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Whether you are a writer needing a jumpstart, or a teacher searching for fun playwriting activities for your
students, we hope the following suggestions will be helpful.
Most middle school writers understand and can use story form. Thus, with this age group we focus on the
concept of character "voice" as a way to get at the skills needed to write interesting dialogue and
specific characters. Because finding a character's voice necessitates exploring both social dynamics and
individual traits, it challenges students to use their curiosity about and growing understanding of human
behavior. In this vein, in addition to the suggestions below, consider adapting suggestions in the Elementary
section which address ways for students to dramatize their own life experiences.
Look at several famous portraits one at a time. Based on the visual cues in the portrait, ask students to adopt
the voice of the subject and write in the voice of the subject what they were thinking.
Since many middle school students have a limited exposure to play going and play reading, read one of the plays
suggested below out loud (or, if time is an issue, choose a highly dramatic scene to photocopy for
students). Try to make the play reading as enjoyable as possible. The goal here is not the literary
analysis of the work, but rather an appreciation for the special live qualities of drama. Examples
-
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
- The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
- The Rainmaker by N. Richard Nash
- A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
If students have more exposure to the theater, or seem interested in non-realistic plays, see the suggested
plays in the Senior High section (although please note that some of these contain more controversial language
and/or material).
Explain the idea of "voice" as the unique way in which characters express who they are through
the specific words they use. Ask students to look at the play they have read (see above) and to pick
out specific phrases from one character's dialogue that help them to "see" the character. Ask
them to explain how these word choices promote character voice clarity.
Ask students to write the exact words that the suggested characters (below) would say in the given
situation. Students should work independently, trying to really "see" the character in their
heads before writing dialogue. Follow with sharing and discussion. Examples:
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An older woman has fallen in her bathroom and needs help
- A little bird is lost in the woods, searching for his mother
- A single mother is tired and wants her 13-year-old son to make dinner
- You want to tell the boy/girl you like that there is gum in his/her hair
- A novel is lost in the non-fiction area of the library and can't find her way back
The more inventive and unique the word choices made, the more a specific character comes through.
Ask pairs of students to write a 20-line dialogue (conversation between
two characters) using a given
conflict. Ask partnered students to brainstorm about the specifics of the scene before writing,
the "who, what, why", etc. After writing, have students duplicate their scenes and
"act" them out, with the class listening for and then commenting on the moments where the
dialogue really works to either push the conflict forward or to illuminate character. Choose conflicts
of great magnitude to stimulate student interest. Examples:
- A wants B to commit a crime with him/her
- A needs B to let him/her leave home>
- A needs to profess his/her love for B (who is in love with someone else)
- A is B's boss and friend, but must fire him/her
For more conflict ideas, ask students to brainstorm about compelling conflicts in movies, books, or in
their own lives, asking them to figure out WHY the conflict was compelling to them.
Start your
play today!
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