Playwriting Lesson Plans

Creative Thinking: Writing the Next Scene

by Kerry Hishon

A common acting exercise for students is to imagine what their character is doing next when they exit a scene and what they’re doing when they aren’t onstage. In this lesson, students will explore this exercise through playwriting by writing the next scene for an exiting character. Where did they go? What are they doing? Why did they leave?

Note: This lesson could also be used as an emergency lesson plan if you’re in the middle of a play study unit and have an unexpected absence. It could also work as an independent project.

# Playwriting

Crumpled Paper

by Karen Loftus

Some students dread writing. Just the thought of pencil and paper make them want to crumple up that paper and throw it.
Well, now they can. In this exercise, students are introduced to story elements such as character, objective, obstacle/conflict, tactics, and resolution. Pairs of students add each new story element to an ever growing story that can be shared with the class. Reflection and Rubric included.

# Playwriting # playwriting # character development

Lesson 2 of 8 in Playwriting Unit

Dialogue

by Karen Loftus

Students continue their exploration of playwriting by learning about dialogue and applying their knowledge through a group playwriting exercise.

Slide Deck Lesson 2

# Playwriting # playwriting

Lesson 4 of 11 in Playwriting Unit: Beginner Unit

Dialogue

by Lindsay Price

In this lesson students will write two-character, one-location, ten-line scenes to practice getting to the heart of effective and efficient scene writing.

# Playwriting # playwriting

Lesson 4 of 7 in Playwriting: Part 1 Unit

Dialogue

by Lindsay Price

In this lesson, students will write two-character, one-location, ten-line scenes to practice getting to the heart of effective and efficient scene writing.

Session 4 Slide Deck

# Playwriting # playwriting

Lesson 5 of 7 in Monologue Writing Made Easy Unit

Drafting a Monologue

by Matthew Banaszynski

Using their rough drafts from the starter prompts, students will work in pairs to edit their drafts to make cleaner stories. Students will also map out their drafts on a Story Mountain diagram to make sure that they follow the proper format.

Slide Deck Lesson 5

# Playwriting # Acting # monologue # playwriting # acting

Emergency Lesson Plan: Theatrical Problem Solving - The Playwright in Production

by Lindsay Price

In this ELP, students will take on the role of a working playwright in the process of having a play produced. The relationship between playwright and production is sometimes precarious – directors have been known to ban playwrights from rehearsals, actors have been known to change lines.

# Playwriting # Emergency Lesson Plans # emergency lesson plan # playwriting

Lesson 12 of 13 in Devising Unit

Final Rehearsal & Performance

by Corinna Rezzelle

Students run the show before their performance. And then on the decided upon date and time, they perform!

Slide Deck Lesson 12

# Playwriting

Lesson 12 of 13 in Devising Unit

Final Rehearsal & Performance

by Corinna Rezzelle

Students run the show before their performance. And then on the decided upon date and time, they perform!

Slide Deck Lesson 12

# Playwriting # devising # playwriting

Lesson 6 of 7 in Unit Five: Intro to Script Writing Unit

Final Revision Rehearsal

by Lindsay Johnson

In this lesson, students will revise their set designs and scripts to achieve “Meets” or “Exceeds” on the rubrics. They will also give peer feedback and rehearse their scenes for vocal clarity, expression, and open body.

Slide Deck

# Playwriting # playwriting # middle school friendly

From Speech to Playwriting

by Lindsay Price

The speech is a great gateway to teach students about how to write a monologue.

Use this lesson to identify the similarities between a speech and a monologue. Students will analyze a speech, identify what makes a good speech, and learn that the same qualities apply when it comes to writing a good monologue. They will write their own speech in pairs, and adapt their speech into a monologue.

# Playwriting # playwriting # monologue

Group Playwriting

by Karen Loftus

In this highly structured exercise, students work in groups and use clearly defined goals to create the dialogue of a scene.
Each member of the group has an assigned task and contributes to the final creation.

# Playwriting # Group Activities # playwriting # group activities

Lesson 8 of 11 in Playwriting Unit: Beginner Unit

How Do You Give Feedback?

by Lindsay Price

The first draft is due in this class. The class will begin with a feedback exercise. Then students will read their draft aloud and receive feedback.

# Playwriting # playwriting

Lesson 1 of 6 in Self-Management Playwriting Unit

Introduction

by Lindsay Price

In this introduction lesson, students will discuss the challenges of writing a play. They will learn the definition of self-management and discuss how they use self-management in their day-to-day lives. Students will then choose a topic that they care about and identify what they know about it, what questions they have, and how they’re going to answer those questions.

# Playwriting

Lesson 1 of 7 in Monologue Writing Made Easy Unit

Introduction to Monologue Writing

by Matthew Banaszynski

Students will start the process of writing a monologue by storytelling. They will tell a story based only on what they observe in a picture.

Slide Deck Lesson 1
Pictures

# Playwriting # Acting # monologue # playwriting # acting

Lesson 1 of 4 in Spoken Word Poetry Unit

Introduction to Spoken Word Poetry

by Quincy Young

An introduction to the concept of the spoken word performance using examples and self-reflection.

Slide Deck Lesson 1

# Playwriting

Lesson 3 of 6 in Self-Management Playwriting Unit

Maintain Focus and Engagement

by Lindsay Price

Students have a goal, a strategy, a plan of action, and processes. It’s now time to start writing. Students will have one class period to start writing their play, and then they’re going to be on their own. Will students be able to maintain focus and engagement with their writing to get done what needs to be done without someone overseeing their work?

# Playwriting

Lesson 5 of 6 in Self-Management Playwriting Unit

Maintain Focus and Engagement

by Lindsay Price

This lesson provides students with class time to work on their plays. Will students be able to maintain focus and engagement with their writing to get done what needs to be done without someone overseeing their work?

# Playwriting

Lesson 4 of 6 in Self-Management Playwriting Unit

Midway Reflection

by Lindsay Price

In this lesson, which happens after students have spent some time on their own writing their plays, students will discuss their strategies and plans of action, identify any changes, discuss how they’re feeling about their writing, and complete a Midway Reflection.

# Playwriting

Lesson 3 of 7 in Playwriting: Part 1 Unit

Monologue

by Lindsay Price

In this lesson, students will analyze existing monologues, identify the criteria for a good monologue, and write their own monologues in the practice session.

Session 3 Slide Deck

# Playwriting # playwriting