Two Sides of the Same Heart: The Power of Split-POV Storytelling
Split-POV stories are catnip because they admit what most narratives politely ignore: two people can live through the same event and come out holding different receipts. It’s not just a “cool stru
The “No-Budget” Spectacle: How to Write Big Ideas for Small Rooms
Here's the thing nobody tells you when you're starting out: spectacle doesn't live in the budget line. It lives in the idea. I know that sounds like motivational poster nonsense, but st
The Musical Engine: Why Your Script Needs a "Song" (Even if No One is Singing)
Here's a thought that might be controversial: we think every writer: whether you're crafting a gritty TV pilot, an indie film, or a three-character chamber play: should study musical theater
Looking Them in the Eye: The Art of the Direct Address Opening
There's a moment in theater that nothing else in storytelling quite replicates. The lights come up. An actor steps forward. And instead of pretending you're not there, they look right at you
From the Attention Economy to the Story Economy
Last weekend, right before the snowstorm that hit much of America, my wife and I joined a Robert Burns’ Night gathering in our neighborhood. Celebrating the national bard of Scotland, the evenin
Episodic Engines: TV Structure Tools for Theater Writers (and Anyone Building a Series)
You've got a world. Characters you love. Maybe a sprawling story that refuses to fit into a tidy two-hour play. Or maybe you're a TV writer staring at a pilot that feels… thin. Like it
The 2025 OP Inspiration List
From the team at The Orchard Project, we’d like to wish you and your loved ones a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year. Once again, as our annual holiday gift to you, we asked Orchard Proje
Why Artists Are Self-Producing (and Succeeding) More Than Ever — And Why The Orchard Project Is Stepping In
If you squint at the arts landscape right now, you’ll see something counterintuitive happening. Yes, the theater, film, and performance industries are contracting. Yes, producing opportunities are s
The Liberating Power of “No”
By Ari Edelson, Artistic Director, The Orchard Project There is perhaps no more dreaded word in the creative world than “no.” No to the play.No to the grant.No to the meeting.No to the pitch. We w
The Next Crucible? How Artists Turn Censorship into Legacy
By Ari Edelson, Artistic Director, The Orchard Project From Vaclav Havel to Alfred Hitchcock, from Arthur Miller to John Osborne, government censorship has not only been a force limiting free expressi
The 2024 Orchard Project Inspiration List
WHAT INSPIRED OP ARTISTS IN 2024 THE NEW TV OUR ARTISTS LOVED SHŌGUN (FX) The “ambitious, emotionally intimate epic that television has been missing” (says an OP artist), Shōgun is a sop
The 2023 Orchard Project Inspiration List
From the team at The Orchard Project, we’d like to wish you and your loved ones have a wonderful holiday season and happy new year. As our holiday gift to you, we once again asked recent Orcha