Marketing Synopses

Years ago I took a class on the business side of playwriting, from the late Russ Tutterow. I think it was called Marketing Your Play, and one really key tool, that we spent a lot of time on, was the marketing synopsis. It's supposed to be fairly short, it's supposed to include indications of dramatic structure without giving away every plot twist. And it's supposed to give some indication of characters and themes. 

Yes, I was writing one yesterday, because I was submitting a new play to a group that performs readings. I have a tendency to resist, to want to say, the play takes 87 pages, with no wasted words, to state itself, I can't boil it down to a paragraph or two! But of course I can. 

I suppose if I worked according to a formal outline more, I might have a pre digested summary ready at this point. But I work from a vague sketchy outline, and then when I'm done I step back and ask: how would I summarize this?

I'd feel belatedly dumb

If I couldn't find a sum.