Historical Play Project: Due!; Hamilton Conclusion; The Lion in Winter/Agamemnon

Lab: (period 1)

Please turn in your Antigone quizzes!

This morning please complete your historical play projects. These are due by the end of period one!

• Make sure your script format is correct!
• Include a title page & a character/setting page!
• Proofread!
• Punctuate interjections, adverbial clauses, and filler words correctly!
• End your sentences with punctuation marks!
• Be true to your premise! Make sure you're making a point or develop a theme!
• Develop your characters and story with monologues!
• Use imagery! (Look over your diction and make sure it's specific and expressive!)
• Make sure your scene(s) are developed! 
• Cut unnecessary scenes, beats, or characters!
• Consider your production limitations!
• Make sure your work is thoughtful, honest, and entertaining!

Period 2:

We'll conclude our examination/reading/listening to Hamilton: Act 2. Answer the notes concerning Greek tragedy and Hamilton: the Musical and turn in today when we complete the play.

We will then get you started on The Lion in Winter. See homework!

HOMEWORK: As much as I hate to do this, there's some reading to be done over break. If you are focused, you can complete the work before you go on break (work on completing the plays today and tomorrow...!) Otherwise, the test assignments are due when we return from break (Jan. 2).

Please complete The Lion in Winter and answer the 10 questions as a test grade. Do the same with Agamemnon. Both plays are due by Jan. 2 when we return from Winter Break.

• Help from Shmoop
• Help with Lion in Winter

In any case, have a happy holiday. Rest, recuperate, read--and above all relax and have fun with your families. 

Historical Play Project: Day 7; Hamilton, Act 2

Lab: (period 1)

This morning please work on your historical play projects. These are due next class!

Some more advice (artistic director's advice from the playwrights' toolkit--see link to the right):

• Keep production limitations in mind. Sometimes certain companies can’t produce a play due to production or casting aspects. As an artist, think about what makes a play producible. Do I need this fifth character? Is the role important and distinct enough to tell the story? Do I need eight scene changes in this one-act?
• The writer is like the driver of the car—he may know where he’s going, but the passengers (audience) like to have the headlights on and have an idea of where the driver is taking them. We all need to be cognizant of that when we write. Is there story progression? Will the audience understand the point of the play? Do YOU understand the point of the play? HINT: write to entertain and share your voice with the world--don't write because it's just for a grade. At the end of this course, you should have learned how to write an effective story in play/script format. It's not the grade; it's the skill and story that you should worry about.
• Plays are a communicative art, so we need to be good communicators. We should be able to tell an audience what the play means and what we want them to think about. If you as a playwright can’t do that, your play probably lacks structure. Always start with a premise and work your way through the storyline with that. Use the variety of exercises/advice we've gathered in this course to help you with this important aspect of your play script.
• Above all, you should never sit down with the goal to write something “profound.” Just write something thoughtful, honest, and entertaining.

If you need to (or have time) please continue to read Antigone and answer the questions on the take-home quiz for the play. Tests are also due next class.

Period 2:

We'll continue examining/reading/listening to Hamilton: Act 2. Answer the notes concerning Greek tragedy and Hamilton: the Musical and turn in when we complete the play.

HOMEWORK: Read Antigone & answer the questions (pages 337-387) for Thursday, Dec. 21. Historical play project drafts are due Thursday, Dec. 21st as well.

Greek Theater; Historical Play Project: Day 6; Hamilton: Act 2

Lab: (period 1--until 8:05)

This morning please watch the following video and take notes on the graphic organizer about Greek Theater. Turn in your graphic organizer after reading Antigone (Thursday, Dec. 21). This counts as a test score.

WATCH/TAKE NOTES: An introduction to Greek Theater.

The structure of a Greek play was typically:

• a prologue leading to a parados (or parode)--this is like the teaser or cold open of a tv show
• several episodes (typically 3-5), each followed by a choral ode
• choral odes were typically made up of stasimons, strophes, and antistrophes. (Turn and counterturn toward or away from the altar--stylistically the chorus arguing on a specific point or detail. In practice it helps develop the "chorus" as they consider both sides of an issue)
• an ending or leaving of the chorus (exode) to signal the end of the play (the chorus exits, signaling the end of the play--today we just lower the lights or close the curtain)

As you read Antigone by Sophocles, pay close attention to the use of:

• Hamartia (fatal or tragic flaw)
• Catharsis (emotional purging when watching a play--crying/laughing, etc. of audience)
• Peripety or peripeteia (turning point)
• Anagnorisis (a moment of understanding; enlightenment)
• Deus Ex Machina (a contrived ending)
• Tragedy (and comedy)
• Dithyramb (choral song)
• skene (scenery or set)
• Choragos or choragus (leader of the chorus)
• parados/exodus (entrance/exit of chorus)

How do these terms/ideas work together to make an effective play-going experience? As you read Antigone, what themes/issues or ideas are presented to us? Why might these ideas be helpful or useful to us at this point in our history?

After viewing the video and taking notes on the material above, continue writing your draft of your historical play project. This is due next week.

Period 2:

We'll continue examining/reading/listening to Hamilton: Act 2. Answer the notes concerning Greek tragedy and Hamilton: the Musical.

HOMEWORK: Read Antigone & answer the questions (pages 337-387) for Thursday, Dec. 21. Historical play project drafts are due Thursday, Dec. 21st as well.

