Playwriting Lesson Plans
A library of lesson plans to help you effectively plan your workshops and classes.
Monologue Writing
by Matthew Banaszynski
Students will start writing their own monologue, using a pre-selected phrase as a starting point.
Monologue Writing
Monologue Writing: The Need to Speak
by Lindsay Price
Students will complete exercises that demonstrate how a character’s need to speak results in a better monologue. They will then write a monologue that applies this knowledge.
Monologue Writing: The Need to Speak
Monologues
by Lindsay Price
In this lesson, students will analyze existing monologues, identify the criteria for a good monologue, and write their own monologue in the practice session.
Monologues
More Minds Are Better Than One
by Matthew Banaszynski
Students will work in groups to turn their previous drafts into completed monologues.
More Minds Are Better Than One
Nonverbal Monologue
by Lindsay Price
Students start the monologue process nonverbally. They will present an entrance, an action, and an exit that shows a story without dialogue. In a monologue, the physical body is an important communication tool—just as important as dialogue. And that’s the focus of this lesson. Physical action can demonstrate location, mood, age, and subtext.
- Physical Warmups
Nonverbal Monologue
One-Line Monologue
by Lindsay Price
Students further develop what they learned during the nonverbal monologue exercise by adding a single sentence. How can you communicate a character to an audience when you only have limited dialogue?
One-Line Monologue
Partner Scene Brainstorming
by Lindsay Johnson
In this lesson, students will create a scene outline by brainstorming and selecting the key foundations of their scene (setting, relationships, and conflicting objectives).
Partner Scene Brainstorming
Peer Script Workshopping
by Lindsay Johnson
In this lesson, students will review and help workshop a peer’s script before hearing feedback and making changes to their own scripts.
Peer Script Workshopping
Performance
by Quincy Young
Students will demonstrate mastery by presenting their original spoken word pieces for both a written and performance grade.
Performance
Performing a Monologue
by Matthew Banaszynski
Students will perform their monologues in front of the class and reflect on the process.
Performing a Monologue
Physicalization / Stage Movement
by Corinna Rezzelle
Students explore how body language can show a story (i.e. how someone is feeling, character traits, relationships between characters, etc.). The lesson culminates in students using a physical elliptical scene (a scene with just stage directions) and adding movements, gestures, and body language.
Physicalization / Stage Movement
Physicalization / Stage Movement
by Corinna Rezzelle
Students explore how body language can show a story (i.e. how someone is feeling, character traits, relationships between characters, etc.). The lesson culminates in students using a physical elliptical scene (a scene with just stage directions) and adding movements, gestures, and body language.
Physicalization / Stage Movement
Playwriting: Analyzing and Applying a Form
by Lindsay Price
Use this as part of a playwriting unit or a devising unit. The goal of the lesson is to show students different ways to explore a theme through writing. Not every scene has to be linear, and not every scene has to follow a traditional format.
Students will read existing scenes that apply a specific form for a scene. They will analyze those scenes and then apply their knowledge by writing their own scene.
Playwriting: Analyzing and Applying a Form
Playwriting: Forms and Prompts
by Lindsay Price
Use this lesson at the beginning of a playwriting unit, or a devising unit. Students practice the act of choosing a form for a scene and a prompt as a starting point. Drive home for students the importance of execution - instead of students ruminating on the perfect idea, they choose a form, choose a prompt and execute. The goal of the lesson is to show students that there are many different ways to form a theatrical piece and that execution is more useful to moving a piece forward than being stuck on the idea.
Playwriting: Forms and Prompts
Post-Show Discussion and Reflection
by Corinna Rezzelle
This lesson happens after the performance. Post-show discussion questions are included as well as a post-show reflection.
Post-Show Discussion and Reflection
Post-Show Discussion and Reflection
by Corinna Rezzelle
This lesson happens after the performance. Post-show discussion questions are included as well as a post-show reflection.
Post-Show Discussion and Reflection
Post-Writing Reflection
by Lindsay Price
Students will discuss and reflect on how they successfully or less-than-successfully engaged with writing a play using self-management skills. Were they able to write independently? Did they use the tools and actions they laid out in their plans of action? Students will then complete a Unit Reflection and a Self-Assessment worksheet.
Post-Writing Reflection
Practice, Performance, Reflection
by Lindsay Price
In these last two lessons, students will focus on the performance aspect of playwriting. It’s important to include performance in the unit because the ultimate goal of all plays is to be performed (rather than read). Students have the opportunity to rehearse in groups, present to the class, and then reflect on their experience with the unit.
Practice, Performance, Reflection
Pre-Knowledge and the Definition of Adaptation
by Lindsay Price
In this lesson, students will participate in a couple of hook activities for theatrical adaptation and discuss the definition for adaptation that we will apply throughout the unit.
Pre-Knowledge and the Definition of Adaptation
Preparing to Rewrite
by Lindsay Price
For some students, the first draft is the final draft. I got to the end. I’m done. For some students, writer’s block sinks in quickly after a couple of scenes. Use this lesson plan in the middle of a playwriting unit, after your students have completed some writing on a play - either a first draft or even a couple of scenes. When your students aren’t sure how to move their writing forward - ask questions, define purpose, address writer’s block.
