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Why write a play?
Unlike stories, plays are stories written to be performed. Performing the stories of our lives
is not only an innate human instinct (think about playing any childhood imaginary game) but is also a
constructive way to work towards an understanding of ourselves and our world. Plays ask an audience
to respond to the live action of a story unfolding in front of them. Therefore, plays address our
need for community, even if the audience/actor communion lasts only for two hours. Plays can be
written to enlighten, to entertain, to challenge, or even to shock an audience, but, because they are
performed live, they create a kind of delight and communion that is unique.
Writing a play seems hard.
Remember, writing a play is very similar to writing a story. The main difference is that in writing
a play, you need to move the action forward using dialogue. Instead of describing what is happening,
the action unfolds through characters speaking to one another – through dialogue. And because in a
well-thought-out play, the characters need things from one another and are trying to solve a problem
(conflict), how a character speaks is as important as what he or she says. For example, how do you
ask your mother for an important Christmas present? How do you tell your best friend that she has a
big bug in her hair? What if you are angry at your best friend? Does this change the way in
which you would tell her about the bug? Would you even tell her? No doubt, you can answer all
of these questions by hearing in your head the exact words you would say. That's dialogue. And
the fun thing about writing dialogue is that different characters speak differently from one another. To
write good dialogue, you really need to hear your characters speaking in your head and to capture their
unique voices on paper.
But having characters talk to one another isn't interesting on its own.
That's right. There is more to writing a play. That's why you can click on the links below for
lots of playwriting resources. Find out about the different parts of a play. Read plays written
by past winners of the Festival. Check out the exercises you can download to get you thinking about
what kind of play you might like to write. You can even use the exercises as games to play with a group
of friends or in your classroom. If you are a teacher, these exercises provide a jumpstart for in-class
playwriting. Finally, there is a list of resources if you need or want more information.
If you would like to speak to
someone at the theater, you can send e-mail to: Joyce
Casey
Start your
play today!
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