Playwriting

Great plays, the one's we remember, have one thing in common...
​they contain the power to provoke.

Allowing your play to be driven by your theme can 1) give you a central idea and protect you from too much dialogue or sub-plots and 2) allow your audience to connect and empathize. Allow your character to discover through the conflict a truth or idea that compels. 

During this unit, we will explore the following in order to craft a short play:

• Conflict
• Style/Language
• Character
• Structure
• Theme

When all of these devices are incorporated, a complete work of fiction is created that provokes and compels us to see your perception of the world.

​Choosing how you are going to communicate your theme is the first step in writing a play. 

Harlem
BY LANGSTON HUGHES
What happens to a dream deferred? 
      Does it dry up 
      like a raisin in the sun? 
      Or fester like a sore
      And then run? 
      Does it stink like rotten meat? 
      Or crust and sugar over— 
      like a syrupy sweet? 
      Maybe it just sags 
      like a heavy load. 
      Or does it explode?

Raisin in the Sun
​By: Lorraine Hansberry

Raisin in the Sun Summary

Raisin in the Sun

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Play Template

Template for Play
File Size:	11 kb
File Type:	docx

Download File

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Character