Historical Play Project: Day 5; Hamilton Act 1 & beginning of 2

Lab:

Use your time in the lab to work on your historical play script projects.

Feel free to view the following clips from the show--note the staging (and how it's pretty much just a bare stage--which means we learn where we are (setting) by the dialogue...):

• Hamilton at the Public Theater
• Off-Broadway "Hamilton" NBC News Spot (with interview)
• Meet the Actors
• The Schuyler Sisters clip
• Hamilton Stars Give Pence a Message 
• Hamiltrump (parody)

Take a look at the article on "voice of the setting"--read it, use it.

2nd Period: Hamilton, an American Musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda

Let's continue to read/listen to Hamilton, look for Greek Tragedy elements in the libretto. You will turn in your notes at the end of the reading.

HOMEWORK: None. Bring your scripts back with you to our next class.

Historical Play Project, Day 4; Hamilton, Day 2

1st Period Lab:

Use your time in the lab to work on your historical play script projects. Before the end of period 1, please read the following reviews for Hamilton: The Musical.

Review: All About the Hamiltons (New Yorker)
Review: "Why the show isn't as revolutionary as it seems"

2nd Period: Hamilton, an American Musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda

As we read/listen to Hamilton, look for some of these Greek Tragedy elements in the libretto:

• A story based on history or historical legends
• Hubris (a tragic flaw or Hamartia of a character who feels he/she is too great, powerful, or perfect to make a mistake...this is usually taking the gods or fate for granted, or ignoring the natural reality of life, etc.)
• A good (or powerful) character comes to a bad end (usually as a result of the character's hubris or hamartia)
• A peripety (turning point or change of fortune)
• An anagnorisis (a discovery) (enlightenment)
• A chorus representing the populus (the people)
• Aristotle's 6 elements of a play: Character, Plot, Idea, Language, Music, Spectacle
• Stasimon (choral singing together)
• Stichomythia (alternating short lines of dialogue between 2 or more characters)
• Parados/exodus (the entrance of the chorus (parados) and the exit of the chorus (exodus))
• Deus Ex Machina (a contrived ending)

Find at least 1 example of each of the Greek Tragedy elements as we read/listen to Acts 1 & 2 of the play. You will turn in your notes at the end of the reading.

HOMEWORK: None. Bring your scripts back with you to our next class.

Historical Play Project: Day 3; Hamilton: Act 1

1st Period Lab:

Video Advice:

• Jake Jeppson's Advice for Playwrights (how to get started!)
• What actors want: Actors Imagine their Dream Roles (then ask your drama friends what kinds of roles they would love to play on stage...)
• Time Management for Playwrights by Martin Zimmerman

Use your time in the lab to work on your historical play script projects. Before the end of period 1, please read the following reviews for Hamilton: The Musical.

Review: All About the Hamiltons (New Yorker)
Review: "Why the show isn't as revolutionary as it seems"

2nd Period: Hamilton, an American Musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda


As we read/listen to Hamilton, look for some of these Greek Tragedy elements in the libretto:

• A story based on history or historical legends
• Hubris (a tragic flaw or Hamartia of a character who feels he/she is too great, powerful, or perfect to make a mistake...this is usually taking the gods or fate for granted, or ignoring the natural reality of life, etc.)
• A good (or powerful) character comes to a bad end (usually as a result of the character's hubris or hamartia)
• A peripety (turning point or change of fortune)
• An anagnorisis (a discovery) (enlightenment)
• A chorus representing the populus (the people)
• Aristotle's 6 elements of a play: Character, Plot, Idea, Language, Music, Spectacle
• Stasimon (choral singing together)
• Stichomythia (alternating short lines of dialogue between 2 or more characters)
• Parados/exodus (the entrance of the chorus (parados) and the exit of the chorus (exodus))
• Deus Ex Machina (a contrived ending)

Find at least 1 example of each of the Greek Tragedy elements as we read/listen to Acts 1 & 2 of the play. You will turn in your notes at the end of the reading.

HOMEWORK: None. Bring your scripts back with you to our next class.

Dialogue Tips; Interjections & filler words; Historical Play Project: Day 2; Picasso, day 3

Lab: (1st Period) Please watch and take notes on key ideas from the following writing advice about dialogue and removing the overuse of filler words--or punctuating interjections correctly.

The Art & Craft of Dialogue Writing (short video)
How to NOT write Bad dialogue (short video)
How Character and Story Are Hidden in Dialogue (short video)

Help With Interjection Punctuation
How to eliminate filler words

In the COMMENT section below, write 5 lines of dialogue starting each line with a filler word or interjection. The dialogue should concern the advice you learned from dialogue writing and the videos above. But punctuate each line correctly. This will count as a pop quiz today.

Then continue to write your historical play draft. Use the time in the lab today to add to your play. See previous posts for further details.

This assignment is not due yet.

2nd Period: We will continue our reading of Picasso at the Lapin Agile.

HOMEWORK: Work on your play scripts. Those of you going on our field trip today, please make sure you have a notebook and writing utensil. Meet us in the commons at 9:00. 

Historical Play Project: Day1; Picasso at the Lapin Agile: Day 2

Lab: (1st Period)

Writing a historical play:
5 Lessons Learnt In Writing a Historical Play (video)

Research your topic by choosing one of these areas and learning about it. Take notes of things, people, or places from that time period that you find interesting.

