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DT2101201718THEATREANDPERFORMANCE
MAKING:PLAYWRITING
ClasseswilltakeplaceinRehearsalRoomAKatharineWorthBuildingat2.00pmonMondays.

WelcometoDT2101Playwriting!
Thiscoursewillgivestudentsanopportunitytoimmersethemselvesintheartandcraftofplaywriting.
Studentswilldevelopaportfolioofcollaborativeandsolowritingforperformancewhilealsodiscussing
andinterrogatingtheworkofpublishedplaywrightsalongsidethoseoftheirpeers.Intherstterm,we
willexplorefundamentaldramaturgicalprincipleslikestructure,scenes,dialogue,subtext,andcharacter.
Inthesecondterm,wewillfocusondevelopingthestudentsownworkthroughworkshopandseminar
discussion.Studentswillworkingroupsonacollaborativeplay,whichwillreceivearehearsedreading,
whilealsoworkingonashortindividuallywrittenpiece.

Newsforum

GeneralReading

Assessment
SUMMATIVE
Criticalwriting(35004000wordlimit)tobesubmittedthroughTurnitinbyMiddayonMondayJanuary8th,2018
(returnoffeedbackdate:Monday5thFebruary).Madeoffiveshortpiecesofwritingdiscussingthedramaturgical
principleswe'velookedat,withreferencetoplaysofyourliking.Youcanchoosetowriteaboutfivedifferentplaysornot,
aslongasyoudiscussthemfromfivedifferentdramaturgicalangles.(45%)
ProcessLogsubmittedthroughTurnitinbyMiddayMondayApril29th,2018(10%)
OneActplay(30minlong)submittedthroughTurnitinbyMiddayonMondayApril29th,2018(45%)

FORMATIVE
ShortpresentationofplayideasinclasstimeonWeek8ofautumnterm,MondayNovember6th,2015
Creativeassessment(collaborativeperformancetext)inclasstimeonWeek10ofspringterm,MondayMarch12th,
2018

ProcessLogTemplate

Scenelayoutguide

HowdowemarkPlaywriting

Topic2

WEEK2:MONDAYSeptember25th
BEGINNINGS/Writingtheplaythatonlyyoucanwrite.
Throughoutourlives,wesearchforourownvoice,ourauthenticvoice,aspeopleandaswriters.Inaway,ourvoiceis
whatmakesusoriginalandunique,whatsetsusapartfromothers.Thepeoplewearesurroundedby,ourencounters,
thebooksweread,themusicwelistento,whatwefeelandwhatweseemakesuswhoweareandshapesourvoice.In
thissessionwewillinvestigatedifferentwaysinwhichathememayemergeandbedeveloped.Wewillgoideahuntingin
excitingplaces,talkaboutstorypremises,discusstheimportanceofmeaningandgetintowriting.Thisweek'sreading
(andwatching)materialsareattachedbelow.
Fornextweek:
Read'Morning'bySimonStephens.Youcanaccesstheplayonline
athttp://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/plays/morningiid126292/
Readchapter3(Character)from'HowPlaysWork'byDavidEdgar
 Week1:TheNoRulesHandbookforWriters

Rules14

SimonStephensonplaywriting

NationalTheatreDiscover

SimonStephenstalksaboutwhatinspiredhimtobecomeawriter,hisprocesswhenwritingandoffers
advicetoanyoneinterestedinplaywriting.

Topic3

WEEK3:MONDAYOctober2nd
PLOT/CHARACTER
'Ahumanbeingisthebestplotthereis'.(JohnGalsworthy)
Inthissessionwewilldiscussplot,character,aswellasthewritingofdialogue,andallowstudentstoexploreandpractice
inclass.Whatmakesagoodplot?Whatmakesuschooseourcharacters'actions?Doallourcharacterssoundthe
same?Doallourcharacterssoundlikeus?Howdowefindawayintowritingthevoicesofpeoplewhoarenotlikeus?
Andwhatexactlyisthefunctionofdialogueinaplay?
Usingourownworkanddrawingonexamplesfromplayswehavestudied,wewillopenupthewholeprocessofthe
writingofspeechforthestageandbuildconfidenceinwritingvoicesquicklyandnaturally.

