Bell-Work: Today, on your index card, please come up with a few premises for an original play. Your premise should be stated clearly in one sentence. Continue writing premises until time is called.
THE PREMISE (a one-sentence summary completing this statement: This play is about ______________.)
Please follow our last post for directions today in class. If you didn't get a chance to read If Men Played Cards As Women Do, please start there. The rest of us will be starting with The Boor or Overtones.
CLASSWORK: In groups of 4-5, please read The Boor, Overtones, and If Men Played Cards As Women Do. For The Boor & Overtones, please discuss the writing of the play (its characters, plot, theme, dialogue etc.) and identify the play's premise. Write the premise down on your group's index card to hand in at the end of class.
From our previous instruction on playwriting this year, please note:
THE PREMISE (a one-sentence summary completing this statement: This play is about ______________.)
Please follow our last post for directions today in class. If you didn't get a chance to read If Men Played Cards As Women Do, please start there. The rest of us will be starting with The Boor or Overtones.
CLASSWORK: In groups of 4-5, please read The Boor, Overtones, and If Men Played Cards As Women Do. For The Boor & Overtones, please discuss the writing of the play (its characters, plot, theme, dialogue etc.) and identify the play's premise. Write the premise down on your group's index card to hand in at the end of class.
From our previous instruction on playwriting this year, please note:
- All plays should have a beginning, middle, and end. They can begin or end just like a poem or story (i.e., ending with a circular, surprise, summary, or open-ending, etc.)
- All plays are written for the stage (not to just be read); they are meant to be performed live by live actors. To get good at this reading and watching plays is essential.
- All plays are written in present tense (not past); all plays use a specific and distinct format
- All plays are more powerful if they are tightly written. To be "tightly written" you should avoid using broad-sweeping plots, with many cinematic scene changes.
Short plays should adhere to what are called the unities:
Conflict should be balanced (in other words the struggle between protagonist and antagonist should be a fair fight); it is often better to have an antagonist who is slightly more powerful.
1. The unity of time (plays should not span many years)All plays require conflict
2. The unity of place (plays should concentrate action in one or few settings)
3. The unity of action (plays should limit their plots so they are not confusing)
Conflict should be balanced (in other words the struggle between protagonist and antagonist should be a fair fight); it is often better to have an antagonist who is slightly more powerful.
Characters often are antagonists to each other in plays.
Meaning (theme) in a play is tied to the action and conflict being presented on stage
Meaning (theme) in a play is tied to the action and conflict being presented on stage
- All plays should be entertaining (and written to be performed)
- All plays should communicate an idea (or belief about the human condition)
- All plays are REPRESENTATIVE of real life. They are NOT real life.
- Plays are NOT movies. The best way to learn how to write scripts is to read them and see play productions whenever possible.
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