Open Forum

Hello All! 

I am currently in the middle of a playwriting unit for my Theatre 1 class.  It being my second year, I am very much trying to still figure out what will and won't work at my school.  For some context, I teach in a highly urban setting where a lot of the students have not registered for the class, it is a dump class.  And those who do sign up expecting an EASY A.  If any of you have any tried and true playwriting activities, I would greatly appreciate it! 

Thanks! 

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Corey Ragan
Theatre Teacher/Director
Groveport Madison High School
Groveport, OH
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I've used this as a bellringer and as a segue to a lesson on cold-reading, but it could be used stand-alone as a writing exercise.

Give them a line that must start their scene, give them ten minutes (or however long you deem is appropriate) to write a two-character scene.

The key is in choosing that first line. My favorite is "You never listen." It implies both familiarity and conflict, and opens vast possibilities both comic and dramatic.

After the scenes are written, they scripts can be read aloud, discussed and workshopped (large-group, breakout-group, or pairs) to flesh out characters and storylines.

I'll be checking back for others' ideas as well. My kids love activities that have them writing their own stuff.

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Josh Kauffman
Teacher
Winfield AL

Original Message:
Sent: 12-01-2016 12:13
From: Corey Ragan
Subject: Active Playwriting Activities

Hello All! 

I am currently in the middle of a playwriting unit for my Theatre 1 class.  It being my second year, I am very much trying to still figure out what will and won't work at my school.  For some context, I teach in a highly urban setting where a lot of the students have not registered for the class, it is a dump class.  And those who do sign up expecting an EASY A.  If any of you have any tried and true playwriting activities, I would greatly appreciate it! 

Thanks! 

------------------------------
Corey Ragan
Theatre Teacher/Director
Groveport Madison High School
Groveport, OH
------------------------------

I have a very successful playwriting exercise I use with Theatre 1 students. I got the idea from a TETA conference. You have the students close their eyes and visualize a room. Then they visualize a dominant object in the room. Then they visualize a character "X" who walks in the room. They should observe the character...how they walk, move, and look. Then a second character "y" enters. Character X then speaks to y...what does he say. Y responds. Then y exits...what does he say upon exiting. Then you have them open their eyes and write one sentence to describe the room, and one to describe the dominant object. They then write down the dialogue between the characters. Then you put the students together in groups of 4-5. They have to then do a mashup of their 4 rooms and characters. No require them to write 2 pages of script per day (checked and graded- not for content...just did they do it) until they have a 10 page script which then must be typed. They must give one copy to me, and have a copy for each group member. We will be presenting our original scripts to classes week after next for their semester exam. This really works well!
Sent from my iPad


Original Message------

Hello All! 

I am currently in the middle of a playwriting unit for my Theatre 1 class.  It being my second year, I am very much trying to still figure out what will and won't work at my school.  For some context, I teach in a highly urban setting where a lot of the students have not registered for the class, it is a dump class.  And those who do sign up expecting an EASY A.  If any of you have any tried and true playwriting activities, I would greatly appreciate it! 

Thanks! 

------------------------------
Corey Ragan
Theatre Teacher/Director
Groveport Madison High School
Groveport, OH
------------------------------

This sounds intriguing. Do you have a handout of this assignment that you give to students? Do you have a finished example?

Thanks for sharing!

------------------------------
Sonja Brown, Theatre Teacher
Thespian Troupe 1777
Phoenix High School

Original Message:
Sent: 12-02-2016 08:49
From: Vici Anderson
Subject: Active Playwriting Activities

I have a very successful playwriting exercise I use with Theatre 1 students. I got the idea from a TETA conference. You have the students close their eyes and visualize a room. Then they visualize a dominant object in the room. Then they visualize a character "X" who walks in the room. They should observe the character...how they walk, move, and look. Then a second character "y" enters. Character X then speaks to y...what does he say. Y responds. Then y exits...what does he say upon exiting. Then you have them open their eyes and write one sentence to describe the room, and one to describe the dominant object. They then write down the dialogue between the characters. Then you put the students together in groups of 4-5. They have to then do a mashup of their 4 rooms and characters. No require them to write 2 pages of script per day (checked and graded- not for content...just did they do it) until they have a 10 page script which then must be typed. They must give one copy to me, and have a copy for each group member. We will be presenting our original scripts to classes week after next for their semester exam. This really works well!
Sent from my iPad

Thanks so much for your suggestions!  I greatly appreciate all of the help!

