Playwriting

Students stuck on “what do I write?”

These playwriting activities are all about sparking ideas. Use prompts, quick exercises, and creative challenges to get students thinking, imagining, and writing without the pressure of a full script.

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Playwriting

Chicken Road: Talking to the cast before the show

Listowel District Secondary School took my brand new play (look for it to come out in May!) Chicken. Road. to their District Sears Festival. The play deals with the old joke “Why did the Chicken...

Playwriting

Playwriting Exercise: Passwords

I read an article about the 25 most used passwords. I looked at the title and had one of those mac truck moments – there’s something there. Something. What? A play? Who knows. Most definitely an...

Playwriting

Write and Win Entry: Emotional Baggage

Today I want to share a Write and Win entry from Cheyenne Drews of New Smyrna Beach High School. She’s currently rehearsing Emotional Baggage and writes about her amazing experiences: I never...

Playwriting

Word Fear

I had a very interesting conversation with a teacher who was familiar with Theatrefolk plays and had recently put up Pressure. She had wanted to do Anonymous but it was ‘rejected’ by her...

Playwriting

Inspiration File

I was teaching at a private school last week during their playwriting unit. One of their pre-writing exercises was to create an “Inspiration File” the point of which was to find, create, give...

Playwriting

Writing Exercise: The Letter

If you’re in the middle of a draft and you’re stuck. If you want to work on character development. If you want to work on the relationship between two characters. Time to sit right down and write...

Playwriting

Finding The Writer Within

We all write every day. It’s impossible to avoid: there are emails, texts, project proposals, letters, reports. Pen to paper, keyboard to computer – every individual knows how to write. There is a...

Playwriting

Notes on a Play: Stupid is Just 4 2day

Stupid is Just 4 2day is a brand new script and the 2nd of three new plays I worked out during my recent trip to Florida in April. The idea behind the play is pretty simple: Every human being on...

Playwriting

Writing Exercise: What’s in your cart?

Have you ever stood in line at the grocery store and found yourself casually glancing ahead in line, and then back in line to see what those fore and aft have in their carts? Do you ever try to...

Playwriting

Writing Exercise: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Not sure where to start for your next play, or even your first play? A great way to create ideas is to explore a writing exercise. Try this picture study exercise and see what writing inspiration...

Playwriting

Writing Exercise: What’s in Your Bag?

The most interesting characters come alive in the smallest details: a favourite food, a favourite type of music, a fear of spiders, an allergy to plums, a scar from a fall at two years of age, a...