're saying, with a good playwright you at least have a pretty solid starting point-- I know Ball (in his Vanity Fair interview), Baitz (on his great B&S blog) AND Lemay (from his book) all considered each day's episode as a one act playwith its own individual rhythm and THEN saw how that fitted into the rhythm of the year or overall arc and that makes sense to me to make a watchable soap.

Of course I'm not talking about someone who writes thrillers which are more plot oriented by their nature--but for most playwrights the daytime soap style comes quite naturally--and as I said even down to simple economics like havign to find excuses to use a number of characters in a limited number of settings...

E

[Sylph]

As for Lemay, I'm not sure I'd agree on the amount of help he got from Irna. She taught him the technique, but he invented the new structure of AW and of course the stories. And he thanked her for all she's done for him, as did Bill Bell. Ball and Baitz to me seem to be quite a different type of writer from what Harding Lemay was... I'm not sure about them.

[EricMontreal22]

Without sounding rude have you not read his 8 Years in Another World? she gave ihim at least as much help as Bernanti did Baitz on B&S

What is it you don't like about Ball? It is undenibaly very different to head write a primtime show as it is a daytime I'll grant you

[Sylph]

I like Ball and I like Baitz. I'm just not sure they'd be interested in writing a soap opera.

Yes, I read Eight Years, but I don't see it the way you do.

No, you're not rude.

P. S. What happened to Vladimir and Estragon?

[EricMontreal22]

Hahah fair enough I hate how these debates onher often seem to get personal.

Ball actually said in an interview how he approached Six Feet Under like the ultimate soap opera dealing in things he wished his fave tv shows (which were soaps though I don't think he veer said which ones) woulda as a child--it was in response to a UK interview where theyasked if his show being called a soap opera bugged him--he replied that he took it with sincere flattery.

PS you would like it if Beckett were writing a soap from beyond the grave wouldn't you... An existential crisis never resolved everyday!

[RuAsRuAnAu]

Mixture of actors, writers etc...Sarah Drew (L&O: SVU), Adam Salky (Dare), Alan Brown (O Beautiful), Tom Amandes, Merrilyn Gann, Matt Reeves (Felicity), Tom Spezialy (Desperate Housewives), Deborah Joy Levine (Any Day Now), David Petrarca (Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip), Suzan-Lori Parks, Dorothy Allison

[RuAsRuAnAu]

Toups announced that a new writer to daytime has been hired: Cheryl Davis. She'll be writing scripts on ATWT. But there seems to be two Cheryl Davis'. One is of african/carribean descent, the other is caucasian. Which one is writing on ATWT?

I wish all the shows hired more people with theatre backgrounds: actors, directors, producers, and especially writers.