• Elizabethan Period
• Elizabethan Period & Historical Figures & Events
• American Colonialism
• Famous African Americans
• British/English Historical Figures
• Ancient Greek Figures
• Historical Asian Figures
• Famous Egyptians
• Famous Hispanic Leaders/Events
• Famous Female Leaders
• Famous historical leaders
• Chinese Dynasties
• Roman Historical Figures
• Historical Periods & Important Events
• Lesser Known American History
• Famous Inventors
• Famous Artists

Once you have chosen a time period for your setting, consider HOW you will plot your story. How many scenes will you write? How may you combine time and scenes to tell your story? Consider:

Plot: (what happens on stage) off stage is part of the story, not part of the plot

a.     Pick a historical person, or set your play in a historical time period. Your play may deal with a fictional protagonist(s) in an otherwise historical setting. 

b.     Ask: Where would you start a play? Each writer will start a plot somewhere different. Write a short play with that plot in mind. Example:

Four ways of writing plot (choose one or two):

1. Linear (syllogistic): events happen in chronological order 
2. Circular: events start at a point in time then flashback and come back to the present by the end of the play.
3. Pattern plot: event, event, event, then repeat 1st event, 2nd event, 3rd event, etc. Your plot should form a specific pattern.
4. Genre/archetype: impose one genre or form on another. Combine mystery, romance, western, musical, realist, etc. Include a wedding, funeral, or graduation. Alternate celebrations with tragedy and vice versa. If we look at Henry V as an example, the play ends with a wedding after a terrible battle. Take the same plot, but include elements of the generic genre or archetype.

Choose a plot from George Polti and write a PREMISE for your play. Keep your PREMISE at the top  of your play as you begin to write. Remember what your story is supposed to be about. Have characters add detail and characterization through dialogue and monologues.

Today in the lab, create a working title, a cast list, and premise. If you can, get a setting, decide on your structure (how long will the play be? 1 scene, 2 scenes, 2 acts?) and once you have an inciting incident, begin writing.

This assignment is not due yet.

2nd Period: We will continue our reading of Picasso at the Lapin Agile.

HOMEWORK: Work on your play scripts.

Revisions Due! Brainstorming the Historical Play; Picasso at the Lapin Agile: Day 1

Lab: (1st Period)

2nd drafts (or 3rd drafts) are due today, Nov. 27 after lab (by 2nd period). Please proofread, prepare, print, and turn in your drafts.

If you complete your rewrite & revision, please take a look at the following information this morning:

Writing a historical play:
5 Lessons Learnt In Writing a Historical Play (video)
Try your own beginning research by choosing one of these areas and learning about it. Take notes of things, people, or places from that time period that you find interesting.

• Elizabethan Period
• Elizabethan Period & Historical Figures & Events
• American Colonialism
• Famous African Americans
• British/English Historical Figures
• Ancient Greek Figures
• Historical Asian Figures
• Famous Egyptians
• Famous Hispanic Leaders/Events
• Famous Female Leaders
• Famous historical leaders
• Chinese Dynasties
• Roman Historical Figures
• Historical Periods & Important Events
• Lesser Known American History
• Famous Inventors
• Famous Artists

Advice from Paula Vogel (and Mr. Craddock):

Once you have chosen a time period for your setting, consider HOW you will plot your story. How many scenes will you write? How may you combine time and scenes to tell your story? Consider:

Plot: (what happens on stage) off stage is part of the story, not part of the plot

a.     Pick a historical person, or set your play in a historical time period. Your play may deal with a fictional protagonist(s) in an otherwise historical setting. 

b.     Ask: Where would you start a play? Each writer will start a plot somewhere different. Write a short play with that plot in mind. Example:

1. Hamlet can be told from a variety of plots. Where we start Hamlet suggests a different story as varied as the writer writing the play.
2. Fortinbras, by Lee Blessing for example, starts his play at the end of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Hamlet could also be a minor character (for example in Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead)
3. 3. Desdemona by Paula Vogel tells the story of Desdemona in Othello: plot can be told from the perspective of a different character

Four ways of writing plot:

1. Linear (syllogistic): events happen in chronological order 
2. Circular: events start at a point in time then flashback and come back to the present by the end of the play.
3. Pattern plot: event, event, event, then repeat 1st event, 2nd event, 3rd event, etc. Your plot should form a specific pattern.
4. Genre/archetype: impose one genre or form on another. Combine mystery, romance, western, musical, realist, etc. Include a wedding, funeral, or graduation. Alternate celebrations with tragedy and vice versa. If we look at Henry V as an example, the play ends with a wedding after a terrible battle. Take the same plot, but include elements of the generic genre or archetype.

As for plotting plays and stories: George Polti has determined that there are only 36 different plots in literature. We can use these plots in a variety of different ways to create thousands of unique and interesting plot. Take a look here. (It's also on the sidebar to your right to link to!)

Period 2: (Classroom)

Steve Martin: Picasso At the Lapin Agile

Les Demoiselles d'Avignon by Pablo Picasso

Today, before 2nd period, please read a little about our next author/playwright.

Steve Martin

The contemporary writer, actor, producer, performer, comedian Steve Martin wrote the play Picasso At the Lapin Agile in 1993. His plays The Zig Zag Woman, Patter for the Floating Lady, Wasp were to follow. His musical Bright Star opened in San Diego. He co-wrote and wrote many of his comic films, has collections of short fiction, novels, wrote his own stand-up comedy routine, and is a regular contributor to The New Yorker magazine.  Check here for an interview with Steve Martin.

