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Part of the Distance Learning Curriculum

Playwriting: Part 1

Created by Lindsay Price

Every drama program should have a playwriting unit. Playwriting applies creative thinking skills and, through feedback and revision, critical thinking skills. Playwriting also allows students to engage in self-expression. It is a powerful act to take one’s thoughts, give them to a character, and have them said aloud.

Playwriting can be a practical task-driven process that any student can accomplish, given the right parameters. This playwriting unit is broken into two parts. This unit is Part 1.

Part 1 is a standalone playwriting unit for beginning writers. Students go step by step through the elements of the playwriting process, which culminates in a short scene, monologue, and character profile. All the exercises can be done synchronously in your class sessions or small groups through breakout rooms.

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Overview
The overview lays out the lessons within the unit, including time management and technology requirements.
Additional Attachments
1: What is a Playwright?
Students write on their preconceived notions about playwriting, their expectations and fears, and identify actions: What does a playwright do?
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2: Where Do Ideas Come From?
In this lesson, students will explore different methods of gathering ideas.
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3: Monologue
In this lesson, students will analyze existing monologues, identify the criteria for a good monologue, and write their own monologues in the practice session.
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4: Dialogue
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.
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5: Character
Character is one of the backbone elements of a good play. In this lesson, students will work on a character profile.
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6: Conflict
Along with character, conflict is one of the backbone elements of a good play. In this lesson, students will work on a conflict profile.
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7: Unit Project
The final project for Part 1 of this unit is for students to write examples of what has been explored so far in the following way: • A two-person, one-location, one-page scene. • Each character has a want, there is an obstacle to their want, and they apply tactics to get what they want. • A separate (ie: not included in the scene) half-page monologue for one of the characters in the scene. • A character profile for each of the characters. The objective is for students to apply all the elements they’ve learned so far in dramatic writing.
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Standards Addressed

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