Playwriting I

Calendar

WeEK #	TOPICS	IN CLASS EXERCISES
1	Playwrights are Storytellers	Discussion: What is a Play? Conflict/No Conflict Improvisation Introduction to Source Work/Research/Creating the World of your Play Warm Up: Writing Lists What are the Stories you Want to Tell? Creating Character: In Class Writing Exercise
2	The Power of the Unspoken Word	The Unspoken Word: What is left out? What is inferred? Why is this powerful? What role does this give the audience? Creating Story/Creating Events Define and Discuss What an Event is Review Conflict Introduce Obstacles and Urgency Read and Workshop Assignments
3	Actions Speak Louder than Words	Review: Action, Events, Conflict, Behavior, Urgency, Obstacles. Discuss Jose Rivera’s “The Winged Man” in terms of actions, events, conflicts, behavior, urgency, obstacles, tone/shift in tone, and the theatrical device of the blackout/voice over. In class writing: “The Car Play.”
4	The Challenge of Exposition and How to Create High- and Low-Context Dialogue	Read and workshop assignments. Discuss Act 1 of Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” in terms of high-context/low-context dialogue.
5	Disrupted Ritual	Review: Action, Events, Conflict, Behavior, Urgency, Obstacles. Read and workshop assignments. Discuss Donald Margulies’ play “Last Tuesday” in terms of the power of disrupted ritual. Introduce keeping a sound journal.
6	Thinking about Plot	Review: Behavior and what motivates it. Read and workshop assignments. Demonstrate brainstorming a plot. Discuss David Ives’ “Words, Words, Words” in terms of plot.
7	Thinking about Sound	Play Jenga. Discuss the game in terms of structure, tension, organization, participation, and climax. Read and workshop assignments. Introduce radio plays.
8	Dialogue is Action	Discuss David Mamet’s “Glengarry Glen Ross” in terms of what we learn about the characters and the world they live and work in through suggestion or by what is inferred. (This is a variation on the Power of the Unspoken Word.) Note the use of “insider language.” Follow the power dynamics and their shift from character to character. Who do you root for? Who do you sympathize with? Why? Who is desperate? Why? And how do you know? What are the clues? Read and workshop assignments.
9	Composition: Adding Elements	In Class Composition Exercise, based on Anne Bogart’s Work. Discuss the Use of Multiple Elements/Multiple Layers in Playwriting. Read and Workshop Assignments.
10	Obstacle + Action = Great Theater	Read and workshop assignments. Analyze one student’s play in terms of wants, obstacles and actions. Who wants what, what are the obstacles, and what actions are taken to overcome the obstacles.
11-12	Reading and Workshopping Final Projects