Playwriting/Projects & Assessments

Song Lyric Scenes

• Project – Have the students divide into small groups or pairs and select one of their favorite songs that is not from a musical.  Working from the lyrics and drawing inspiration from the music itself, the students will write a scene.  They can use direct quotes from the lyrics if they choose, but they do not have to.  The purpose of the assignment is to capture the quality of the song in a spoken word scene.
• Assessment – Written scene and performance that expresses the ideas in a song.

Monologues from Images

• Project – Bring in a number of visual images depicting a single person.  Have the students select an image that inspires them or speaks to them in a meaningful way.  Coach the students to each create a character for the person in the image by talking about the physicalization, facial expression, background, clothing and anything else relevant to the image.  Have each of the students assume the physical positions of the people in their images and free associate words that are prompted by their bodies (The students could work in pairs so one speaks and the other records the words).  Using the list of words and the analysis of the image, the students will create written monologues for their characters.
• Assessment – Written monologue that expresses themes within the image.

Scenes from Images

• Project – This project is the same as the monologue exercise, but this time the images are of multiple people and the written text should be in dialogue form.  The written scene should have a clear beginning, middle and end.  Students should work in small groups and consider the individual characters as well as the group relationships.
• Assessment – Written dialogue that expresses the themes within the image.

Personifying Inanimate Objects

• Project – Have the students select an object that they interact with on a daily basis (e.g., coffee maker, alarm clock, backpack).  Ask the students to shape their bodies like that object and create a sound that represents how that object might communicate.  Playing in parallel, have the students speak freely for 1-2 minutes as their objects.  Have them record and edit this text to create an original monologue.
• Assessment – Monologue written from an object’s perspective.

Short Story Adaptation

• Project – Have each student select a short story from a given list (or bring one in for approval).  After they have read the story, ask them to storyboard it.  Creating a storyboard requires the students to think about the story frame by framing, drawing pictures for each important moment accompanied by key lines from the text.  Working off their storyboards, have the students create dialogue for the characters, incorporate scenic elements and develop preliminary stage directions.  The students should edit their own scripts and work in pairs or small groups to critique and edit one another’s work until a final version is written.
• Assessment – Final script based on a story, evidence of earlier drafts, storyboard and critiques of own work and the work of others.

New Endings

• Project – Choose a one act or full length play that is unfamiliar to the class.  Either read the full play or read up to a certain point.  As a class, brainstorm alternate endings or possible endings given the characters and preliminary action.  In small groups, the students will write a new ending for the play and then either read it or perform it for the rest of the class.  Compare and contrast the variety of endings created.  Read the original ending if the class has not done so already.  Be sure to notify students if they should include stage directions as they write.
• Assessment – Development and presentation of an original ending to a play.

Ten-minute Plays

• Project – Drawing on personal experiences, have the students tell one another stories in small groups or pairs.  Either give topics or let the students choose their own.  These small groups will become writing groups for the reminder of the assignment.  These groups will serve as peer reviewers, advisors and editors.  After telling stories, each student will storyboard her idea, create a list of characters and decide upon a time and place.  Building on the storyboards, the students will write scripts that dramatize and (perhaps) fictionalize their original stories.  They can use the people in their groups to experiment with their developing dialogue and help generate more ideas.  This project could culminate in a ten-minute play festival.
• Assessment – Written ten-minute play, storyboards, evidence of rough drafts and critiques of own work and the work of others.