ForNextWeek:
Pleaseread'AttemptsonHerLife'byMartinCrimpavailableatthelibrary(Crimp,M.(2007).Attemptsonherlife.
London:FaberandFaber)
Wewillbeginnextweek'ssessionbyexploringtheplay'svoiceandstructure.
Read:Chapter5(Structure)byDavidEdgar's'HowPlaysWork'

Topic4

WEEK4:MONDAYOctober9th
STRUCTURE/TIME
Allplaysneedastructureevenifitisadisruptedone.Theplotisexpressedthroughitandanynarrativeisorganisedinto
segmentsofspaceandtime.
Playstructuresfallintotwocategories:thoseusinglineartimeandthosewhichdisruptit.Structureisnotjustanecessary
wayoforganisingmaterialbutitplaysanimportantroleinconveyingmeaning,itis,really,alivingpartoftheplot.What
happensinyourplay?Wheredoesittakeplaceandwhen?Whydoyouchooseaspecifictimeandspaceforascene?
Whatmeaningdoyouwanttoconveythroughstructure?Structureisanessentialworldmakingtoolinaplay.
WithreferencetoAttemptsonHerLifewewilldiscussthechallengesofrejectingthelinearnarrativeformandexplore
whatcantakeit'splace.

Fornextweek:
Pleaseread'Alaska'byDCMooreavailableviaDramaonLine.http://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/plays/alaskaiid
15617
Pleaseread'Crave'bySarahKaneavailableatthelibrary.Pleasereadbothplays.
Kane,S.(2001).Completeplays(Methuencontemporarydramatists).London:MethuenDrama.

Topic5

WEEK5October16th
MONOLOGUE

Theuseofmonologueinwritingisawaytoexpresstheinnerthoughtsandfeelingsofourcharacters,thoughhavingsaid
that,fewpeoplesetouttomakelongspeechesinreallife.Adramaticmonologue,likeanyotherelementofaplayand
unlikeinreallife,needstohavearelevancesoonerorlater.
InthissessionwewilllookatA'smonologuefrom'Crave'bySarahKaneinrelationtoFrank'smonologuefrom'Alaska'
byDCMoore.Wewilldiscussthemonologues'functionandcontributiontotheregardingplaysandexploreother
possiblecausesandeffectsofthemonologuethroughpractice.
Fornextweek:
Pleaseread'Europe'byDavidGreig,availableonDramaOnlinehttp://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/plays/europe
iid14228
PleasereadthechapteronLocation(pg2835)fromTheCraftyArtofPlaymakingbyAlanAyckbournavailableat
thelibrary:
Ayckbourn,A.(2002).Thecraftyartofplaymaking.London:Faber.
Trytothinkaboutthewaystheplaywrightusestheconceptofspacein'Europe'.

Topic6

WEEK6October23d

ASENSEOFPLACEPlaceisapotentandcompellingelementofanyplayplacerootsthestoryintextureand
originality,indetail,time,atmosphereandinnerlife.Placecanbeattheveryheartofaplayandcanbeacharacterwithin
theplay.Itcanprovidestoryandoffertheaudiencethejoyofbeingtakentoarichandoriginalnewworld.

Inthissession,wewilldiscussthefunctionofplaceinDavidGreig's'Europe'andstartthinkingaboutourownindividual
plays.

Fornextweek:Thinkaboutyourplayintermsoftheelementswehavediscussedsofar.Writedownyourthoughtson
theplay'svoice,plot,characters,time,andspace.Whyisthisplayimportantforyou?Whyisitimportantforyour
audience?Whatareyoutryingtosay?I'mattachingacollectionofvideosfromNationalTheatreDiscover.Feelfreeto
watchthemforinspirationbutremembertolistentoyourownvoice,too,becauseitmatters,andessentiallyisthemost
importantelementofyourplay.
 HowtoBuildaPlot

HowtoStructureaScene

HowtoWriteDialogue

NationalTheatre:Playwriting

Topic7

WEEK7October30thREADINGWEEKNOCLASS
Thisweekyouwillbethinkingaboutyourplay.
Please,writeyourmainideasdownandbringthemtoclass,nextweek.
Enjoy!

Topic8

WEEK8November6th
PRESENTATIONS
Inthissession,eachstudentwillhavethechancetodoashortpresentationoftheirplayideasinclasswhichwillbe
followedbydiscussionandofferingoffeedback.
Wewillcontinuewithawritingworkshopinwhichyouwillattempttowriteacoupleofscenesofyourplay.
Fornextweek:
Pleaseread'TheArsonists'byMaxFrischandAlistairBeaton,availableonDrama
Onlinehttp://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/plays/thearsonistsiid138427
Pleasereadchaptersevenof'TheSecretLifeofPlays'bySteveWaters(pg141156),availableatthelibrary:Waters,
S.(2010).Thesecretlifeofplays.London:NickHern.

ShortPresentationofIdeasDoc.

Pepareashortpresentationonyourplayinreferencewithwhatwehavediscussedsofar.
 Whataretheplay'smainideas?Whatareyourthoughtsonitsplotandcharacters?Whatistheplay'stimeand
place?

Submitadocumentof1500wordsmax.

Inclass5min.presentationwillbebasedonthisdocument.

Topic9

WEEK9November13th
SUBTEXT:MorethantheLiteralMeaning
Thisweek'ssessionwillstartwithadiscussionofsubtextinTheArsonistsbyMaxFrischandAlistairBeaton.Wewillgo
onwithareadingofstudentwrittenscenesinclassandasharingofthechallengesofwritingsubtext.Discussionwillbe
followedbyawritingworkshoponwaystosuggestmorethantheliteralmeaning.
Fornextweek:
Pleaselistento'EmilyRising'byDanRebellato,availablehere(scrolldowntofindtheaudio):
http://www.danrebellato.co.uk/emilyrising/?rq=Emily%20rising

Topic10

WEEK10November20th

GENRE
Movingonwithourexplorationofdramaturgicaltermswewilltrytounderstandgenre.Whatevenisgenre?Wewill
discusstheideaofgenreasasetofexpectationsofstoryline,character,locale,andoutcome.CriticJonathanCuller
definesgenreas'setsofconventionsandexpectations',notingthat'whetherwearereadingadetectivestoryora
romance,alyricpoemoratragedy,weareonthelookoutfordifferentthingsandmakeassumptionsaboutwhatwillbe
significant'(JonathanCuller,LiteraryTheory,OxfordUniversityPress,1997,p.73).
WewilltalkaboutgenreinreferencewithDanRebellato'sEmilyRising,aradioplaywhichbecameastagepuppetplay
forchildrenin2016.Itwillbeinterestingtothinkaboutgenre,challengeitstraditionaldefinitionsandtheveryideaof
categorisationincontemporarytheatremaking.
Fornextweek:
Pleaseread'WaitingforGodot'bySamuelBeckett,availableonDrama
Online:http://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/plays/waitingforgodotiid160142
PleasereadchaptereightonEndingsof'HowPlaysWork'byDavidEdgar(pg201205)availableatthelibrary.

Topic11

WEEK11November27th
THEDRAMATICCLIMAX/ENDINGS
Wereturntostructureandaskhowyourplaymightresolveandwhatnatureofdramaticcrisiswilllieatit'sheart.We
willgobacktocharacterandaskwhetherwearecreatingclassicalnarrativesormoreabsurd/expressionistpieces
whatistheshapeofthecharacter'sjourneyandwhatisit'sclimax?Wewilltroubleshootcommonproblemswriters
havewhencreatingtheclimaxoftheirplay,andwewillexplorewhyaclimaxisneededandwhattheeffectisof
decidingnottohaveone.Aprocessofexplorationanddiscoverywithnoneedyettomakeafinaldecision.

Topic12

WEEK12December4th
YOURPLAYS
Thislastweekofthetermwillbededicatedtosharingofwork,queriesregardingyourplays,brainstormingandwriting.

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