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Playwriting Articles for Drama Teachers

More playwriting articles for drama teachers (page 2 of 4).

Browse 65 playwriting articles

The 5 W’s and Playwriting
Classroom Exercise

The 5 W’s and Playwriting

So, you’ve decided to do some playwriting with your students. Fantastic! But now comes the hard part – actually sitting down and writing. Whether in a notebook or on a computer screen, that blank...
Top 3 Ways to Write a Character Specific Voice
Playwriting

Top 3 Ways to Write a Character Specific Voice

If you want your characters to be three dimensional, you have to consider their voice. What words do they choose? What’s the structure of their language? How do they communicate? A character...
12 Days of Classroom Exercises
Classroom Exercise

12 Days of Classroom Exercises

We’re counting down the 12 Days of Christmas with 12 of our most popular Classroom Exercises! No matter which holidays you celebrate, these exercises are a useful tool to keep in your back pocket –...
Writing Your Research: A Cross-Curricular Exercise
Classroom Exercise

Writing Your Research: A Cross-Curricular Exercise

Cross-curricular projects are awesome in theory, especially in the drama classroom. They are a great way to demonstrate comprehension by taking information in one form and applying it to another....
Observation: The conversation you can only see
Classroom Exercise

Observation: The conversation you can only see

Observation is my number one tool for finding play ideas. When you observe, you’re not just looking around, skimming the world around you. Observation is the specific looking at people, places and...
5 questions with David Hammers
Playwriting

5 questions with David Hammers

We have a great community of amazing playwrights here at Theatrefolk that contribute to our collection of middle and high school plays. We hope you’ll enjoy this peek behind the curtain as they...
Playwriting Exercise: Write a Letter
Classroom Exercise

Playwriting Exercise: Write a Letter

““… I recommend they keep a diary, at least a page a day, and faithfully, and also to get into the habit of letter writing to other writers. The advantages that come with doing this seem...
5 questions with Clint Snyder
Playwriting

5 questions with Clint Snyder

We have a great community of amazing playwrights here at Theatrefolk that contribute to our collection of middle and high school plays. We hope you’ll enjoy this peek behind the curtain as they...
Picture Inspiration
Playwriting

Picture Inspiration

Use a picture as a jumping off point for writing. Sometimes all students need is a little push to get the writing ball rolling. Use pictures for that push. You can have students create source...
Title Exercise: Name Game
Classroom Exercise

Title Exercise: Name Game

Do your students have trouble coming up with titles for their work? A title is an important part of the writing process. The title acts as a doorway into the piece – be it a movie, a novel or a...
Playwriting Exercise: Inner Monologue
Playwriting

Playwriting Exercise: Inner Monologue

One of the best activities for gathering writing ideas is observation. How are you experiencing the world around you? A great way to practice this is to have your students describe your classroom...
Playwriting & Acting Exercise: Channel that Fear
Acting

Playwriting & Acting Exercise: Channel that Fear

Fear is such a wonderful motivator for characters – with both positive and negative connotations. How many of us know someone who won’t do something because of fear? Who won’t get on stage, or get...
Playwriting Exercise: Indoor Clouds
Classroom Exercise

Playwriting Exercise: Indoor Clouds

Sometimes you just come across something that is Wicked Cool. That’s right, I capitalized both words and they weren’t at the beginning of a sentence. I did it, I own it. That’s how cool I think...
Playwriting Exercise: Hurdling the First Line
Classroom Exercise

Playwriting Exercise: Hurdling the First Line

Do your student playwrights struggle with getting started? Sometimes the hardest part is coming up with that first line, because there’s nothing more daunting to a new writer than the blank page....
4 Great Picture Prompts for Playwrights
Classroom Exercise

4 Great Picture Prompts for Playwrights

Ideas can come from anything and everything. But it’s always a good idea to give students a jumping off point. Picture Prompts are a great tool in a playwright’s arsenal to inspire creative...
Eavesdropping Exercise: Where do ideas come from?
Classroom Exercise

Eavesdropping Exercise: Where do ideas come from?

Ideas are not magical ponies. They don’t appear instantly. Writers know they have to look for ideas. The more they look for them, the more ideas they have. The key with ideas is not to focus on the...
Where do Ideas Come From?
Playwriting

Where do Ideas Come From?

The biggest obstacle to writing a play often comes before the first word. It happens in the idea stage. I want to write, but my ideas are stupid. I know I could write something great but where do I...