Twelfth Night & Final Exam Review

Please turn in your play scripts. Those turning in your scripts this morning will get extra credit. You will have until Thursday to turn your script in on time. After that, it is a late assignment. Because our printer is out of ink, please send me an attachment (I'll print it out) at: bradley.craddock@rcsdk12.org.

Today we will conclude our reading of Twelfth Night.
End of Act V

On Thursday, we will have a final exam on material covered in this course. The following is a list of key terms and concepts we covered that you can study for our final. All items can be found in the reading or chapter handouts, the blog, and your own notes (if you took any).

The Final Exam for Playwriting may cover any or all of the following items, please review:

The plays & playwrights:

Jane Martin: Talking With
Arthur Miller: Death of a Salesman
Larry Shue: The Nerd
David & Amy Sedaris: The Book of Liz
Charles Busch: Psycho Beach Party; Vampire Lesbians of Sodom; Lady in Question; Red Scare on Sunset
Anton Chekhov: The Seagull; The Three Sisters; Uncle Vanya; The Cherry Orchard
Samuel Becket: Waiting for Godot; Happy Days; Play; Come & Go; Endgame
Henrik Ibsen: Hedda Gabler; The Master Builder; A Doll's House; Ghosts
William Shakespeare: Twelfth Night

Proper script format

Play Vocabulary:
Premise: a deeply held belief by the playwright which shapes a script.

From handout: chp. 3 'Structure: Part One, story and plot':

• Aristotle's six elements of plays: plot, character, diction (dialogue), thought (theme), spectacle, song/music
• Conflict
• Structural Unity: all parts of the plot (exposition, rising action, turning point, climax, resolution, etc.) should work and fit together.
• Inciting Incident: the point of attack, the inciting incident forces the protagonist into the action of the play's plot.
• Major Dramatic Question (MDQ): the hook that keeps an audience interested in a play; a dramatic question that a reader/viewer wants answered.
• Major decision: A decision a character makes in the plot that creates the turning point for their character.
• The three C's: Conflict, crisis, complication: obstacles characters must face for an interesting and dramatic plot.
• Rising Action
• The dark moment/crisis: the lowest moment of a character's struggle--when all the world seems lost, the fight unbeatable, the "darkest hour before dawn" -- a stunning reversal of fortune and sense of failure.
• Deus ex machina: a contrived ending. Often one in which the characters did not have a hand in solving. (It is more interesting to see a character deal with their own problems rather than an outside force solving it for them.) literally, a "god from a machine"
• Enlightenment: When the protagonist understands how to defeat the antagonist. A revelation that begins the movement toward a climax.
• Climax
• Catharsis

Ten minute play format
One act plays
Full length plays (2, 3, 4, or 5 act)
Monologues/Soliloquies
Cross-dressing and theatrical tradition (blog)
Generating ideas for plays (from handout & blog)
Absurdism (blog)
Commedia dell'Arte (blog)
Constantin Stanislavski
Moscow Art Theatre
Farce
From Handout: 'Structure, Part two: creativity, scenario, & writing'

• The Event: a uniquely significant moment in the character's lives
• Time lock: setting up a time limit or specific deadline characters have to meet in order to spur them into action (for example having a script project due...)
• French scenes
• Place & setting
• Theme
• Scenario: an outline for a writer to identify major/minor characters, plot, and setting used BEFORE writing a script
• Catalyst: the event in the play that causes a character to take action
• Positive Motivation
• Character flaw
• need vs. desire
• Creating credible characters
• Protagonist
• Antagonist
• Subtext: what is not said in a character's line. The subtext are the subtle details or clues used by the actor to develop their character.
• Beat: a short exchange of dialogue
• Backstory
• A Confidant: a character the protagonist or antagonist can talk with to reveal necessary backstory
• Verisimilitude: the semblance of truth in characters and setting. "a king should act like a king, not a foul-mouthed beggar."