Picasso At the Lapin Agile takes two very well known modernists (the scientist/genius Einstein and the artist famous for creating cubism, Pablo Picasso) and drops them in a Parisian bar in Montmartre, the Bohemian-artsy-avant-garde neighborhood of Paris. His historical play reminds us that writing history can be playful, fun, and, to a large extent, completely made-up.

Charleston Stage Advertisement (Picasso At the Lapin Agile sample production)

Some of Steve Martin's films:

The Jerk

The Man With Two Brains

Top 10 Steve Martin performances

You should be familiar with two historical figures used in the play:

Picasso & Einstein (click on their links for info)

READING: As we read the play, notice how the author introduces characters, situations, complications, and how he handles dramatic and comedic situations while presenting a theme and a reason for people to pay to see a play. His use of dialogue is snappy and effective and we can learn a lot about contemporary playwriting by reading this play.

Let's also look for some of Polti's plot lines (see handout) to see if we can identify any. Okay? So let's go to it!

HOMEWORK: None. Bring your scripts to next class.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Conclusion)

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf - Conclusion.

Please continue to revise your play scripts. 2nd drafts (or 3rd drafts) are due Monday, Nov. 27 after lab (2nd period).

Have a nice holiday week!

HOMEWORK: None.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf; Day 2

Lab:

By the end of our lab, you should have completed your 20 answers and the sentence about your play draft. Turn a copy of this in for participation credit.

The next step is to use these answers to craft your chosen play and revise it with these answers in mind. Remember to revise as well to develop characterization.

Revise your play draft on your own. It will be due Monday, Nov. 20. Aim to cut, revise, proofread, correct, and otherwise strengthen your first draft. Feel free to add or cut as necessary. Use your answers to the questions to focus and guide you.

If you did not complete your reading of Act 1 of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, please do so during the lab if you are done with your 20 answers. 

By the way, the reference to Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf is an academic joke. Read about Virginia Woolf here. Then watch the short Disney film: The Three Little Pigs (1933)

CLASSROOM: Please continue watching the film Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. We may move a little into Act II in the film. We'll finish the film on Monday.

HOMEWORK: Read Acts II & III -- notice how Albee uses monologues, conflict, objectives, and really fine dialogue writing to make this a great & memorable play that actors and audiences can sink their teeth into. 

Marking Period 2; Revision Exercise; Tips on Time Management; Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf

Had trouble this marking period keeping up with the work? Read the article advice about time management for playwrights.

This morning, feel free to view the scenes from The Baltimore Waltz. How might the performance be different from your imagination?

Next, bring your attention to the revision exercise. Choose one of your plays from MP1 (the monologue play, the 2 person play, or the 3 person play) and revise the draft by answering the questions on the handout. Turn in your analysis of your chosen play script by Thursday, Nov. 16 at 8:00 (our lab will be shortened that day).

Classroom: At 8:00, pick up Edward Albee's play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf from the library today and let's get started reading it.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, we will begin reading and screening the film (1966) starring Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Sandy Dennis, and George Segal, during the next few classes. All four actors received Academy Award Nominations for their excellent acting. Both Taylor and Dennis actually won them.

The film director Mike Nichols is one of the American New Wave directors. Haskel Wexler was the cinematographer.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966) was one of the films that challenged the restricted film code by the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America). Originally, no one under 18 could legally buy a ticket to see the film unless they were accompanied by an adult. The film was also banned and shocked audiences with its content and lewd language. Tame perhaps by today's standards, the film is one of the reasons why films today can be edgy. It was shot entirely in black & white--one of the most expensive black and white films to be made at the time.

Film is not stage. As you read the play and watch the film, notice subtle differences between the play and movie.

HOMEWORK: Read the rest of Act 1 for Thursday. Complete the revision questions for your chosen play script (due Thursday at 8:00). The Coffeehouse for Nov. is Wednesday, Nov. 15 at 7:00 in the Ensemble Theater. Feel free to join us!

End of Marking Period; 3-Person Play Draft Due; Baltimore Waltz

Please complete your 3-person scene drafts today in the lab. All missing work or revisions are also due today.

Return any scripts or packets of plays to me.

Period 2: We will examine the sources for The Baltimore Waltz, then begin reading the script.

HOMEWORK: Please complete the play The Baltimore Waltz wherever we end our class reading. The Coffeehouse for Nov. is next week, Nov. 15 at 7:00 in the Ensemble Theater. Feel free to join us!

Had trouble this marking period keeping up with the work? Read the article advice about time management for playwrights.

Playwriting MP1 Test; 3-Person Play Draft; The Baltimore Waltz

Lab:

After completing the MP test, please continue working on your 3-person play drafts. These drafts (and all missing work or revisions) must be completed by Thursday, Nov. 9.