------------------------------
Corey Ragan
Theatre Teacher/Director
Groveport Madison High School
Groveport, OH

Original Message:
Sent: 12-02-2016 11:42
From: Sonja Brown
Subject: Active Playwriting Activities

This sounds intriguing. Do you have a handout of this assignment that you give to students? Do you have a finished example?

Thanks for sharing!

------------------------------
Sonja Brown, Theatre Teacher
Thespian Troupe 1777
Phoenix High School

Original Message:
Sent: 12-02-2016 08:49
From: Vici Anderson
Subject: Active Playwriting Activities

I have a very successful playwriting exercise I use with Theatre 1 students. I got the idea from a TETA conference. You have the students close their eyes and visualize a room. Then they visualize a dominant object in the room. Then they visualize a character "X" who walks in the room. They should observe the character...how they walk, move, and look. Then a second character "y" enters. Character X then speaks to y...what does he say. Y responds. Then y exits...what does he say upon exiting. Then you have them open their eyes and write one sentence to describe the room, and one to describe the dominant object. They then write down the dialogue between the characters. Then you put the students together in groups of 4-5. They have to then do a mashup of their 4 rooms and characters. No require them to write 2 pages of script per day (checked and graded- not for content...just did they do it) until they have a 10 page script which then must be typed. They must give one copy to me, and have a copy for each group member. We will be presenting our original scripts to classes week after next for their semester exam. This really works well!
Sent from my iPad

You could consider monologue writing as well. I have a friend colleague who has students write monologues from the perspective of inanimate objects. I do an exercise where students find an image of a face they find interesting and build a character inspired by the image, then we move on to monologues from that character's perspective.

I have another friend who taught in a similar situation to yours, and had her kids write monologues from their personal experiences. I believe they were given a theme of conflict, or struggle, but any unifying idea would work. They wrote their own monologues  and workshopped them a little, but then they randomly drew for who would actually perform each monologue. They presented them all as at an event at school and it was incredibly touching. It was an amazing experience as an audience member to know I was hearing the story of someone on that stage, but I didn't know who. 

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Dianne Rowe
Birmingham AL

Original Message:
Sent: 12-05-2016 07:45
From: Corey Ragan
Subject: Active Playwriting Activities

Thanks so much for your suggestions!  I greatly appreciate all of the help!

------------------------------
Corey Ragan
Theatre Teacher/Director
Groveport Madison High School
Groveport, OH

Original Message:
Sent: 12-02-2016 11:42
From: Sonja Brown
Subject: Active Playwriting Activities

This sounds intriguing. Do you have a handout of this assignment that you give to students? Do you have a finished example?

Thanks for sharing!

------------------------------
Sonja Brown, Theatre Teacher
Thespian Troupe 1777
Phoenix High School

Original Message:
Sent: 12-02-2016 08:49
From: Vici Anderson
Subject: Active Playwriting Activities

I have a very successful playwriting exercise I use with Theatre 1 students. I got the idea from a TETA conference. You have the students close their eyes and visualize a room. Then they visualize a dominant object in the room. Then they visualize a character "X" who walks in the room. They should observe the character...how they walk, move, and look. Then a second character "y" enters. Character X then speaks to y...what does he say. Y responds. Then y exits...what does he say upon exiting. Then you have them open their eyes and write one sentence to describe the room, and one to describe the dominant object. They then write down the dialogue between the characters. Then you put the students together in groups of 4-5. They have to then do a mashup of their 4 rooms and characters. No require them to write 2 pages of script per day (checked and graded- not for content...just did they do it) until they have a 10 page script which then must be typed. They must give one copy to me, and have a copy for each group member. We will be presenting our original scripts to classes week after next for their semester exam. This really works well!
Sent from my iPad

My most successful way to approach playwriting is through adaptation. Find a short story or two (or have students find their own), and look at how to adapt that into a play. This is a great exercise because it illuminates the differences between dramatic and narrative writing. It gives you a chance to talk about exposition, and show the ways that drama must show action, while fiction can simply tell it. The short story that works very well for this (especially around the holidays) is The Gift of the Magi. It has some dialogue, but is mostly inner thoughts and action. After students have taken a stab at this, you can have them watch one of several television adaptations so they can see how other screenwriters have adapted the same piece.

