Residency journal draft 3 by Baltimore Center Stage

PLAYWRIGHT INFORMATION: Applicant Name ____________________________ Title of Play ____________________________ Playwrightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Email Address ____________________________ Parent/Guardian Name ____________________________ Parent/Guardian Email Address __________________________ Home Address ____________________________ City ____________________________ State ____________________________ Zip ____________________________ Home Phone ____________________________ County of Residence ____________________________ SCHOOL INFORMATION: School Name ____________________________ Grade ____________________________ Age ____________________________ School Address ____________________________ City ____________________________ State ____________________________ Zip ____________________________ Teacher's Name ____________________________ Teacher's Email Address ____________________________ Principal's Name ____________________________ Principal's E-Mail Address ____________________________ School's Telephone ____________________________ 1

Building a Character 1. Give your character a name, age, and physical description. 2. Where does your character live? 3. What does your character like to do? 4. Name one thing that would make your character angry. 5. Describe a typical day for your character. 6. Describe a dream your character has had. 7. Pretend your character has a secret. Why is it a secret? 8. What is your characterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s goal?

Write a monologue MONOLOGUE : where one character speaks an extended speech in the FIRST PERSON without interrupts. A few monologue basics:  5 or more lines – uninterrupted  First Person & Present Tense  A Big Thought is being conveyed Who will your character speak to in their monologue? ______________________________________ PAST: What is the most important or meaningful memory that your character has with this person? _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________ PRESENT: What does your character need from this person? _____________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ FUTURE: What does your character hope for and dream of for tomorrow? _____________________________________________________________ _______________________________________

Now…WRITE A MONOLOGUE!! Choose one of the following prompts to get the ball rolling . . . I can’t quite believe this is happening . . . You better listen up and listen good! . . . There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you . . .

_____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________

Title: Setting Time: Place: Character list: Name 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Description

Playwriting Questionnaire Once the students have decided on ideas for their plays, use this questionnaire to help them develop the story, plot, and conflict.

1. Why is this day different from all the others?

2. What is the event that will bring your characters together? Write biographies for each of your characters that include what they want.

3. How will they change during the play? (Crucial Note: Plays are about how a course of events changes the characters involved. Characters grow and change thoughts, attitudes, relationships, and perceptions through what they experience in the play.)

4. What will the major conflict be and how will it lead to the climax when the problem is resolved? (Crucial Note: “Resolved” does not mean happily ever after. A resolution means something has changed, and the play will end with that change—for better or worse, the problem of the play has reached a conclusion.)

5. Jot down the basic plot and sum up the plot briefly. Think about how the problem might be solved (again, the resolution may change as you write the play.) 6. Answer the five “W”s: WHO’S in my play? WHY are they doing what they’re doing? WHAT’S happening in the play? WHERE and WHEN is it taking place?

7. Try outlining what happens in your scenes.

8. Start writing the scene that excited you the most, even if it is not the official first scene from your outline. Whatever great ideas come to as you write this or any other scene, be sure to WRITE THEM DOWN!

9. If you get stuck, keep asking WHY. (Why does she go wherever? Why does he stay with so and so? Etc.)

Brainstorming Conflicts Examples: Protagonist: _______a guitar______________________ Antagonist: _________it’s owner____________________ Conflict: _____Guitar______ (protagonist) wants _____________to be independent__ _________________(thing) from ________it’s owner_______ (antagonist or group), but __ its owner refuses to let the guitar shine on its own because he wants to be famous too __________(reason why the antagonist doesn’t want the protagonist to reach their objective) Protagonist: _____ Yvonka __________ Antagonist: _____ audience of trolls _______ Conflict: Yvonka (protagonist) wants ______ desperately to be set free ________(thing) from __ the well and the trolls _ (antagonist or group), but _ the trolls are dead set on eating her for dinner._( reason why the antagonist doesn’t want the protagonist to reach their objective) Protagonist: ________________________ Antagonist:________________________________ Conflict: ____________________ (protagonist) wants ___________________________________________(thing) from _______________ (antagonist or group), but ____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________( reason why the antagonist doesn’t want the protagonist to reach their objective). Protagonist: ________________________

Antagonist:________________________________

Conflict: ____________________ (protagonist) wants ___________________________________________(thing) from _______________ (antagonist or group), but ____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________( reason why the antagonist doesn’t want the protagonist to reach their objective). Protagonist: ________________________

Antagonist:________________________________

Conflict: ____________________ (protagonist) wants ___________________________________________(thing) from _______________ (antagonist or group), but ___________________________________________________________ _______ ( reason why the antagonist doesn’t want the protagonist to reach their objective).