Start moving toward an ending moment/scene for your play draft. Consider some of the following tips:

• Make the obstacles tougher and tougher. Be sure the setbacks your protagonist has to deal with are not easy and that they get tougher as the story progresses.
• Create a cause and effect structure. Each moment and scene should lead to the next. (Although they happen in life, random events and particularly convenient coincidences aren’t dramatically satisfying in plays.)
• Create a climactic moment that brings together your protagonist and antagonist in one final showdown. The entire play builds toward this moment when the protagonist meets his fate and the story line, if not the play, is concluded.
• Come to the earned conclusion. The conclusion should be justified by the events that came before. An earned conclusion is a relevant and plausible ending that’s appropriate to the story you’re telling.
• Avoid cheat endings. The deus ex machina ending involves a person or thing that appears suddenly and out of nowhere to provide a contrived and convenient solution to the problem of the play. Audiences don’t like this “cheat.” They expect the protagonist to find (or not find) her own way out of the situation.
• Tie up loose ends in the resolution. The resolution, which comes just before the curtain falls, provides the opportunity for the audience to see the landscape in the world of the play after the climactic storm, big or small. This is where you should tie up any unresolved strands of the story.
• Leave your audience with an interesting stage picture. The last image of the play should be interesting or startling, burning its memory into the mind of the audience.

Classroom, Period 2:

Paula Vogel on The Baltimore Waltz. For a full master class discussion on playwriting by Paula Vogel, check out the Dramatist Guild's video. (120 minutes...)

Plot forms:

• Linear: plot is told from a beginning point to an ending point. The most common type of narrative.
• Shakespearean/Epic form: episodic scenes that culminate in the traditional plot structure...
• Circle: beginnings become endings, that become beginnings that are endings...
• Pattern: a repeating pattern is formed to frame the narrative...
• Generic synthetic form: text is comprised of a variety of hypotexts (texts that come before) that function as models or a structure for the new text...(so Star Wars was a hypotext for Family Guy's Blue Harvest, for example; The Odyssey was a hypotext for James Joyce's Ulysses, etc.) 

Paula's advice: Steal. Pay homage. Read as much as you can. Write away from the subject you most want to write about but can't.

Scenes from the play: The Baltimore Waltz
The film noir film: The Third Man (1960), The Ferris Wheel Scene from The Third Man (1960)

HOMEWORK: None. Please prepare and turn in any missing work or revisions Thursday. Your 3-person play scripts will be due Thursday as well. Please bring back your Baltimore Waltz scripts.

Playwriting Tips from Directors; Vampire Lesbians (conclusion); Baltimore Waltz (intro)

LAB: (period 1)

It's important for writers to remember that plays are written for the theater. Your story will be told not only by your words but by the actors that portray your characters and by a director that will shape and guide the other participants to create a unique live experience for a paying audience. Toward this end, this morning, please read the following article on Tips from Directors for Playwrights.

In the COMMENT section of this blog, please identify the most important or helpful advice for you as a writer from the article, and explain how you might improve one of your plays (any of the drafts you have already written) or improve the play you are currently writing using this advice. Try to be specific as you reference the article and your own work.

When you have completed your COMMENT, please continue writing your play script draft. This draft will be due at the end of next week.

Also, please note that there will be a quarter exam on the material we have covered this marking period next week. See below for a study guide.

Study:

• Talking With by Jane Martin
• Spic-o-Rama by John Leguizamo
• Monster by Dael Orlandersmith 
• 'Night Mother by Marsha Norman
• Oleanna by David Mamet
• The Dumbwaiter by Harold Pinter
• Topdog/Underdog by Suzanne Lori Parks
• Driving Miss Daisy by Alfred Uhry
• The Mystery of Irma Vep by Charles Ludlam
• The Baltimore Waltz by Paula Vogel
• The Vampire Lesbians of Sodom by Charles Busch
• Any one other play by Charles Busch from the collection
• Premise
• The 4 types of conflict
• Structural unity 
• monologues/soliloquies
• beats, scenes, acts
• Major dramatic question
• The inciting incident
• Major decision
• Rising action, complications, crisis/turning point
• Dark moment
• Enlightenment
• Climax
• Catharsis
• Monodramas or monologue plays
• Objectives (different types)
• Tips about writing dialogue, playwriting, writing for the stage
• Status quo & building a plot
• Themes
• Voice & factors that help define character voice
• Crossdressing, Pantomime, Commedia Dell'Arte
• Comedy characteristics
• The dramatic triangle
• 10-minute play structure

Please bring any script copies with you to next class so you can return them to me or the library. 

Period 2:

We will complete reading the play The Vampire Lesbians of Sodom today in class. Please turn in your Commedia analysis of the play by the end of class.

If we finish before the end of the period, we will move on to our next play selection: The Baltimore Waltz by Paula Vogel.

HOMEWORK: Study for your upcoming playwriting exam (see post above). Also, please complete the reading and analysis of one play you selected from the collection: The Tale of the Allergist's Wife and Other Plays by Charles Busch. Bring your books with you to next class.

Please note that all missing or late work must be turned in by Thursday of next week (the end of the marking period) for minimal credit.

3-Person Scene: Day 3; Charles Busch; Vampire Lesbians of Sodom: Day 2

Lab:

Take 10 minutes to watch the following video advice & tips about playwriting.

• Tips on Writing a Play - Susan Booth
• Playwriting Advice: James Graham
• Dan O'Brien's advice about Playwriting
• We all write bad material. Show & Tell: Cringe-Worthy Look at Teenage Notebooks (Cracked)

Please continue writing your 3-person scene drafts. See previous posts for details.

• Develop your plots
• Develop your characters
• Create and develop an idea or theme for your play (a premise...what is your play about?)
• Try to work in a dark moment and enlightenment, complications, conflict, and a climax for your play
• Continue to give objectives to your characters beat by beat

More information about Commedia dell-arte.

