The Way of the Pulp

WHAT IS A PULP PLAY?

A Pulp play is... well... it's a play, isn't it. And the genre is Pulp... that may warrant a little more specificity... the way we define Pulp around these parts is a story founded on raw entertainment values and written within the genres of science fiction, fantasy, or suspense (suspense branching off into sub-genres like horror, mystery, adventure, etc).

In the Pulp genre, stories fare focused on simple, entertaining plots and characters.

All our stories follow one simple rule:

The play can't rely on visuals; you can only use dialogue and/or narration. All action must take place in the words! 

Even in the pre-pandemic days, our performances were bare bones: Actors dressed in black sitting on stools reading lines without props and costumes. Post pandemic, the model shifted easily to Zoom readings. In 2023, we plan to bring our shows back to live spaces.

THE PULP WORKSHOP PROCESS

During the workshop process, we follow the STAB method of critique, focusing on the following facets of our scripts:

• Stakes: Are the stakes of the story as high as the possibly can be? If not life-or-death, do the stakes feel like life-and-death to the characters?

• Trackability: Are there any times in the play when the audience is lost or confused? Elements such as character relationships, time, place, conflict; all should be crystal clear.

• Accountability: Does the story follow its own rules and inner logic?

• Build: Does the story clearly go through the stages of exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution?