Playwriting

What is a playwright? Do you know any? Could you be one?

A playwright writes (builds) plays for the stage. Screen writers write scripts for movies and television. You do know a playwright if you have ever had Mr. Bronson as your substitute. Would you like to write a play? On this page we will learn how to write a play, one step at a time. Now let's be introduced to J.M. Barrie!

J.M. Barrie

Was born in Scotland on May 9, 1860 and died in London June 19, 1937. He was a novelist and playwright. His best known work was Peter Pan. While in London he met the Llewelyn family and their boys who became the inspiration for the story of Peter Pan and the lost boys in Neverland. He adopted them after their parents died. Upon his death he gave the rights to Peter Pan to the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London which still benefits from it to this day.

Interesting fact: The name Wendy was invented by J.M. Barrie. It became a very popular girls name after the play was produced.

Peter Pan - I'm Flying

Activity One: Let's Begin with a conversation.

The first step we will take in writing our play is to listen to a conversation. After listening, write down what each person said to each other. Don't worry about getting it exactly right. Write it in such a way that the reader will know exactly what was said and how it was said without any stage directions. No adverbs! Use punctuation, spelling, and capitalization. This will just be dialogue.

Important: There are no right or wrong answers. Also, your conversation should not be longer than a page. This is a listening activity.

Conversation One:

Hi!

Uh, Hello.

Are you all right?

Yes, I missed the trolly and had to walk.

You look wonderful, however.

As do you. I luuuuuvvv your hat. Is it new?...

Step Two:

Now that your conversation is written add stage directions. What are stage directions? They are the important elements we SEE on the stage. Stage directions are written before or after the line of dialogue and are usually in parentheses and italicized.

Example: with the stage directions added

Conversation Two

Hi!

Uh, Hello. (collapses into a chair breathing heavily)

Are you all right?

Yes, I missed the trolly and had to walk.

You look wonderful, however.

As do you. I luuuuuvvv your hat. Is it new?...

Step Three:

Have someone else read the conversation out loud. Does anything in the conversation lead you or point you to an idea for a story? If not, that's fine. Do you understand the intentions of the people speaking? Did one of the characters get something? If so, what was it? Is it the beginning of something interesting?

Structure of a Story

What is needed in a story? Besides a beginning, a middle and an end, there are five elements.

A character wants something
The character tries to get it.
The character runs into a problem or obstacle.
The character succeeds or fails to get what he or she wants.
The character changes as a result of the effort.

Activity Two: Character

Peanut

Key

Hot Air Balloon

Legos

Step One: Pick one of the above objects and answer the following questions.

Character Questions

Imagine that your object is a character in your play
How did it get the markings it has?
Is it damaged or in good shape?
Why is it the size it is?
How old is it?
Is it rich or poor?
Is it male or female?
What kind of house does it live in?
What kind of job does it have?
What does it do for fun?
What kind of a personality does it have?

Then, fill out this character profile:

Character Profile:

Name:______________________________________________________ Age:___________________________________

Family:_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Habitat/Setting:____________________________________________________________________________________

Job:_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Greatest Want, Need, or Wish:_______________________________________________________________________

Greatest Fear:_______________________________________________________________________________________

Most Important or Higher Power:___________________________________________________________________

Step Two: Write a story about your object character. It may have transformed into a human or can remain the object you selected, it doesn't matter. What does matter is that you have these elements: The character wants something. The character tries to get it. The character runs into a problem or obstacle. The character succeeds or fails to get what he or she wants. The character changes as a result of the effort.

Now that you have your story written we will turn it into a play. Note that a play is a three dimensional story. A play is meant to be PERFORMED by live actors. It is not meant to be read in silence.

Watch the next two videos to see how an actor, even if only reading the lines, brings the story to life.

Anne of Green Gables .mp4

An excerpt from the play "Anne of Green Gables" adapted from the classic novel by L.M. Montgomery by Jody Johnston Davidson

J. Scott Bronson as Matthew Cuthbert

Lynne D. Bronson as Marilla Cuthbert

Activity Three: Compelling Story into a Compelling Play

Above you see a plot diagram for a story. This is the same for a play. The difference is that a story is narrative and a play is dialogue. What you see and hear are the only things you put into a play.

Dialogue, Dialogue, Dialogue

Dialogue is the most important element in a play and is most effective if it sounds like a conversation. Remember the conversation you heard? You could understand what was going on because you were familiar with the conversation style of the people talking. That is what you want your play's dialogue to sound like.

Here is your final project for this unit. Write a play with two or three characters. Do the dialogue first, then add the stage directions. The play should only be five to ten minutes long. If you need a reminder of what goes into a story or play, scroll back up and review those. Character who wants something. Character tries to get what he wants and tries and fails a couple of times. There is a beginning, a middle and a resolution at the end. Plot and action are important in that they will help the character with their desire.

Lists of Subjects You Can Write About by Grade Level

Second Grade: Animals and animal habitats. Teamwork. Put them both together. How did the animals in a specific habitat work together on something? Turn a fairy tale you like into a play.

Third Grade: Indigenous People: Incan, Aztec, Mayan culture. Simple Machines and how the parts work together: Your object character might work here. How Art and Creation of Art serve as an expression of culture.

Fourth Grade: Explorers through Utah. Different cultures that settled Utah. The Golden Spike. The Water Cycle. How Fossils are Formed.

Fifth Grade: Westward expansion. Civil War. Pick a DEAD President of the United States and Interview them. Revolutionary War, Boston Tea Party, The Stamp Act, French & Indian war and how these events led to the writing of the Declaration of Independence.

Sixth Grade: Solar System: Choose a planet, other than Earth, in our system and have that planet be the setting for your play. Key Events that happened during WWII and the effect on today. Pick an outstanding leader during WWII and interview them. Write a Shakespearian play using the insults and compliments we practiced.

QuotesScripts_Compliments.pdf

QuotesScripts_Insults.pdf

Last but Not Least: Please record a reader's theatre performance of your play to share with me. I would love to see them. If you want costumes and props you can, but that isn't required.

If you write it in a google doc, you just need to share it with me. lynnebronson@alpinedistrict.org

Another step by step guide to playwriting.

How to Write a Monologue - Free Lesson Plan from "Teaching Playwriting"Teach your students how to write a monologue with this detailed step-by-step guide. This free lesson plan will give you all the tools you need!

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