Classroom:

We will continue our reading and discussion of Busch's Vampire Lesbians of Sodom.

HOMEWORK: Complete one other play from the compilation. Take notes on the play's premise, MDQ, inciting incident, complications, conflicts, characters, crisis or turning point, dark moment(s), enlightenment(s), rising action, climax, resolution, etc.

3-Person Scene Exercise (day 2); Commedia Dell'arte; The Vampire Lesbians of Sodom: Day 1

Lab: Period 1

Turn in your written analysis of Driving Miss Daisy. Continue working on your play scenes that you started last class.

See post below for instructions on beats #1-5. Your last beat should include your second character complicating the situation by changing his/her objective (to hurt, to help, to persuade, or to inform...); the first character should also have an objective in the scene.

Add to your 6 beats with the following:

#7. Your two characters should introduce a third character by speaking about the third character that will be in your play. This may be different from beats #3 or #4 if you chose to discuss an off-stage character. This character should not enter yet.

#8. Have the 3rd character enter. Give your third character an immediate objective. They might want to help, hurt, persuade, or inform one or both of your characters in the scene. Give your 3rd character a reason to enter the scene at this time.

#9. Give one of your characters a monologue. Monologues may help characterize the speaking character, one of the characters on stage, or even a fourth unseen character (off-stage). Characters may also discuss an off-stage event or complication.

#10 and beyond: Continue to develop your play scene with 3 characters. Keep your story to 3 characters only. Complicate situations, add objectives and create a 10-minute play (or one-act play). When you have fully developed your scene/characters, etc. you may resolve your play. Remember to consider a theme and social or human message. Answer the audience's MDQ.

Give your play a title. Format for a stage play please. Your draft is not due today, although, if you finish it, you may print and hand it in.

If you need a break or diversion from your writing, check out Charles Busch's blog and website. (See below). Or begin reading your homework.

Period 2:

Charles Busch & The Vampire Lesbians of Sodom

Please take a look at Charles Busch's blog. He has placed a variety of play video clips here. Take a look at a few of these. His official website is located here.

A note about Commedia dell-arte.

Plots: Love triangles, money or fame plots, mistaken identity, one upmanship (control), slapstick humor and stage violence, sexual jokes and funny business, etc.

Typical Commedia Character Types:

Zanni: clowns (lower class servants, etc.)

• Brighella (Mezzetino): a selfish, opportunistic, criminal-minded, cunning clown prone to complicating the plot with schemes, insults, and breaking rules/laws.
• Burrattino: a soft-hearted, trustworthy servant
• Capitano (Captain or Scaramouche): an egotistical, megalomaniacal, coward. Can also be a villain.
• Coviello: a boastful idiot, usually a companion to Capitano.
• Harlequin: an amoral, acrobatic or physical or playful troublemaker
• Pierrot: an innocent prankster or lovable rogue
• Soubrette/Columbine: a female servant. usually in love with Harlequin.
• Zanni: an eager or overly willing servant

Vecchi: villains (the antagonists)

• Capitano: (see above)
• The Doctor: an egotistical, proud and rude doctor who is also stupid, senile, or very, very old.
• Ruffiano (Francesquina): a bawdy gossip or prostitute; often older
• Pulcinella or Punchinello: wicked ruffian, often causes pain/suffering to others based on his ignorance or selfishness
• Pantalone (Magnifico): a stingy or selfish merchant, boss, or an old lecherous man

Innamorati: the lovers (usually a pair of older, aristocratic lovers and a pair of young, innocent lovers)

For more information about character types in the Commedia, check out this website.

As we read, look for the following character types drawn from the tradition of the Commedia:

• Pantalone or Magnifico: a selfish/stingy or lecherous know-it-all or boss
• Young lovers
• A doctor who appears to be wise or intelligent, but isn't
• Columbine/Columbina/Ruffiano: a bawdy servant
• Capitano: An egotistical braggart or coward
• Harlequin/Brighella: a troublemaker (usually opposes the vecchi--makes Capitano, Pantalone, or Magnifico look like a coward or fool)
• Burrattino: a soft-hearted/trustworthy or loyal servant

In contemporary theater comedy, all types and characteristics of these character types can be combined in a variety of ways. Writers can use these comic types to their advantage when developing a scene, character, or plot for a comedy.

HOMEWORK: Please choose 1 play by Charles Busch from the collection other than Vampire Lesbians of Sodom. Read this play. As you read, examine Busch's style of comedy, his influences from pantomime and commedia dell'arte traditions, characterization through dialogue, and cross-dressing (see article/class handout for details about the pantomime, commedia, and cross-dressing traditions).

You may choose any of the following: Psycho Beach Party, The Lady in Question, Red Scare on Sunset, or the Tale of the Allergist's Wife. Please bring your play script books back with you to next class.

Beat by Beat (3 Person Scene); Driving Miss Daisy: Day 2

Lab: (until 8:00)

• Create or define 2 characters. Use short term/long term factors to define your character. 

Long-term factors that shape a character's voice:

• Ethnicity/culture
• Age
• Geography
• History
• Attitude toward life
• Education
• Occupation
• Lifestyle
• Special interests
• Beliefs (political, religious, etc.)

Short-term factors:

• Who the character is speaking to
• Current physical state
• Current emotional state
• Current mental state
• Where the character is speaking (setting, including time)

You may use characters that you have created in your notebook/journal, or based on the exercises you have already used, or create new ones.

