GROUND RULES

· Have Fun. Writing assignments are not tests, but puzzles, journeys and explorations.

· Be supportive of each other’s work and the angst that produced it.

· Park your ego at the door. If you want to write for the theater, then you are participating in a collective process that includes the audience. If you can’t face criticism-- keep a journal, don’t write plays!!!

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REQUIREMENTS

· Attendance at all sessions with writing assignments completed

· Read the assigned plays and be prepared to discuss and analyze them.

· Get a heavy-duty 3 ring binder and place ALL work in it. This is to be submitted at the end of the semester.

· Completion of a new One-Act Play to be read publicly. You will need to find actors to READ not ACT your play. This is not a directing or production course. All emphasis should be on writing.

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ASSIGNED READING

Ibsen A Doll’s House
Chekhov The Three Sisters
Miller Death of a Salesman
Williams The Glass Menagerie
Brecht The Caucasian Chalk Circle

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Week1

Introduction

Expectations

Theatricality

Week 2

Character & Environment

Defining Given Circumstances

Delineating Character

The Character Arc

Linguistic Devices

Exposition

Dialogue

Text And Subtext

Anti-Text

The Ellipse

Symbolic Language & Symbolic Action

The Three Unities

Time

Place

Action

READING ASSIGNMENT:A Doll’s House & Three Sisters

Week 3

Conflict

Contrasting Objectives

Opposing Psychology

Communication & Miscommunication

WRITING ASSIGNMENT:

a) Describe Physical Environment of a room (one paragraph maximum)

B) Describe Two Contrasting Characters (one paragraph maximum per)

C) Dramatic Scenario: One character has an object that the other character wants. The character who wants the object is not allowed to say that they want it; their action in the scene is to get the object. (maximum 4 pages)
 

Week 4

Building A Frame

The Dream Play & Expressionism

The Flashback

The Flash-forward

The Fantastic

READING ASSIGNMENT: The Glass Menagerie & Death of a Salesman

WRITING ASSIGNMENT:

A) Describe physical environment & 2 contrasting characters (2 para. max)

B) Similar (not same) dramatic scenario as last exercise. This time, each character is allowed to express inner thoughts to audience-- by whatever "theatrical" device you wish (One character freezes, one character crosses downstage // one character continues quietly--unaware the other is breaking frame, etc. -- be imaginative!!!).
 

Week 5

Building A Frame II

The Epic Structure

Alienation Devices

Political Agendas

READING ASSIGNMENT: The Caucasian Chalk Circle

WRITING ASSIGNMENT:

A) Describe 2 contrasting characters

B) Describe 3 radically different environments

C) Write 3 short scenes: Between the first & third scenes, the characters must trade objectives-- so that what the one character wanted in the beginning, the second character wants in the end.

Week 6

Dramatic Scenarios I

Rituals

WRITING ASSIGNMENT:

A) Research a ritual-- a wedding, funeral, wake, church service, etc.

B) Describe the environment

C) Describe your 2 characters

D) Create a conflict within the context of the ritual. Consider violating the norms of the ritual as a source of tension. (Daughter wants to write her own vows; son refuses to be a pall bearer; someone refuses to take communion--mother is embarrassed, etc., etc.) Hunt for comedy and pathos.

Week 7

Dramatic Scenarios II

The Newspaper

WRITING ASSIGNMENT:

A) Use either a photograph or a story from the newspaper as the basis for for your dramatic scenario.

B) Describe Environment & Characters

C) Choose whatever frame you wish-- conventional, expressionistic or epic to develop and communicate the essence of the story or image.

Week 8

Monologue vs. Dialogue

WRITING ASSIGNMENT:

A) revisit one of your earlier assignments--using the exact same scenario; get rid of all dialogue--now each character has one set speech to describe the event from his or her perspective (looking back upon it as it happened in the past).

Week 9

YOUR One-Act Play

WRITING ASSIGNMENT:

A) One-page description of environment

B) One page description of Characters

C) One-page description of dramatic scenario/conflict

D) One-page description of your frame

E) First 5 pages of script due

Week 10

Workshop:

First 10 pages due

Week 11

Workshop:

First Draft due

Week 12

Workshop:

Second Draft Due

To Be Read By Actors

Week 13

Workshop

Third Draft Due

To Be Read By Actors
 

PUBLIC READING OF ONE-ACT PLAY: TO BE DETERMINED

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