Introduction to Playwriting
Description
To complete this course, students will demonstrate their ability to:
- build a plot;
- create characters;
- understand what the words “action” and “motivation” mean;
- understand what plays are for, in terms of “theme” and “message”;
- exploit the limitations of live theatre and use them expressively.
In other words, “Introduction to Playwriting” is designed to introduce you to playwriting. So, since I have yet to find a better way to learn to write plays than by writing plays, each of you is going to write one: a first draft of a 15- to 30-minute-long one-act, on a topic of your choice (subject to some restrictions), under the guidance of the rest of the class, our T.A., and myself. The Play is due a week after the final class.
The students in this class will be divided into groups, called “labs”, of five or six students each. (In the first of our weekly videos, I mistakenly say “ten” students; this is incorrect.) Every student is to write five to ten pages of new material per week, and dis-tribute it on line to the other members of the student’s lab, our T.A., and myself. This ma-terial must contain both some dialogue and some notes, each week.
The material can be submitted at any time during the week, from just after mid-night on Monday morning to midnight on the following Sunday. This term, however, be-gins on Thursday, Sept. 6, so our first week is a 10-day “week,” running from just after midnight on Thursday morning, Sept. 6, to midnight on Sunday, Sept. 16. I will take advantage of that long first week by asking you to submit your first week’s material by midnight on that Sunday, Sept. 16.
Each student is also expected to read his or her lab-mates’ submissions, and write comments on the submissions; the comments, too, will be distributed to the other lab members. My T.A. and I will also read all of the submitted material and comments, and make our own contributions. The comments should not take the form of value judgments on the quality of your lab-mates’ work, but rather the form of suggestions on where to take the work next. (Praise and encouragement, however, are always helpful.)
Note: Check with the institution regarding start/end dates, prices, and delivery method. These may vary according to program, section, and/or semester.
- build a plot;
- create characters;
- understand what the words “action” and “motivation” mean;
- understand what plays are for, in terms of “theme” and “message”;
- exploit the limitations of live theatre and use them expressively.
In other words, “Introduction to Playwriting” is designed to introduce you to playwriting. So, since I have yet to find a better way to learn to write plays than by writing plays, each of you is going to write one: a first draft of a 15- to 30-minute-long one-act, on a topic of your choice (subject to some restrictions), under the guidance of the rest of the class, our T.A., and myself. The Play is due a week after the final class.
The students in this class will be divided into groups, called “labs”, of five or six students each. (In the first of our weekly videos, I mistakenly say “ten” students; this is incorrect.) Every student is to write five to ten pages of new material per week, and dis-tribute it on line to the other members of the student’s lab, our T.A., and myself. This ma-terial must contain both some dialogue and some notes, each week.
The material can be submitted at any time during the week, from just after mid-night on Monday morning to midnight on the following Sunday. This term, however, be-gins on Thursday, Sept. 6, so our first week is a 10-day “week,” running from just after midnight on Thursday morning, Sept. 6, to midnight on Sunday, Sept. 16. I will take advantage of that long first week by asking you to submit your first week’s material by midnight on that Sunday, Sept. 16.
Each student is also expected to read his or her lab-mates’ submissions, and write comments on the submissions; the comments, too, will be distributed to the other lab members. My T.A. and I will also read all of the submitted material and comments, and make our own contributions. The comments should not take the form of value judgments on the quality of your lab-mates’ work, but rather the form of suggestions on where to take the work next. (Praise and encouragement, however, are always helpful.)
Note: Check with the institution regarding start/end dates, prices, and delivery method. These may vary according to program, section, and/or semester.
Related Programs
Overview
- Institution: Queen's University
- Level: University
- Language: English
- Course Code: DRAM251
- Delivery Method: Fully Online/Distance
Disclaimer:
Check with the institution regarding start/end dates, prices, and delivery method. These may vary according to program, section, and/or semester.
Check with the institution regarding start/end dates, prices, and delivery method. These may vary according to program, section, and/or semester.