Playwriting Lesson Plans
A library of lesson plans to help you effectively plan your workshops and classes.
30-Second Monologue
by Lindsay Price
Students will apply what they have learned in previous lessons to a 30-second memorized monologue. They will pick their own monologue to perform, design a beginning and end, create the character’s physical expression, and decide on their matching/opposing movement. They will add their thoughts on vocal variety. Finally, students will complete a post-performance monologue reflection.
- Monologues Document
- Slide Deck Lesson 4
30-Second Monologue
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Analyzing Monologues
by Matthew Banaszynski
Students will plot out the steps of the story mountain by using existing monologues.
- Slide Deck Lesson 3
Analyzing Monologues
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Beginning to Write
by Corinna Rezzelle
In this lesson, students begin putting the pieces together for their devised work. Students brainstorm on their topic, then participate in a movement piece and a forum theatre activity to explore their topic.
- Slide Deck Lesson 5
Beginning to Write
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Beginning to Write
by Corinna Rezzelle
In this lesson, students begin putting the pieces together for their devised work. Students brainstorm on their topic, then participate in a movement piece and a forum theatre activity to explore their topic.
- Slide Deck Lesson 5
Beginning to Write
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Building the Play
by Corinna Rezzelle
In this lesson, students continue to build the play by writing and revising scenes, reading each other’s work, and providing feedback.
- Slide Deck Lesson 6
Building the Play
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Building the Play
by Corinna Rezzelle
In this lesson, students continue to build the play by writing and revising scenes, reading each other’s work, and providing feedback.
- Slide Deck Lesson 6
Building the Play
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Capturing the Way People Speak
by Nicholas Pappas
Students will learn to break free of academia’s stringent MLA formatting and “proper” speech patterns, while recognizing their own code-switching, to capture authentic and natural rhythms to match the speech patterns of their friends, families, and community.
Capturing the Way People Speak
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Character
by Lindsay Price
In this lesson, students will work on a character profile and apply character development details to a monologue or scene. Students will also receive the criteria for their culminating project and start work on their outlines.
Character
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Character
by Lindsay Price
Character is one of the backbone elements of a good play. In this lesson, students will work on a character profile.
- Session 5 Slide Deck
Character
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Character Dialogue and Development
by Karen Loftus
Students continue their exploration of playwriting by learning about character dialogue and applying character details into a letter exercise.
- Slide Deck Lesson 4
Character Dialogue and Development
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Characterization
by Corinna Rezzelle
Students explore what makes a character interesting through the examination of physical objects. What do objects say about us? What can you infer about a person by the objects they carry with them? Students will role-play in process drama activities to explore characters and to create their own.
- Slide Deck Lesson 1
Characterization
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Characterization
by Corinna Rezzelle
Students explore what makes a character interesting through the examination of physical objects. What do objects say about us? What can you infer about a person by the objects they carry with them? Students will role-play in process drama activities to explore characters and to create their own.
- Slide Deck Lesson 1
Characterization
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Choosing a Text
by Lindsay Price
In this lesson, students will look into the key elements of choosing a text for theatrical adaptation: copyright, the thesis for the adaptation—the “what” and the “why” of the adaptation—and discussing how changes will affect the original source material, meaning, is the original iconic?
- Slide Deck Lesson 3
Choosing a Text
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Choosing a Topic
by Corinna Rezzelle
In this lesson, students discuss and choose a topic for their devised piece.
- Slide Deck Lesson 4
Choosing a Topic
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Choosing a Topic
by Corinna Rezzelle
In this lesson, students discuss and choose a topic for their devised piece.
- Slide Deck Lesson 4
Choosing a Topic
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Conflict
by Lindsay Price
In this lesson, students will work on a conflict profile and apply the details to a monologue. Student will also begin writing their first draft.
Conflict
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Conflict
by Lindsay Price
Along with character, conflict is one of the backbone elements of a good play. In this lesson, students will work on a conflict profile.
- Session 6 Slide Deck
Conflict
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Contentless Scenes / Building Scenes
by Corinna Rezzelle
In this lesson, students will start their scene work first with a contentless scene, a one-minute scene, and then (for homework) write a one-page scene based on a real life experience.
- Slide Deck Lesson 3
Contentless Scenes / Building Scenes
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Contentless Scenes / Building Scenes
by Corinna Rezzelle
In this lesson, students will start their scene work first with a contentless scene, a one-minute scene, and then (for homework) write a one-page scene based on a real life experience.
- Slide Deck Lesson 3
Contentless Scenes / Building Scenes
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Create and Perform a Radio Play
by Kerry Hishon
The objective of the lesson is for students to create and perform their own radio play using a children’s story as the source material. Radio plays are fantastic for students to practice and develop many performance skills like projection, diction, using emotion, and using their voices. They give students the opportunity to creatively work with playwriting, selecting appropriate music, and creating sound effects.
Create and Perform a Radio Play
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