 Drama: May 09, 2012 Issue [#5030] |
  Drama
This week: Loads of Drama in Brief Edited by: Kate - Writing & Reading  
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Welcome to this week's edition of the WDC Drama Newsletter. I am honored to be your scenic designer (I hesitate to take on the role of director) for this exploration
Just say the lines and don't trip over the furniture.
Noel Coward.
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Greetings, fellow writers of prose and verse. Have you ever seen a play you thoroughly enjoyed, thought it short and 'sweet.' One with a line or phrase or a look or act that stays in your mind's eye? Well, why not create a world outside the mundane for the visual delight of an audience?
Consider a one-act play. It's like a short story or flash; like a poem with vivid images. A one act play covers one or two brief scenes yet has a plot, action and characters to make it a complete story. It's a fun way to test the waters and see if you like writing plays. Pick a subject or image, real or imagined, fact or myth, and draft the story. Each word counts, each image flashes in the mind's eye and ears, and smells (no, I'm not alluding to a 'stinky' play ).
Just like in a story, begin with action, then compose the dialog before you decide anything else. Keep the plot simple for a one act play and it should move consistently throughout the play. Avoid adding anything to the play that doesn't move the plot forward to the final conclusion ~ even if it's a line you absolutely love, well, it may just be fodder for your next play ..
Develop the characters. Consider writing character sketches or interviewing your characters to bring them to life. Give your characters a motive in life (or lack thereof) and a problem to solve. This will not all be 'exposed' on stage, but will impact the action and tone of the play.
Weave the setting for the play. Generate the setting. The setting for a one act play will be one or two scene, but you have to still develop the scene so the audience sees everything about the story line. Make them experience the play with all their senses. Consider the use of lighting and sound effects
Add in the stage directions after you write the action. This is where you close your eyes and see and hear the action unfold. Note how each character responds to another and what props they will need. Should the characters face each other, or act aloof. Write or draw the action as you see it unfold in your mind's eye.
Read the play aloud, using the action and scenic notes ~and act it out. Then, get a friend or two to walk it through. Bring your vision to life and if it isn't what you imagined, change a setting, add or remove a prop, have a character face forward instead of sideways. The play evolves as interaction between the writer, the actors, and your audience. Yes, if you write it, they will come ~ one day and applaud your vision
Write On!
Kate
Kate - Writing & Reading
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I invite you to read aloud ~ okay, act out ~ these short plays and let the playwrites know how you were transported for a brief time to a space outside the mundane
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Thank you for sharing this exploration with me in your home theater. As a guest, I don't have an ask and answer, so I will close the curtain after an encore, in loving memory of our own Sticktalker , who ever entertained and enticed and made us each laugh, cry and think:
Kate
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