Option B: Playwriting (continued)

Lessons Five and Six: Introduction to Playwriting

Students writing plays must remember that a play or scene is not simply characters talking. Plays contain conflict of one kind or another.

In his book Backwards and Forwards (1983), David Ball describes the action of a play as stasis, intrusion and the battle for new stasis initiated by intrusion. He explains this in the following way: "Dramatic stasis occurs when things would go on the same way forever if something didn't come along and happen. Dramatic intrusion is the thing that comes along and happens, setting free the irresistible forces that run a play from that point on" (p. 23).

About dramatic dialogue Ball says, "A human being talks in order to get what he or she wants" (p. 27). Ball goes on to explain that a play's dramatic conflict is between what a character wants and what comes between that want and the character getting it (the "obstacle"). Ball says, "A character's want is opposed by some hindrance -- by some obstacle. A character talks to manoeuvre another character or characters in such a way that the obstacle to the want is removed. To understand a line of dialogue you must know what the speaker wants ..." (p. 31).

• explore, develop and convey their ideas through drama

The following describes an exercise the students can do to practise writing dramatic dialogue. Have the students cut pictures of various characters, locations and objects from different types of magazines. Include a wide range of characters from various professions and walks of life, such as soldiers, politicians, nurses, teenagers, the very wealthy, etc. Place the characters, locations and objects in three containers and have the students reach in and draw out two characters, one location and one object. Ask each student to write a short scene which incorporates his or her selected characters, location and object.

Ask the students the following questions to get them started. Sample answers to the questions are provided, based on the assumption that a student has drawn pictures of two working people (characters), a park (location) and a box of chocolates (object).

• What is the point of "stasis" at the beginning of the play? ("Two strangers having lunch on a park bench. They've exchanged a few words about the nice weather, and do not see each other as threatening. If nothing happens, they will finish their lunches and go back to work.")
• What happens that interrupts this stasis? What is the intrusion? ("One of the characters -- we'll call her Marianne -- takes out a small box of gourmet chocolates.")
• What do the two characters want? ("The one without the chocolates -- let's call him Bob -- really, really loves chocolate. He wants one of Marianne's chocolates. Marianne, who is usually very careful to eat nutritious food, is treating herself and has been looking forward to the chocolates all morning. She wants them all.")
• What is the obstacle for each character? ("For Bob, it's the fact that Marianne is a stranger. He can't just say, `May I please have a chocolate?' For Marianne, Bob becomes the obstacle once she figures out that he's got his eye on her chocolates. So the scene becomes Bob trying to get Marianne to offer him a chocolate without seeming too presumptuous, and Marianne trying to keep the chocolates without seeming rude or selfish.")

This is a simplistic example, but one that students could have fun writing. For practice, teachers could perhaps have all students write a page or so of dialogue based on the above scenario. Students could then write their scene with the characters, location and object they've drawn themselves.

• demonstrate commitment to roles assumed within the dramatic situation

When the writing activity is completed, divide the class into groups and have each student assign roles in his or her scene for other students to read aloud. Students should not assume roles in their own scenes so they are free to listen. Each student's scene should be read aloud to the group. Discuss each scene in order to help students understand stasis, intrusion, wants and obstacles.