Download Writing Drama

Writing drama
We going to look at
ways of writing
about drama so
you can give your
analysis of action
and character.
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First you will need to select a play. This could be
one that your class will read together. You may
choose to study a play in small groups. You may
negotiate with your teacher to study a film or video.
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Obviously you should think about the characters when
reading the play. Keep a record on all the main
characters. You could include:
• Your first impressions of each character. Remember to
give evidence to explain your impressions. It might be
something they say or do. Or it may be something that
other characters reveal.
• The main things that they do in the play.
• Whether they change in any way during the play.
• The reasons for any changes that happen to them.
• If they don’t change, does that say something
important about the type of character they are?
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For example, in a play called ‘An Inspector Calls’ a
rich family are forced to consider the way they have
treated poor people badly. The father, Arthur Birling,
doesn’t change in any way because he is just so
completely selfish. His daughter, Sheila, on the
other hand, changes her attitudes completely during
the play. So, the author allows us to see how some
people can mend their ways but other people refuse
to accept their responsibilities for how they behave
towards people who are less fortunate.
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Another thing to think about is the
play’s…
GENRE
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Genre just means the type of play or video.
A Western is a genre.
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Did you get them all?
Romance
Spy
Science Fiction
Ghost
Comedy
Tragedy
Detective
History
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Once you have decided on the genre of the play
you should note down what your expectations will
be. For example, if it is a romance story then you
may well expect that, despite any problems that
happen to the couple at the centre, they will be
happy at the end.
If it is a detective genre then you may well expect
the criminal to be caught by the end.
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Once you have decided the genre you will
have other expectations besides the ending.
In a ‘whodunnit’ you may well expect the
investigator to be honest and trustworthy.
In a history play you will probably expect ALL
the events in the play to take place in the past.
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Once you have finished your study and are
writing about the play you can comment on
whether it met your expectations or not.
Sometimes writers deliberately create
expectations and then change them so that the
play surprises the audience.
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As well as considering character and genre it is
very useful to develop the skill of writing about
key scenes in a play.
A key scene will be one which is very important
in the play. The climax to a play is an obvious key
scene but there will be more than one in most
good plays.
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Once you have selected a scene to comment
on, you should be prepared to do the following:
• Give a synopsis of the scene
• Explain why it is important
• Consider stage directions
• Consider atmosphere
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A synopsis is just a brief summary of the main
things that happen. For example there is a key
scene in a play called ‘Our Day Out’ by Willy
Russell.
Whoever reads my essay may not be familiar with
the scene so I need to let them know what I’m
writing about.
A synopsis of the scene might read:
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This scene takes place on a cliff-top towards the
end of the pupils’ day out. Carol doesn’t want to
return to her home and has wandered off. The
strict teacher, Briggs, finds her and insists that she
come down. She refuses and they argue. Carol
eventually agrees but nearly falls to her death just
as she moves away from the edge. Briggs saves
her.
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You then need to explain why the scene is
important. So, in our example you might write:
This is a key scene because it shows how
desperate Carol is not to return to the hometown
she hates. When she argues with Briggs we see
a new side to her because she explains her
ideas very clearly and normally she says very
little. She has thought a lot about school and
teachers. It is also important because it marks a
turning point for Briggs. Until now he has had no
time for the pupils as people. Suddenly he learns
to understand that they are not wild animals to be
controlled by strict discipline but human beings
with feelings and fears.
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Stage directions are written by the playwright giving
ideas to the actors on how they should move or say
things. They can play an important part in contributing
to a scene. Returning to our example again, we notice
that the more Briggs tries to persuade Carol to come
away from the edge, the closer she moves to it. This
creates tension in the audience because we don’t
know what will happen. Up until now the play has been
a comedy but the writer surprises us by suddenly
making it seem like it might be a tragedy.
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Another way the stage directions are used in the
play is that just as Carol relents and decides to
descend from the cliff, just when the audience is
starting to relax again, she slips and nearly falls to
her death. Briggs grabs her and saves her. He then
gives her a hug. Again, the stage direction is
important because it shows him changing and
having a human side with the pupils.
So, you can see how when writing about how a
character changes, the notes you make on stage
directions in a key scene can be used.
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Atmosphere is another important element to
consider when writing about a key scene. Lighting,
music, sound effects and costume can all contribute
to atmosphere.
A key scene in Shakespeare’s Macbeth is the
opening scene. Three witches meet on a heath.
Directors often create an evil and foreboding
atmosphere by the use of the lighting (dark or with
lightning flashes), the sound (thunder and wind) and
the costumes (often dark and ragged).
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Plenary
Analysing a play
is different to
just reading it
for pleasure.
As we progress
we learn to
account for the
pleasure or
disappointment
we have
experienced.
Thinking about character
development and the
components of key scenes
will help you to elaborate
your response.
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