The Building Blocks of Dialogue
Dialogue (tips and advice)
Theatrical genres: realism, absurdism, symbolism, sentimental comedy, naturalism, romanticism, expressionism, tragedy, comedy, etc.
Working with actors
Play development & workshopping a play
Writing and rewriting a script (advice)

HOMEWORK: Study for your final exam. Your realist play scripts are due next class, if you did not turn them in today.

Twelfth Night: Part 3

We start 12th Night with an EVENT. As you remember, an event is a uniquely significant moment in a character's life. Viola has been shipwrecked in a strange, new land. Orsino, who loves Olivia, is turned away from her house and so he is obsessed with her. Olivia is in mourning and will not accept Orsino's attempts to woo her. The overly proud Malvolio is so disliked by his fellow servants that they decide to play a trick on him to bring him down a peg or two. These events are what drive the plot of the play. EVENTS, then, are essential to a play. The longer the play, the more events needed. The shorter the play, the fewer needed.

You will also note that Shakespeare attempts to follow the typical advice from Aristotle. All plays need interesting characters. There are many of these in this play. Each major character has an importance to the plot. They are involved in the action. They have desires and wants and needs that they attempt to achieve. Along with plot (with its episodic nature: each scene advances or complicates the plot), Shakespeare includes spectacle and music to his play. The songs enhance the audience's enjoyment. This play centers around a celebration (12th Night) and, as such, the characters enjoy the very real and human aspects of celebration: drink, dance, song. As for language, Shakespeare excels at his poetic turns of phrase. Some of the language is absolutely beautiful and poetic. Some of the language is silly banter or witty repartee. Finally, there is plot. As we read and watch today, consider what Shakespeare is attempting to say about the basic themes of love and life.

Act II, Scene III
Act II, Scene IV 
Act II, Scene V
Act III, Scene I

HOMEWORK: Please continue to write your realistic play scripts. This writing project is due Tuesday, Jan. 15. Please make sure you have the script draft completed to turn in Tuesday, as we will be finishing Twelfth Night in class. No lab time will be given for the writing of your play, so please complete this on your own time at home.

Shakespeare & Twelfth Night

Likely the most influential writer in all of English literature and certainly the most important playwright of the English Renaissance, William Shakespeare was born in 1564 in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, England.

Around 1590 he left his family behind and traveled to London to work as an actor and playwright. Public and critical success quickly followed, and Shakespeare eventually became the most popular playwright in England and part owner of the Globe Theater.

His career bridged the reigns of Elizabeth I (ruled 1558-1603) and James I (ruled 1603-1625). Wealthy and renowned, Shakespeare retired to Stratford, and died in 1616 at the age of fifty-two.

Shakespeare's works were collected and printed in various editions in the century following his death, and by the early eighteenth century his reputation as the greatest poet ever to write in English was well established.

Twelfth Night, Animated, Act I, part one
Twelfth Night, Act I, Scene 5
Act II, Scene IV 

Twelfth Night

Written around 1601, Twelfth Night is based on the short story "Of Apolonius and Silla", which in turn was based on another story. It is named after the Twelfth Night holiday of the Christmas season.

Twelfth Night marks the end of a winter festival. The Lord of Misrule (sort of the mascot for this holiday...like the Easter Bunny or Santa) symbolizes the world turning upside down. On this day the King and all those who were of high stature would become the peasants and vice versa. At the beginning of the twelfth night festival a cake containing a bean was eaten. The person who found the bean would run the feast--be "king for a day." Midnight signaled the end of his rule and the world would return to normal. The common theme was that the normal order of things was reversed. This Lord of Misrule tradition can be traced back to pagan festivals, such as the Celtic festival of Samhain and the Ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia.

The Winter Solstice (December 21st) historically marked the first day of many winter festivals. The 12 nights following and including the solstice represent the 12 zodiac signs of the year - and the 12th Night (New Years Day) is a culmination and celebration of the winter festivals. Thus, Shakespeare's title refers to New Years Day.

