Playwriting Exercise: Picture Prompts

For many beginning writers, the blank page is the hardest part of the writing process. It’s hard to create something from nothing! Add to that there are many preconceived notions about playwriting: I’m not creative, I’m not talented, I’m not inspired, my ideas are no good!

We want to give student playwrights as much help as possible to get them started. One of the best suggestions is using prompts. This gives students a starting point for creativity, a way to come up with ideas, and then turn those ideas into theatrical writing. 

There are many different types of prompts (sentence starters, headlines, word association). Let’s look at some ways you can use pictures to support student writing. 

Click below for a lesson plan version of these exercises!

Character Prompts

Students often miss character development as part of the writing process, even though strong characters are the backbone of all great plays. If they’re thinly written or one-dimensional, it’s hard for an audience to connect to what’s happening on stage. 

Use portrait photos to practice writing character details. Students will then use their created character as the “idea” for a monologue or scene. 

Exercise: The Portrait

Click below for an example picture to use with this exercise, along with a lesson plan version of the exercise!

Give students a picture of a person and have them answer the following questions about them:

• Who is in this photograph? Give them a name and age.
• What do they do? (School can count, otherwise give them a job. And if they don’t have a job, why don’t they?)
• Who is in their immediate family? Are they close to their family? Why or why not? 
• What are their three key personality traits? Are these positive or negative traits? 
• Where do they live?
• How do they live (minimal, lavish, disorganized, cosy)?
• What is their favourite food? Least favourite food?
• What is their emotional state? Why?
• What do they want? 
• What will they do next?
• What is their most important relationship? Describe it.
• What secret are they keeping and why?

Turn it into writing! Have students pick a detail from the character questions and use that as the starting point of a half-page monologue or one-page scene. The character is their “idea.” Keep it simple; the writing doesn’t have to be deep or meaningful. The point is that students are writing! For example, if students choose “favourite food,” they could write a monologue about running out of this food, or going to the grocery store and fighting with someone for the last bag of it, or having a bad day and the food totally turns it around. 

Exercise: The Photographer

This is a variation of the above exercise, only this time the “idea” comes from the person taking the photograph, instead of the photograph itself.

Give students a picture. It could be any picture: a person, a group of people, animals, a unique location. Tell students they are going to write about the person who took the picture. Have them answer the following questions:

• Who took this picture? Give them a name and age.
• Are they a professional photographer or an amateur?
• Where is the photograph taken?
• Why are they taking the picture?
• What will the person get from taking the picture? 
• What are they thinking about as they take the picture? Write out their thoughts.
• Where will the photographer go after they take the picture?
• What’s happening just outside the frame? 

Turn it into writing! The character becomes the idea. Have students write a monologue in which the character explains why this is the best picture they’ve ever taken. 

Location Prompts

Use location pictures as a jumping-off point for ideas. Have them connect location to characters and use that as inspiration for a scene. 

Exercise: The Location

Click below for a picture to use with this exercise, along with a lesson plan version of the exercise.

Give students a picture of a unique location. Have them respond to the following questions:

• Where is this location? 
• What’s happening in this location? 
• Describe this location using as many of the five senses as you can. 
• What time of year is it?
• What time of day is it? 
• What’s your first impression of this location? 

Turn it into writing! Have students think theatrically about the location: 

• What character would be comfortable in this location? Describe them.
• What character would be uncomfortable? Describe them.
• Theatre often uses dialogue to create the world of a location, rather than realistic sets. Write a line of dialogue that would show the audience where this picture takes place.

Then have students write the scene between a comfortable character and an uncomfortable character. What each character wants should be directly connected to the location. 

Personification Prompts

Beginning writers are often influenced by realism; they think play ideas have to be realistic. They focus on the ‘real’ aspect of conversation (e.g., the process of ordering food in a restaurant) rather than the theatrical aspects. Everything and anything can happen in theatre and it’s great practice to show students that their ideas can grow beyond realism. One way to execute this concept is to use personification: giving human qualities and emotions to inanimate objects and animals.

Exercise: Personification

Click below for a picture to use with this exercise, along with a lesson plan version of the exercise.

Have students look at the picture and imagine how a conversation might happen between the two animals:

• What would they say to each other if they suddenly could speak English?
• What ‘human’ problem does each animal have?
• How does the other animal help or hinder them with that problem?
• What do they think of their human handlers?

Turn it into writing! An idea is already formed! Have students write a one-page, one-location scene between the two animals.