Greatest stage to Screen Adaptations

Karen Smith9 said:Quote: that hasn't even had many different runs.

electriccanyon26 says: That’s really not how you look at it—those are just your own assumptions! I'm not trying to put words in your mouth here, but some movies simply aren't based on plays that have been staged a million times in theaters all over the world. You know, those massive classics? Some films—like Tape—are based on versions of a stage production

The point being made is this: Tape is a 1999 play by Stephen Belber. So, the text exists, and the screenplay was adapted from that text... is a screenwriter really going to sit there watching a live performance and transcribe dialogue for a movie like some kind of court reporter tracking events on a stage? It's the same damn story all over again...

Just a half hour ago, I asked the same thing, though perhaps more ironically: will the director adapt the screenplay based on the theatrical text, or just rely on memory? 🤣

electriccanyon26 said:Are you going to claim in your next post that there are no plays based on movies either?

Here is an answer for you and your slang:
I know a film student who wrote a script for his own play, performed by actors currently in training—it was an amateur production, of course. The man wrote the text from his own mind; that text is a literary work (who says otherwise?), it can be read as literature, and its genre is drama (there is such a thing as comedy, if you weren't aware). If someone decides to make a movie later, will it be based on that script or the stage play the script was originally written for?

See, this is proof you don't have a clue what you're talking about... comedy is a literary work that falls under the genre of drama—drama, poetry, prose, essays... remember anything from middle school? Comedy is part of drama... I knew there was a breakdown somewhere in basic terminology...
And regarding what you said about that student—the movie will be based on the screenplay, or rather the text for the play... it's that simple.

electriccanyon26 said:Just a half hour ago, I asked the same thing, though perhaps more ironically: will the director adapt the screenplay based on the theatrical text, or just rely on memory? 🤣

Based on the script, obviously—not the play itself, despite what the thread title implies, my dear friend...😉

Karen Smith9 said:See, this is proof you don't have a clue what you're talking about... comedy is a literary work that falls under the genre of drama—drama, poetry, prose, essays... remember anything from middle school? Comedy is part of drama... I knew there was a breakdown somewhere in basic terminology...
And regarding what you said about that student—the movie will be based on the screenplay, or rather the text for the play... it's that simple.

So, comedy is a theater genre alongside drama? You missed the mark this time. Prove you actually know the subject: what's the fundamental difference between drama and, say, prose?

Karen Smith9 said:Based on the script, obviously—not the play itself, despite what the thread title implies, my dear friend...😉

Well done. What do you even call that? I'm finished here and have nothing left to ask. There’s no point in arguing further; you'll just keep defending those impulsive posts and conclusions, when really, you're just defending your own lack of understanding. Have a good night. And seriously, go read some drama text or a comedy.

I assume you're all still in elementary school, so maybe go ask your teachers to explain this to you...

electriccanyon26 said:So, comedy is a theater genre alongside drama? You missed the mark this time. Prove you actually know the subject: what's the fundamental difference between drama and, say, prose?

There are four primary literary forms: poetry, prose, drama, and the essay. Right? So, here is the simple question: a comedy script written specifically for the stage falls under which category?

electriccanyon26 said:Well done. What do you even call that? I'm finished here and have nothing left to ask. There’s no point in arguing further; you'll just keep defending those impulsive posts and conclusions, when really, you're just defending your own lack of understanding. Have a good night. And seriously, go read some drama text or a comedy.

I assume you're all still in elementary school, so maybe go ask your teachers to explain this to you...

And you call that a defense... You basically spend the whole time jumping down people's throats, and now you're just running away...😂>

electriccanyon26 said:Are you going to claim in your next post that there are no plays based on movies either?

Here is an answer for you and your slang:
I know a film student who wrote a script for his own play, performed by actors currently in training—it was an amateur production, of course. The man wrote the text from his own mind; that text is a literary work (who says otherwise?), it can be read as literature, and its genre is drama (there is such a thing as comedy, if you weren't aware). If someone decides to make a movie later, will it be based on that script or the stage play the script was originally written for?

The movie would be based on the literary work that came out of your friend's head. Basically, an adaptation of that text. Not some amateur performance in a field.

And you still haven't answered my question: which plays were actually made based on movies?

Karen Smith9 said:There are four primary literary forms: poetry, prose, drama, and the essay. Right? So, here is the simple question: a comedy script written specifically for the stage falls under which category?

It falls under drama. Drama is its own genre designed for the stage. Without the theater, there wouldn't even be such a thing as drama, for goodness' sake.

Laura Palmer25 said:The movie would be based on the literary work that came out of your friend's head. Basically, an adaptation of that text. Not some amateur performance in a field.

And you still haven't answered my question: which plays were actually made based on movies?

That isn't right. The text was originally written for the stage. This is theater—it's a different art form entirely. The film will be based on the theatrical play. It couldn't be any clearer than that.

As for the title of the movie, you'll just have to wait. I can't recall the specific name, but I know for a fact I've seen something like it before...

electriccanyon26 said:It falls under drama. Drama is its own genre designed for the stage. Without the theater, there wouldn't even be such a thing as drama, for goodness' sake.

