10 Tips For Writing Your Own Play
1. Read plays. Read any dialogue out loud; perform a few scenes with friends.
2. Choose your story. Many plays begin as novels, short stories, or fables. What will you choose? It's still your play if you add scenes and dialogue. Copying a story can get you into trouble, so use only the basic plot from the original. And remember to credit the author of the story you use.
3. Understand plotting, of course, you can also choose to write something original. If you do, try these ideas: Begin with action; make characters seem like real people; have a major character who wants something that's important but hard to get; and make every word count.
4. Keep it Short. Start with a one-act play of no more than four scenes; don't let actors get dizzy running around.
5. Keep it simple. Write a play that can be performed in everyday clothes or simple costumes. Don't worry about whether props look "real"; if the story and acting are good, the audience will hardly notice if the "tree" is a ladder.
6. Keep the cast small. TOO many characters make a plot hard to follow. Stick with two or three major roles plus a few "extras."
7. Know what you'll do with your play. Will you show it to your family for fun? Enter a playwriting contest? Sell tickets to the public?
8. Format your script so actors can understand what you want. Reading other plays will help you learn the basic format. Make it easy for actors to tell directions from dialogue, and obvious who speaks when. And remember: "Stage right" means the actors' right, not the audience's right.
9. Rewrite at least once. After completing your first draft, put it aside for a week, then reread it to see what needs improvement. (Something always does!) It can help to have someone else read it, too.
10. Rehearse! Even if this is a school project and won't be produced, it'll be a better play if you gather some friends and perform your play for practice; only then will you know if it really works.
Bonus Tip
Have fun! Don't fret about getting things perfect. Enjoy your play!
And remember Appleseeds when you become the next Shakespeare!
By Katherine Swartz
2. Choose your story. Many plays begin as novels, short stories, or fables. What will you choose? It's still your play if you add scenes and dialogue. Copying a story can get you into trouble, so use only the basic plot from the original. And remember to credit the author of the story you use.
3. Understand plotting, of course, you can also choose to write something original. If you do, try these ideas: Begin with action; make characters seem like real people; have a major character who wants something that's important but hard to get; and make every word count.
4. Keep it Short. Start with a one-act play of no more than four scenes; don't let actors get dizzy running around.
5. Keep it simple. Write a play that can be performed in everyday clothes or simple costumes. Don't worry about whether props look "real"; if the story and acting are good, the audience will hardly notice if the "tree" is a ladder.
6. Keep the cast small. TOO many characters make a plot hard to follow. Stick with two or three major roles plus a few "extras."
7. Know what you'll do with your play. Will you show it to your family for fun? Enter a playwriting contest? Sell tickets to the public?
8. Format your script so actors can understand what you want. Reading other plays will help you learn the basic format. Make it easy for actors to tell directions from dialogue, and obvious who speaks when. And remember: "Stage right" means the actors' right, not the audience's right.
9. Rewrite at least once. After completing your first draft, put it aside for a week, then reread it to see what needs improvement. (Something always does!) It can help to have someone else read it, too.
10. Rehearse! Even if this is a school project and won't be produced, it'll be a better play if you gather some friends and perform your play for practice; only then will you know if it really works.
Bonus Tip
Have fun! Don't fret about getting things perfect. Enjoy your play!
And remember Appleseeds when you become the next Shakespeare!
By Katherine Swartz
Labels: tip
posted by Alex @ 1:07 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home