Food and drink are the center of this celebration. A special alcoholic punch called wassail is consumed especially on Twelfth Night, but throughout Christmas time, especially in the UK. Around the world, special pastries, such as the tortell and king cake are baked on Twelfth Night, and eaten the following day for the Feast of the Epiphany celebrations.

What's the connection? Look for reversals (of fortune, as well as gender), drunken revelry (particularly Sir Toby Belch and Sir Andrew Aguecheek), and a general misrule or mayhem that occurs.

Shakespeare's Twelfth Night is one of his most loved comedies. Many of his comedies rely on the mistaken identity shtick, as well as the cross-dressing shtick. These theatrical conventions are taken from the Roman comedies and commedia traditions (remember commedia dell'arte?) Other shtick's or stereotypical characters include the pining lover, the wise fool, and the foolish master. In any case, there's mishaps, misrule, and bawdy drunkenness in this playful play. Enjoy!

Black History Poetry/Performance

The Creative Writing department has been commissioned to participate in the SOTA Black History month performance on Feb. 5. The music department (Mr. Gabriel) is looking for an UPLIFTING, POSITIVE, and G-Rated original poem celebrating Black History. You might write about an important historical character/person, or overcoming obstacles successfully in a difficult world, or about the importance of hope and freedom and achieving your dreams.

Here are a few examples:

Homage to My Hips
I am a Cowboy in the Boat of Ra
Still I Rise

HOMEWORK: Extra Credit: write an inspiring poem for Black History. Use the samples as guidelines. NOTE: While you are welcome to read and perform your own poem, you do not have to to participate. You also do not need to be African American. You can celebrate the success of any culture! Anyone who submits (whether or not your poem is selected) will gain extra participation credit this marking period. Poems need to be collected by 1/18/13.

Realistic 10-Minute Play Project

Today, during period 1, please brainstorm and begin an idea for a realistic short 10-minute script. Your cast of characters should be small (2-5) and the play should be about some realistic social ISSUE. For a few suggestions, please check here. Before you leave today, you should have an idea for a short, realistic style play script. You may use your time in the lab this morning to research and make some choices concerning character, setting, plot events, and social issues/themes. Play scripts will be due by Tuesday of next week. Play scripts are first drafts and should be anywhere from 3-10 pages in play script format. Please note that very little lab time will be given to you to complete this assignment, as we will be using our time in class reading. You will have to complete this script on your own time at home. 

During period 2, we will begin our reading of Shakespeare. He is NOT realistic and is antithesis to the realistic style. We're reading him because you should know him very well, not only for your own literacy, but because his writing is an excellent example of stagecraft. Please take a moment this morning to respond to the Shakespeare survey. Then, before you begin the writing task, read about REALISM.

Realism

Realism is probably the most typical play script form. Not exactly tragedies, realism often relies on verisimilitude, the faithful representation of reality. As Ibsen used it, the form can be very helpful in raising societal issues (issues that are important to us as a society: such as divorce, economic problems, dating/marriage, equality, bullying, inappropriate social behavior, psychological issues, religious crises, parental issues, racial issues, social problems, etc.)  It often represents middle class issues, so characters and setting are often those familiar to the middle class, as opposed to "naturalism" which seeks to represent the lower classes (or the poor). At its heart, realism is a direct reaction against romanticism (and aburdism). This is not life as we WANT it to be, but life as it IS.

In American literature, "realism" starts around the Civil War (1860) through the 20th century, with the writings of William Dean Howells, Henry James, Mark Twain, Edith Wharton, Willa Cather, Hemingway, Steinbeck, and others. In playwriting, the works of George Bernard Shaw, Eugene O'Neill, George Kaufman, Tennessee Williams, William Inge, August Wilson, David Mamet, Neil Simon, Sam Shepherd, Marsha Norman, Alfred Uhry, Wendy Wasserstein, Harold Pinter, Alan Aykbourn, Robert Harling, Beth Henley, etc. all have elements of realism in one aspect or another, although playwrights use symbol, subjectivity, and various techniques and styles to create their own unique voice or theatrical "flavor".