That’s exactly my point... so why did you call it a drama in one of your previous posts, only to then mention comedy in parentheses—as if we weren't already aware?? I honestly can't wrap my head around all these contradictions and rambling...
And those very same texts—those dramas—can serve perfectly well as templates for film scripts or just a starting concept; at that point, it has nothing to do with the theater anymore... and that's really all there is to it. If that isn't clear enough for you, well... maybe Laura Palmer25 could explain it more clearly, though I doubt it would help much.

electriccanyon26 said:Well done. What do you even call that? I'm finished here and have nothing left to ask. There’s no point in arguing further; you'll just keep defending those impulsive posts and conclusions, when really, you're just defending your own lack of understanding. Have a good night. And seriously, go read some drama text or a comedy.

I assume you're all still in elementary school, so maybe go ask your teachers to explain this to you...

And calling a comedy a drama is pretty bold, buddy 😛

good night. Try repeating screenplay written by the play like a mantra 432 times before bed; maybe it'll clear things up for you tomorrow.

electriccanyon26 said:That isn't right. The text was originally written for the stage. This is theater—it's a different art form entirely. The film will be based on the theatrical play. It couldn't be any clearer than that.

As for the title of the movie, you'll just have to wait. I can't recall the specific name, but I know for a fact I've seen something like it before...

😂 Here we go again...

Karen Smith9 said:That’s exactly my point... so why did you call it a drama in one of your previous posts, only to then mention comedy in parentheses—as if we weren't already aware?? I honestly can't wrap my head around all these contradictions and rambling...
And those very same texts—those dramas—can serve perfectly well as templates for film scripts or just a starting concept; at that point, it has nothing to do with the theater anymore... and that's really all there is to it. If that isn't clear enough for you, well... maybe Laura Palmer25 could explain it more clearly, though I doubt it would help much.

It's because theater covers everything: drama, comedy, and musicals. If I were choosing a play to write, I'd have to decide whether it's a drama, a comedy, or a musical. There’s already a thread on this forum under the theater subforum called Drama Text; tell them instead that the topic belongs in literature, not theater.

electriccanyon26 said:It's because theater covers everything: drama, comedy, and musicals. If I were choosing a play to write, I'd have to decide whether it's a drama, a comedy, or a musical. There’s already a thread on this forum under the theater subforum called Drama Text; tell them instead that the topic belongs in literature, not theater.

The text itself is literature; the performance is theater. Get it together...🙂

Laura Palmer25 said:And calling a comedy a drama is pretty bold, buddy 😛

good night. Try repeating screenplay written by the play like a mantra 432 times before bed; maybe it'll clear things up for you tomorrow.

I know that much... but I’m not mixing up my terms like you are.

Karen Smith9 said:The text itself is literature; the performance is theater. Get it together...🙂

A play, a drama text, and finally a performance—that’s theater. A drama belongs to literature, much like a libretto is a literary work; however, once you combine a libretto with a performance, you have an opera. Don't tell me I need to get my act together; you're the one who's confused here. I'm just trying to help.

electriccanyon26 said:A play, a drama text, and finally a performance—that’s theater. A drama belongs to literature, much like a libretto is a literary work; however, once you combine a libretto with a performance, you have an opera. Don't tell me I need to get my act together; you're the one who's confused here. I'm just trying to help.

A drama isn't theater. It's literature that happens to be performable on stage, or since film exists, it can be adapted for the screen. Guess What, you can actually read a drama. Some plays aren't even practical for the stage (think Maeterlinck or early Krleža), so they find their soul in film instead.

Movies don't necessarily rely on theater to get to the screen.

electriccanyon26 said:A play, a drama text, and finally a performance—that’s theater. A drama belongs to literature, much like a libretto is a literary work; however, once you combine a libretto with a performance, you have an opera. Don't tell me I need to get my act together; you're the one who's confused here. I'm just trying to help.

Listen, kid—if what you're saying were true, dramatic texts would be filed under theater in the Library of Congress system at number 79... instead of being categorized under literature... sorry, but that's how it works globally. A dramatic text can certainly serve as the foundation for a play and be an essential part of that art form, but the text itself, as a printed work, is literature. So, maybe take a breath and settle down—if you can—because that's just the reality. And if there's any confusion, project that onto your pet parrot if you have one, because you're repeating the same nonsense over and over like a parrot...
Basically, a movie is filmed based on the script that a stage production was built from, not based on the performance itself... and that's that. good night...

Laura Palmer25 said:A drama isn't theater. It's literature that happens to be performable on stage, or since film exists, it can be adapted for the screen. Guess What, you can actually read a drama. Some plays aren't even practical for the stage (think Maeterlinck or early Krleža), so they find their soul in film instead.

Movies don't necessarily rely on theater to get to the screen.

I don't see how you're missing this. Drama is text meant for the stage—it *is* the theater. We admire Shakespeare and his plays as works of literature, which means we value drama within the literary canon because, even though they provide dialogue for actors, they function as flawless pieces of writing. But the true essence of Shakespeare lives in the theater! You have to see that.