• Write or type your 2 characters on a "character sheet" for your play. 
• Choose a place or setting for the action of your play. Describe this specific location in fewer than 5 sentences. Remember to indicate TIME, weather, and season.

Once you have your character definitions, write the following beats today in the lab:

• Beat #1: Introduce your two characters on stage by their actions. It should be clear who a character is only by their actions.
• Beat #2: Have characters discuss a topic outside of their own experiences (a social issue, religious issues, political issue, historical issue, or an event that happened off-stage, etc.)--peek at the themes link below for some ideas...
• Beat #3: A). Introduce a current problem or B). introduce your setting. or C). Discuss a third (off-stage) character.
• Beat #4: A). Introduce your setting or B). Introduce a current problem or C). Discuss a third (off-stage) character--(the opposite of your choice from #2 above.)
• Beat #5: An internal problem one character is having connected to the current problem. The second character may offer help, hurt, persuade, or inform.
• Beat #6: The second character complicates the situation by changing objective. Choose an objective for your first character.
• Write only up to beat #6. If you finish early, flesh out your scene so far, or begin your homework. See below.
• If you have an idea what the theme of your play might be, identify it by giving your play a title. Look here for ideas for themes. 

At 8:00, we will return to room 238 to continue/complete Driving Miss Daisy. Please turn in your analysis sheets when we complete the play.

If we finish before the end of the period, we will pick up The Vampire Lesbians of Sodom by Charles Busch.

HOMEWORK: Read the article on cross dressing, commedia dell'arte and the English pantomime. Annotate and take notes on key or major ideas in the article.

Voice; Driving Miss Daisy: Reading and Analysis - Day 1

Lab: Voice exercise.

The words we use (diction), the tone in which we speak, the content of our conversation, how long or short our sentences are, the vocabulary we use and the reason why we want to or must speak, who we speak to and when all color the way in which we are heard and understood.

A playwright (or writer) should be able to use these tools to create a compelling and interesting character with a distinct voice. We want to make sure our characters in a scene SOUND different from the other characters on stage.

Let's practice this in a monologue exercise.

First off, pay close attention to the following:

Long-term factors that shape a character's voice:

• Ethnicity/culture
• Age
• Geography
• History
• Attitude toward life
• Education
• Occupation
• Lifestyle
• Special interests
• Beliefs (political, religious, etc.)

Short-term factors:

• Who the character is speaking to
• Current physical state
• Current emotional state
• Current mental state
• Where the character is speaking (setting, including time)

Depending on how we answer the long and short-term factors of any given scene, our character's voice may change. Remember that during each beat of our scene we might change objective: to help, to hurt, to persuade, or to inform.

Today, in the lab, select a character from those available. Details about short/long term voice choices will be listed in the character description. You are free to add any other unstated long or short-term factors as you see fit.

Write a monologue of at least 10 sentences (but no more than 1 page) in the voice of your chosen character.

Then use the same character but change some of the short-term factors (see above) and create a second short monologue of at least 10 sentences (no more than a page in length).

When you complete this exercise, print it out and turn in your two monologues for credit.

If you have time in the lab, build a scene around your character. Add up to three other characters to your scene as might be appropriate for the situation. You may base your scene on the first or second monologue you wrote--or both.

Period 2:

 

Driving Miss Daisy by Alfred Uhry.

As we read Driving Miss Daisy, sign up for one of the 3 roles in the play. If you are not reading out loud, use the handout question sheet to be turned in when we complete the play (most likely next class).

As we read, pay close attention to the role of the dynamic triangle.

New Vocabulary:

There are two types of sets a playwright can prepare a script for:

A. a realistic set
B. a suggested set

A realistic set (like the set used in 'Night Mother) is a standard, realistic set that looks and feels like the actual setting of the play. It is more detailed and infinitely more expensive. Characters interact with props, costumes, and set pieces. It is not practical to change the setting or location in a realistic set.

A suggested set (like the set used in Driving Miss Daisy) allows actors to create the setting through actions (like pretending to drive a car--which would be impractical in a theater) or through dialogue. Setting is described, not built. We use our imagination. Ah, the power of words...

HOMEWORK: None. Please bring your play scripts back with you to our next class.

Ridiculous Play Project Draft Due; Driving Miss Daisy

LAB:

Turn in your homework. See the previous posts for details.

• Please complete and turn in a draft of your ridiculous play script by the end of the period (or day). A draft is due today.
• Check your formatting, spelling, etc. before printing and turning in.
• Take a look at Suzan-Lori Parks's interview and an excerpt from Topdog/Underdog. (Topdog diaries trailer and a trailer from the Citizen's Theater)
• Feel free to revise your 2-person monologue play scenes. Revisions are due by the end of the marking period: Nov. 7.

Pick up the play Driving Miss Daisy by Alfred Uhry from the library at the end of class today.

Period 2:

The Mystery of Irma Vep (conclusion and analysis/discussion).

3 Person Plays. Having spent time reading and working with monodramas and 2-person plays, let's complicate matters by adding a third actor.

The Dramatic Triangle

When you put 2 characters on stage, you create a relationship that shows how they fit or don't fit together. This is a pretty linear conflict. 1 character against another, for instance. Usually, both characters change in a scene or play which, in turn, changes the other character in a positive or negative way. I.E., if a character wins his/her objective, this will affect or change the other character. Usually if one character wins an objective, the other loses his/her objective.

