Do you have student playwrights who avoid disagreement or resolve conflicts too quickly in scenes? Conflict is an essential part of dramatic writing. Have students practice the act of disagreement in their scene work.
This exercise can also be used as a scene work or improv exercise. Use the following as a template for any situation in which you find students trying to avoid conflict.
Discussion
- Ask students for the definition of a disagreement. How does it differ from an argument or a fight? What do students think? Afterward, highlight the following:
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Disagreement: A situation in which people have different opinions or ideas. An inability to agree. Brad thinks chocolate is the best flavour of ice cream, Jenny thinks vanilla is the best flavour.
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Argument: A situation in which one tries to convince the other of their opinion or idea. Brad tries to use reason to convince Jenny that chocolate is better than vanilla. It may get heated and emotional, but can stay respectful.
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Fight: An argument turns heated and each person attacks the other. The intention is to win or prove the other person wrong. Brad tells Jenny that no one likes vanilla and unless she changes her mind, she’s stupid and they can’t be friends.
- Share with students that you can get pretty specific with disagreements:
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Misunderstanding: Two people disagree because they have interpreted something differently.
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Conflict of goals: Two people disagree because they want different outcomes.
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Conflict of priorities: Two people disagree because they agree on the goal but disagree on what should come first.
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Personal conflict: Clashing personalities or habits.
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Power struggle: Two people disagree over who gets to be in control.
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Group disagreement: An individual disagrees with a group.
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Unspoken disagreement: An individual disagrees but avoids saying it out loud.
Instruction
- Tell students they are going to write a scene that starts with a disagreement.
- Criteria:
- Two characters (best friends, siblings, partners, parent/teen)
- Location: kitchen
- Disagreement: A hotdog is a sandwich
- Scene length: up to one page
- The characters must disagree for the whole scene. However, remind students that two characters who simply disagree is not theatrically interesting: “A hotdog is a sandwich.” “I think a hotdog is not a sandwich.” “Ok.” Scene over. It is also not theatrically interesting if two characters attack each other over and over: “You’re stupid.” “No, you’re stupid.” Ask students: How do we make a disagreement scene interesting? Afterward highlight the following:
- Turn the disagreement into an argument. How can characters use reason to convince each other? Give each character strong reasons for their opinion.
- What tactics can they use?
- Remember, they can’t just attack each other; that’s not theatrically interesting.
- The two should still disagree at the end of the scene, but how can you write a scene that doesn’t dissolve into a fight?
- Can students use any of the specific disagreements in their scene?
- Give students time to write their scene. Afterward divide students into groups and have them share their scenes.
