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ENG 131, CREATIVE WRITING
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DIALOG/SCRIPT PROJECT To do a Dialog project you must develop a full one-act play. Presumably you will use the five minutes you already wrote. This can be expanded into one of the three scenes that will be the beginning, middle and end scenes of your play. One act plays are at least twenty minutes, and as often fully thirty minutes long so your own play, when typed, would be at least twenty to thirty pages. You should read your play script aloud and time it to be sure it works out to a sufficient length. To write a play, for starters, ask yourself what you would enjoy sitting to
watch. After all, live theatre requires that you get up, go out, spend money for
gas, tickets (refreshments...yum?). If you, yourself, would be bored or unhappy,
having made all that effort only to be presented with little excitement or
interest, then you have just critiqued what is required for a good play! 1. Spectacle: skits, comedy, fantasy, more circus than drama. 2. Realism: a believable story we can identify with; not life but life-like. 3. Naturalism: a copy or slice of life, as often not very dramatic. I will assume you are writing "realism" unless you tell me otherwise. Hence, you should think of a situation which presents a problem your characters must resolve. The beginning establishes a setting, introduces the main characters and lets the audience know their problem. The middle shows how the characters attempt to solve the problem. The ending allows us to see the problem solved (tends to be happy ending, comedy) or perhaps we learn that the problem can't be solved (tends to be unhappy ending, tragedy). Either way, comedy or tragedy or somewhere in between, we feel the play has resolved any questions it raised by the end. We see the consequences of the actions and feel satisfied. For a link that explains dramatic action go to: http://www.writerswrite.com/screenwriting/lecture4.htm tell you about "three-act" structure which you can translate into your own three-scene requirement for your one-act play. The principles are the same. http://www.vcu.edu/artweb/playwriting/oneactstips.html for "Tips on writing One-Acts" http://www.lunchboxtheatre.com/oneact/rising/whatis.htm for reinforcement of the idea that a play creates dramatic tension or a "rising action." and finally, here's one that may help you write either a play or a prose-fiction story: http://jameshudnall.com/write7.htm As you have chosen to write a play, you should now: 1. Introduce more than two characters (but don't go crazy) if they are needed. A good play, however, should have one strong main character (protagonist) and as often one strong "opposing" character (antagonist). 2. Allow for changes of scene (again, consider practical considerations of presenting a stage play). Allow for changes of "time" as for example, "an hour later," or "next day." Allow the entrance or exit of different characters. All three of these usually constitute a change of "scene." 3. Add stage directions, stagecraft, props, etc. to your play script. In fact, you should now write as if you were telling a director and actors exactly how you picture your play. As a final requirement of your play project, please write a paragraph description of each of the major characters which would guide an actor or actress who will play the part, not to mention a director who has to select someone who "looks" the part. You can give information outside of the actual play, such as age, physical build, mannerisms, quirks, emotional composure (or lack thereof). In addition you may wish to add some guidance regarding sets, costumes, etc. TYPE EVERYTHING UP USING PROPER PLAY FORMAT. PUT A TITLE PAGE ON YOUR WORK. MAKE THE FINISHED PROJECT LOOK PROFESSIONAL!
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Copyright (c) 2003-2008 Dr. David B. Axelrod
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