John welcomes writer, director and playwright Leslye Headland (The Acolyte, Russian Doll) to ask, why are stage plays so challenging for screenwriters? Using her recent Broadway play Cult of Love, they look at different approaches to scene description, heightened and simultaneous dialogue, and strategies for adapting stage plays to film.

We also chart Leslye’s career from theater kid to auteur filmmaker, her approach to time loops (because how could we not?), and answer listener questions about music cues and long scripts.

In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Leslye compare notes on how to keep up with what’s on stage, and what to do if you missed a production.

Links:

Leslye Headland
Cult of Love – selected pages
Bachelorette the play and the movie
Fanny and Alexander
John by Annie Baker
Original Cast Album: Company
Stephen Sondheim
Waiting for Godot
John Cassavetes
Tár screenplay by Todd Field
Arthur Aron’s 36 Questions
Eva discloses her autism on Survivor
Making Movies by Sidney Lumet
On Filmmaking by Alexander McKendick
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Craig Mazin on Instagram
John August on Bluesky, Threads, and Instagram
Outro by Alicia Jo Rabins (send us yours!)
Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by Matthew Chilelli.

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

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