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.