Realism:

follows reality closely, and in detail. Stories/plots include the selective presentation of reality with an emphasis on verisimilitude (the appearance of reality/truth), even at the expense of a well-made plot. That means plots do not always resolve, problems are not always "fixed" by the end of a story, etc. Character is more important than action and plot; complex ethical choices are often the subject. Characters in realism must make a CHOICE, even if it's the wrong one. In realistic plays, this is often what the play is about. Class is important; realism is the choice for "middle class" writers/audiences. Events are plausible and "realistic". Realistic plays/novels avoid sensationalist and dramatic elements of naturalistic novels and romances (for example Shakespeare). Diction is natural vernacular, not heightened or poetic; tone may be comic, satiric, or matter-of-fact, but overall should sound realistic, as if it could be heard or spoken by the character saying the line. Objectivity becomes important. Think journalism. We want to see all sides of an issue. Characters often represent or portray one side or another of an issue. Interior is used more often than exterior settings. This also includes getting into the minds of the characters, usually through monologue rather than soliloquy (which is not realistic). The basic difference between realism and sentimentalism is that in realism, "the redemption of the individual character lay within the social world," but in sentimental fiction, "the redemption of the social world lay with the individual". A character needs society (friends, family, etc.), as opposed to the individual character being able to change society him/herself.   Dialogue is written, as we have mentioned before, with fragments, interruptions, digressions, and realistic statements. Characters interrupt each other, trail off, talk "around" a subject they are not comfortable with, and express themselves through dialogue. HOWEVER, remember that an occasional metaphor or the use of imagery and poetic devices can still make your dialogue more interesting (particularly in a monologue!) Avoid the over use of "hmms, and wells, and Ums" (they do not move the dialogue forward and can be added by an actor) and long, complex sentences (difficult to act) in favor of short declarative sentences and fragments. HOMEWORK: Please continue to work on your realistic 10-minute play script. This project is due next Tuesday, Jan. 15.

Hedda Gabler

First published in 1890 and produced in 1891 to negative reviews, Hedda Gabler has become one of Henrik Ibsen's most remembered plays apart from A Doll's House, An Enemy of the People, The Wild Duck, Ghosts, and the Master Builder. This is primarily due to the rigor of the acting role of Hedda Gabler. As a character, Hedda is at once a romantic feminist but also a manipulative, conniving villain. Hedda is neurotic, a child with a stormy ego. Her superego (represented by society and her married life) clashes with her id (her impulses and desires) in Freud's psychology. She is a tempest of a character, full of contradictions and subtext that makes playing her onstage a joy for any serious actress. In the play Hedda is the wife of Jorgen Tesman, but has had an earlier love affair with her husband's rival, Lovborg. In a gentler, simpler age this sort of behavior was considered shocking and inappropriate.

Other characters in the play include:

• Jørgen Tesman, the husband of Hedda; an academic
• Miss Juliane Tesman, Jørgen's aunt
• Mrs. Thea Elvsted, Jørgen's friend and Hedda's school rival
• Judge Brack, friend of the Tesmans; a judge
• Ejlert Løvborg, Jørgen's academic rival whom Hedda previously loved
• Berte, servant to the Tesmans and to Jørgen as a child

The setting takes place in the interior of a reception room (like a living room, it was meant to accommodate guests)

There are four acts: each act has only one scene. The set does not change, so it's just lights up and down to indicate time passing.

HOMEWORK: Please read any one other Ibsen play in the collection and post your response on the forum (this is a graded assignment) by Monday, Jan. 7. Due to inactivity of a large portion of the class, no late posts will be accepted for a grade. Please complete your work on time.