Brainstorming Ticking Clocks List Ticking Clocks—reasons a scene needs to be over, or resolved soon.

Examples:  The bully is walking toward the protagonist  the essay is due tomorrow  the protagonist is moving to another city  the police are on their way 1) __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

2) __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

3) __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

4) __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

Scene 1 ____________ (Character A): __________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ ___________ (Character B): __________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ ______________: _________________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ ______________: _________________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ ______________: _________________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ ______________: _________________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ 10

Scene # ___ ______________: _________________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ ______________: _________________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ ______________: _________________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ ______________: _________________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ ______________: _________________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ ______________: _________________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ 11

Questions for the Playwright (Rewriting) 1. What did you like about your piece? 2. What’s the major conflict? How strong is it? 3. What’s the dramatic action of the play? 4. Did anything confuse you about your play? 5. What’s the most important image or moment to you in the piece? 6. Did your characters all sound the same or like different people with distinct voices? 7. What did each character want? 8. Are they going after something that is critically important to them?

That’s okay. Let’s get those creative muscles warmed up! MATERIALS: 1 sheet of paper, 1 pencil, 2 timers. Set 1 timer for 28 minutes. Set the other timer for 30 minutes.   

Make a list of the first 10 cars that come to you from early-on in your life: Now choose one that seems vivid to you Now write the name of the car that has come to you on the top of your page.

Picture this car in your mind’s eye. Write down… Where you are? What are you doing? What time of day or night does it seem to be? What season? Are you in or out of the car? If you are out of the car, what part of it are you facing? If you are insidewhich sear are you in? Who else is there? Why are you there? How old are you? Now we’re going to turn around inside of this image. What’s in front of you? What’s to your left? What’s to your right? What’s behind you? What’s above your head? What’s below your feet?

Right now. Write now! Start BOTH timers Beginning with the words “I am,” tell us where you are and what is happening in the car image that has come to you.  Keep your pen moving the WHOLE time. Write in the present tense.

That’s okay.

The Suitcase MATERIALS: 1 sheet of paper, 1 pencil, 2 timers. Set 1 timer for 28 minutes. Set the other timer for 30 minutes. 

THE SETTING: Two people in a room. One person’s suitcase is in view. At some point in the scene, a third person comes in. That’s it.

Right now. Write Now! Start BOTH timers

 Keep your pen moving the WHOLE time

Questions: What is the situation? How does the situation change during the scene? What’s at stage? What does each character need? What is each character trying to get? Where is the tension? Where does it shift? How is each exchange an adjustment? What is each character hiding? Where are the contradictions? What is subtextual? How is it fun? Write out the answers to these questions. Allow the questions to spur new questions.

Let’s look at Language Now!

Write three versions of the same scene, BUT:

 Take the first draft and eliminate every fifth word—not just of the dialogue, every firth word, even if that means we are confused about who is speaking or what is happening. What does this do?

 Another variation: Chose five sentences in the scene and repeat them at least twice somewhere in the scene. What does this do?

 Another variation: Play with time, scramble the sequence, write it backwards. What does this do? 19

Word. Words! CHARACTERS: the roles that the actors will play. Each character should be unique. Don’t put in extra characters unless they fill a specific need within your story – each character plays an important part.

DIALOGUE: conversation between two or more characters. Different characters speak differently – find the specific voice for each of them.

SETTING: the time and place of your play Be specific – instead of “a school”, you should write “a cafeteria” or “Ms. Jones English classroom”.

PROTAGONIST: The main character ANTAGONIST: The character who gets in the way of the protagonists objective

OBJECTIVE: What your character hopes to achieve CONFLICT: obstacles that get in the way of a character achieving what he or she wants. What the characters struggle against. SCENE: a single situation or unit of dialogue in a play. STAGE DIRECTIONS: Directions from the playwright to the actors, technicians, and others working on the show. 20

SUBTEXT: the undertone thoughts and motives underneath the character’s dialogue. MONOLOGUE: One character speaking for a long uninterrupted time. DRAMATIC ACTION: an explanation of what the characters are trying to do. BEAT: The smallest unit of emotional shift. PLOT: the structure of a play, including exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement. o EXPOSITION: the beginning part of a plot that provides important background information. o RISING ACTION: the middle part of a plot, consisting of complications and discoveries that create conflict. o CLIMAX: the turning point in a plot. o FALLING ACTION: the series of events following the climax of a plot. o DÉNOUEMENT: the final resolution of the conflict in a plot.