Table Of Content“In this book Allison Horsley and Jacqueline Goldfinger have skillfully
managed to create a practical guide which makes the Herculean task of
writing an adaptation seem accessible to all and uncomplicated, while still
managing to retain its valuable service to seasoned playwrights. They also
infuse a beautifully surprising humor and wit into the text that coaxes one
into remaining in a creative space while using it as a guide. Moreover, their
work in process for adaptations pays immense homage to the artistic soul
of the playwright as storyteller, and not only the academic.”
Amina Robinson, Award-Winning Performer-
Director, Theatre Professor at Temple University
“There is so much wisdom in this book – both the authors’ own pearls,
gleaned from broad experience within the profession, and a trove of
insights from a wonderfully diverse group of other notable artists grap-
pling with the challenges and rewards of adaptation and translation. The
whole is neatly organized, with important Big Principles clearly laid out
and supported by practical exercises and words of wisdom, which should
be an inspiration to the experienced as well as the novice. The book’s wel-
coming tone encouragingly relieves the daunting pressure of undertaking
a new adaptation or translation, and its principles are never presented as
Dictums but rather as helpful guides, acknowledging always that there are
many ways to skin the proverbial cat.”
Michael Hollinger, Award-Winning Playwright-
Adaptor-Translator, Theatre Professor at Villanova
University
“This book gives you courage to start writing and keep writing. It looks
at adaptations from all angles, while prompting and nurturing your own
unique approach. It’s for the novice, the experienced, the student, the pro-
fessor, and everyone in between.”
Elena Araoz, Director, Producing Artistic Director of
Theater and Music Theater at Princeton University
“This book provides excellent blueprints for anyone interested in theatrical
adaptation. Having spent years adapting poetry, fiction, and non-fiction
for the stage, in either academic or commercial settings, a guidebook like
this would have been invaluable. I will most certainly keep it by my side
from now on.”
Jerrell L. Henderson, Director, Puppeteer, African
American Theatre Archivist
“This accessibly-written guide offers practical insights into translation and
adaptation from a diverse group of leading practitioners. Envisioned as ‘a
community toolbox,’ Writing Adaptations and Translations for the Stage
provides real-world advice on creating theatrical work that speaks to the
present moment. The authors and contributors deliver nuanced perspec-
tives on the page-to-stage journey of a translation and/or adaptation, from
the selection of source material to the rehearsal process. Annotated case
studies, a summary of US copyright law, and a bibliography of recom-
mended readings add useful resources. This book will be valuable to stu-
dents learning the art of translation and adaptation and writers looking to
enrich their craft.”
Claudia Wilsch Case, Associate Professor of Theatre,
Lehman College/CUNY
“Candid and wise. This insightful book gets at the heart (or, a translator
might say, soul) of the artistic process and will set playwrights and their
collaborators up for success. Goldfinger and Horsley keenly understand
that there’s no singular ‘right’ way to create an adaptation for the stage,
but there are plenty of missteps they can help you avoid and many helpful
exercises that will put you on a solid path. From respect for legacy, to ask-
ing the right and difficult questions early on, this book homes in on both
the practical and the passionate elements essential in doing this kind of
work for the theatrical medium.”
Jill Rafson, Producing Artistic Director, Classic Stage
Company
WRITING ADAPTATIONS AND
TRANSLATIONS FOR THE STAGE
Writing Adaptations and Translations for the Stage is a practical guide for
writing adapted works for theatrical performance.