Adding a third actor or character adds a dynamic element to a scene or play.

• The third actor/character is often directly related to at least one (or both) of the other two characters. 
• The role of the third character can change from scene to scene. It does not have to be the literal same character. 
• The third character can develop a plot, enhance characterization, or add new conflict or resolve a conflict.
• Plays that use more than two actors can complicate or develop a plot very quickly.
• Characters might serve as foils, antagonists, or protagonists at any given time in a scene or beat.

As we read Driving Miss Daisy, examine the 3rd character: in this case Boolie. What role or purpose does he serve in the play? Does he enhance the characterization of Daisy or Hoke? Does he help develop and move the plot forward? Does he add new conflict or resolve conflict between the other two characters?

HOMEWORK: Read the short 10-minute play: "The Tarantino Variation." Notice how the playwright uses the 3 characters to develop the plot, enhance characterization, add or resolve the plot. If you are a Tarantino fan, note how the playwright (like Charles Ludlum's Mystery of Irma Vep uses film and film references as a basis for its parody.)

Complete your 2-person play(s) if you didn't complete them in the lab. Turn them in late on Tuesday. If you missed Suzan-Lori Parks' interview or any video from class, catch up and watch!

Bring your Driving Miss Daisy scripts back with you to class. 

Ridiculous Play Project; Mystery of Irma Vep: Day 4; Act 2

Lab:

Continue writing your play scripts. Aim to complete your play script drafts by end of lab on Friday.

• Your scene should have 2 actors (but as many characters as you wish...).
• Your scene might be inspired by a film scene or famous, well-known or loved book, etc.
• Look at the previous writing advice about how to write scripts in the past few posts (and the exercise below). 
• This draft will be due Friday so that I know you are writing it.

Character's emotions: The father of Behaviorism, John Watson (not Sherlock's sidekick...), said that there are 3 basic feelings that we share.

Characters can often feel

• Anger: jealousy, envy, hatred, criticism, frustration, etc. 
• Fear: timidity, uncertainty, disappointment, etc.
• Love: lust, pride, infatuation, pride, etc.

We might add:

• Sadness, if that sadness or melancholy is not born out of anger at oneself (guilt or shame), fear of loss, or born of love or lack of comfort.

For each of your characters in your play, spend some time to ask: 

• What basic emotion is most prominent or powerful for that character?
• Why is the character angry?/What makes the character angry?
• Why is the character afraid?/What makes the character afraid?
• Why is the character so loving?/What does the character love?
• Why is the character sad?/What makes the character sad?

And what event in the character's past caused this emotion? Consider the character's backstory. Use this powerful emotion in a monologue or reveal the character's emotional state in the dialogue of your scene. 

Period 2: Classroom 

Act 2 of The Mystery of Irma Vep.

Acts versus scenes versus beats. 

If a beat is a short exchange of dialogue between two or more characters on a specific topic, then a scene is comprised of more than one beats--often with a definite beginning, middle, or end--but scenes, like chapters in a book, deal with what is immediate or happening "now" in the story. Past events are given as backstory in monologues or through dialogue concerning off-stage situations. Scenes involve characters entering or exiting a location at a specific time or place. 

Acts, however, are major events or sequences that usually have a significant impact on the structure of the story. I.E., they have structure beyond a single scene. Usually, in modern plays like The Mystery of Irma Vep, the act breaks at the crisis. The Major Dramatic Question remains unanswered, thus compelling a second (or sometimes third) act. 

You can think of all of these parts (beats, scenes, and acts) as having a definite beginning, middle, and end. I.E., they all have an inciting incident, rising action, crisis, (dark moment or enlightenment), climax, and resolution.

HOMEWORK: Complete Topdog/Underdog. Answer the ?'s. Prepare to complete your ridiculous scene in the lab.

Look here for information about Suzan-Lori Parks. As you read, please answer the following questions:

1. Who are the 2 characters in this play? How are they similar or different from the historical figures they are drawn from? How are they similar/different from each other? (see our writing exercise above for details....)
2. Identify the inciting incident in this play.
3. Identify the Major Dramatic Question in this play. 
4. Identify the dark moment or crisis for both Lincoln & Booth.
5. Identify the enlightenment for both Lincoln & Booth.
6. Choose one type of conflict in the play and explain how this conflict contributes or effectively adds to the plot or theme of this play.
7. Choose a beat in the play. Identify the page # and section of the beat. For this beat, identify the beat's objective for each character Booth & Lincoln.
8. Suzan-Lori Parks is an unconventional playwright. Read about her background and her author's notes. How does she use theatrical elements in a unique or effective way throughout the play? 
9. Compare Topdog/Underdog to other 2-person plays we have read ('Night Mother, Mystery of Irma Vep, The Dumb Waiter, Oleanna, "The Loveliest Afternoon of the Year", "The Red Coat", or "Slaughter in the Lake")--how does this play measure up in your opinion? What might you have learned about playwriting from reading it? Which play is strongest or best in your opinion? Why?
10. Topdog/Underdog was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for drama. Why do you think this might have been a good choice for a contemporary audience or a good example of contemporary writing? (you might examine the importance of the play's theme, or its characters, or its style, for example...)

Please read the play and answer these 10 questions by Friday, Oct. 20.