------------------------------
Robin Share
Teacher
Los Angeles Unified School District
Sherman Oaks CA

Original Message:
Sent: 12-01-2016 12:13
From: Corey Ragan
Subject: Active Playwriting Activities

Hello All! 

I am currently in the middle of a playwriting unit for my Theatre 1 class.  It being my second year, I am very much trying to still figure out what will and won't work at my school.  For some context, I teach in a highly urban setting where a lot of the students have not registered for the class, it is a dump class.  And those who do sign up expecting an EASY A.  If any of you have any tried and true playwriting activities, I would greatly appreciate it! 

Thanks! 

------------------------------
Corey Ragan
Theatre Teacher/Director
Groveport Madison High School
Groveport, OH
------------------------------

I love teaching in-depth playwriting units in every level above Theatre I.  Because of all the students who didn't register for Theatre I, I don't do anything more than an original monologue in that level.  I am pasting in the assignment below.  Most students really enjoy it, and we usually get a good mix of serious and comic monologues.

Theatre I Original Monologue

• Think of a time when you had a conflict with one other person. Do not choose something terribly painful, as you will have to explore this fully to do the monologue well.  This monologue will be inspired by this actual conflict you have experienced.
• A conflict exists between two or more people when they have different desires or goals, or when they want the same thing, but only one can have it. Conflicts are not always evidenced by a serious disagreement or fight.
• Once you decide on your conflict and person with whom you are in conflict, creatively imagine a confrontation in which you have a full minute to make your case. Write this monologue for yourself as if you were speaking to the other person.  Focus on having a clear objective for your character.  What do you want to happen as a result of you [the character] speaking?  What do you want this person to do for you?
• If you want to write something comedic, remember that hyperbole can be very funny. Try choosing a trivial conflict, then treat it as though it as if it is a huge problem.  
• Your completed first draft of the monologue should be between 1 and 1.5 minutes, no longer.
• Once you have completed your draft, edit it for reading in class. Take out or change any names of fellow students, teachers, etc.  Remove any language that is considered inappropriate in our school.  If you have any doubt about whether you should reveal a detail that could be embarrassing for you to share in class, remove it.
• Check your monologue again for time if you changed or removed much.
• You will read this edited first draft aloud in class and get written notes from your teacher. You’ll also get to hear the monologues of your fellow students. 
• You will then revise the monologue to sharpen the objective and tactics. Your revised monologue should be 50 to 60 seconds long.  You will memorize this revised monologue and act it for us in class, using a physical focal point. 

 

Using the GOTE sheet as a guideline will insure that your original monologue has a clear objective.

GOTE Sheet*

All parts should be in first person, one sentence each.

Goal – (Intention, Objective) What do you, as the character, want in this monologue?  Use active verbs!

Other – Who is in the way of you gaining your goal?  How can he/she help or hurt you? 

Tactics – What do you do to achieve your goal, to remove the obstacles?

Expectation – What will happen if or when you are successful?

* Adapted from Robert Cohen’s Acting One

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C. J. Breland
Asheville High School
Asheville NC

Original Message:
Sent: 12-01-2016 12:13
From: Corey Ragan
Subject: Active Playwriting Activities

Hello All! 

I am currently in the middle of a playwriting unit for my Theatre 1 class.  It being my second year, I am very much trying to still figure out what will and won't work at my school.  For some context, I teach in a highly urban setting where a lot of the students have not registered for the class, it is a dump class.  And those who do sign up expecting an EASY A.  If any of you have any tried and true playwriting activities, I would greatly appreciate it! 

Thanks! 

------------------------------
Corey Ragan
Theatre Teacher/Director
Groveport Madison High School
Groveport, OH
------------------------------