10 Questions for a Broadway Pro. Volume 9: An Agent for Writers

"If only I could get an agent," are the words I hear so many playwrights and screenwriters say.

That's when I correct them.  First, no one can promote your work as well as you can.  Second, you don't just need any agent.  You need a good agent.

You need an agent like Sarah Douglas.

Sarah took some time out of her schedule of searching for the next Tony Kushner to answer our '10 Questions for a Broadway Pro.'  Here we go!
 
1. What is your title?

Title?  I have never understood titles.  That said, Co-Director, Literary Division, Abrams Artists Agency

2. What show/shows are you currently working on?  

Too superstitious to name anything until it has opened.  Suffice to say that musicals seem to take forever but I’m honored to be working with some of the greatest talents working in professional theatre today.

3. In one sentence, describe your job.

Present, promote and protect.

4. What skills are necessary for a person in your position?

Eye for talent, ability to communicate, reconcile two seemingly opposite concepts, prioritize.

5. What kind of training did you go through to get to your position?

I’m fortunate to have been mentored by two amazing agents with very different styles and approaches to the business: Helen Harvey and Flora Roberts.  

6. What was your first job in theater?

Answering the phones and taking care of house seats in a two person (3 counting me working part-time) literary agency.

7. Why do you think theater is important?

Live storytelling serves society in so many significant ways – as a catalyst for the gathering of community, a way to create and share common experiences, expression of thoughts and ideas and entertainment, to name a few. 

8. What is your profession's greatest challenge today?

Besides the general decline in civility and honesty cultivating an educated audience.

9. If you could change just one thing about the industry with the wave of a
magic wand, what would it be?

Just one thing?

10. What advice would you give to someone who wanted to do what you do?

You have to really love theatre, relish confrontation and have a HIGH threshold for annoyance.

If you are a Broadway Pro that would like to shed a little light on what makes your position tick, drop me an email and maybe we can feature you in an upcoming post.

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