Broadway translator and dramaturg Allison Horsley and award-winning
playwright and educator Jacqueline Goldfinger take readers step-by-step
through the brainstorming, writing, revision, and performance processes
for translations and adaptations. The book includes lectures, case studies,
writing exercises, and advice from top theater professionals on the process
of creating, pitching, and producing adaptations and translations, covering
a wide range of topics such as jukebox musicals, Shakespeare adaptations,
plays from novels, theater for young adults, and theater in translation and
using Indigenous language. Artists who share their wisdom in this book
include: Des McAnuff (Tony Award), Emily Mann (Tony Award), Dominique
Morisseau (Broadway Adaptor, Tony Award nominee, MacArthur Genius
Fellow), Lisa Peterson (Obie Award, Lortel Award), Sarah Ruhl (Broadway
Playwright, Tony Award nominee, Pulitzer Prize finalist, MacArthur Genius
Fellow), and Tina Satter (Broadway Director, Obie Award, Guggenheim
Fellowship). The book also features interviews with artists working both
in the US and internationally, as well as guest columns from artists who
work in less traditional adaptive forms, including cabaret, burlesque, opera,
community-engaged process, and commercial theater.
Writing Adaptations and Translations for the Stage is an essential resource
for students and instructors of Dramatic Writing, Playwriting, and Creative
Writing courses and for aspiring playwrights.
Jacqueline Goldfinger is an award-winning playwright, dramaturg, and
librettist who has adapted a wide variety of material for the stage, including
Madeleine L’Engle’s classic A Wind in the Door for the John F. Kennedy Center
for the Performing Arts. She is also the author of Playwriting with Purpose
(Routledge, 2021). She received her MFA from the University of Southern
California. For more information, visit www .jacq uel ineg oldfinger .com.
Allison Horsley is a Broadway dramaturg and translator who has also worked
on US regional stages and internationally, including on the Broadway and
West End hit Jersey Boys. She received her MFA from the Yale School of
Drama. For more information, visit www .allisonhorsley .com.
WRITING ADAPTATIONS AND
TRANSLATIONS FOR THE STAGE
A Guide and Workbook for New and
Experienced Writers
Jacqueline Goldfinger and Allison Horsley
Cover image: Photo by Teresa Wood of Tyasia Velines as Progo. A Wind in the Door received
its World Premiere at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, as a Kennedy
Center Theater for Young Audiences commission, Washington DC, September 2–11 and
November 1–21, 2021. The production was directed by Nicole A. Watson and featured
Alicia Grace, David Landstrom, Vaughn Ryan Midder, Lynette Rathnam, and Tyasia Velines.
Produced by Harry Poster.
First published 2023
by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
and by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2023 Jacqueline Goldfinger and Allison Horsley
The right of Jacqueline Goldfinger and Allison Horsley to be identified as authors of this
work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any
form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented,
including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks,
and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Goldfinger, Jacqueline, author. | Horsley, Allison, author.
Title: Writing adaptations and translations for the stage/Jacqueline Goldfinger and Allison
Horsley.
Description: New York: Routledge, 2022. | Includes index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2022009531 (print) | LCCN 2022009532 (ebook) |
ISBN 9781032056623 (hardback) | ISBN 9781032056616 (paperback) |
ISBN 9781003198611 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Stage adaptations. | Translating and interpreting. | Theater–Production
and direction. | Theater–Interviews.
Classification: LCC PN2053 .G655 2022 (print) | LCC PN2053 (ebook) |
DDC 809.2–dc23/eng/20220613
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022009531
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022009532
ISBN: 978-1-032-05662-3 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-05661-6 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-19861-1 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003198611
Typeset in Classical Garamond and Myriad
by Deanta Global Publishing Services, Chennai, India
CONTENTS
Special Thanks ix
Prologue xi
Contributors to this Book xiii
How This Book Works xv
1 Brainstorming for Adaptation 1
Jacqueline Goldfinger
2 Writing an Adaptation 21
Jacqueline Goldfinger
3 Writing a Translation 43
Allison Horsley
4 Production 55
Jacqueline Goldfinger
5 Case Study: Adaptation, The Little Mermaid 65
Jacqueline Goldfinger
6 Case Study: Translation, The Cherry Orchard 101
Allison Horsley
7 Thoughts on Adaptation in Other Performative Modes 111
Index 127
SPECIAL THANKS
Luc Beaudoin
Ezra Goldfinger
Hava Goldfinger
Lawrence Goldfinger
Harry Poster
Polina Rikoun
Alix Rosenfeld
Alexander Zaslavsky
&
All of our contributors
