Passionfruit Theatre Company, 9 Northgate St. Athlone. www.passionfruittheatre.com How to write a play? (How to write anything !) Inspiration and organisation (creative). Information and organisation (factual). Most works fail through lack of organisation.

How to write a play? (How to write anything !)

Inspiration and organisation (creative).

Information and organisation (factual).

Most works fail through lack of organisation.

Therefore… Never think of your experience as useless or unusable. The artist is someone who makes things visible. He/she shows us how to see things that are usually concelaed

Never think of your experience as useless or unusable.

The artist is someone who makes things visible.

He/she shows us how to see things that are usually concelaed

Where to begin…? Write about what you know. Begin with yourself and work out. Don’t begin ‘out there’ and work back. Work out your own hidden strengths. Eg. Don’t try to be tragic if your real strength is for comedy. Write about your own place.

Write about what you know.

Begin with yourself and work out.

Don’t begin ‘out there’ and work back.

Work out your own hidden strengths.

Eg. Don’t try to be tragic if your real strength is for comedy.

Write about your own place.

How to continue… Find your own ‘voice’. T.S Eliot (the poet) said that writing has three ‘voices’. Biography. Journalism. Writing with resonance .

Find your own ‘voice’.

T.S Eliot (the poet) said that writing has three ‘voices’.

Biography.

Journalism.

Writing with resonance .

What does that mean…! It means that creative writing is an imaginative interpretation of reality that ‘lasts’. The same is true of all art (painting, sculpture, films even etc.) Object – imagination – work of art. Object – work of art, is not art. A painting is not a photograph (but photography can be ‘arty’.)

It means that creative writing is an imaginative interpretation of reality that ‘lasts’.

The same is true of all art (painting, sculpture, films even etc.)

Object – imagination – work of art.

Object – work of art, is not art.

A painting is not a photograph (but photography can be ‘arty’.)

Why creative writing? “ It is a strange paradox of literature that it is almost easier to arrive at truth by means of a fiction than in any other way.” Anthony Cronin, The Last Modernist (biography of Samuel Beckett.) The same is true of acting. The same is true of painting. The same is true of poetry. The same is true of all art.

“ It is a strange paradox of literature that it is almost easier to arrive at truth by means of a fiction than in any other way.” Anthony Cronin, The Last Modernist (biography of Samuel Beckett.)

The same is true of acting.

The same is true of painting.

The same is true of poetry.

The same is true of all art.

So, back to drama. Let drama be dramatic. Don’t have it pretending to be something else. Genre. Great writers are great readers. Some overlapping of boundaries is allowed. Residual and emergent elements. Accept the rules, then use them to your advantage. No original stories. Only your own original ‘slant’. All stories are love stories.

Let drama be dramatic. Don’t have it pretending to be something else.

Genre. Great writers are great readers.

Some overlapping of boundaries is allowed.

Residual and emergent elements.

Accept the rules, then use them to your advantage.

No original stories. Only your own original ‘slant’.

All stories are love stories.

Specific points to help you. Does your play have a narrator? The narrator can be ‘inside’ or ‘outside’ the action. (Brian Friel, Dancing at Lughnasa ) A narrator connects ‘unconnected’ scenes, particular in ‘memory’ plays. A narrator provides the audience with essential information. A narrator speeds up the action. Shakespeare uses narration in the form of solilioquy/monologue. In films the ‘voice-over’ technique is used.

Does your play have a narrator?

The narrator can be ‘inside’ or ‘outside’ the action. (Brian Friel, Dancing at Lughnasa )

A narrator connects ‘unconnected’ scenes, particular in ‘memory’ plays.

A narrator provides the audience with essential information.

A narrator speeds up the action.

Shakespeare uses narration in the form of solilioquy/monologue.

In films the ‘voice-over’ technique is used.

The ‘musts’ of dramatic writing. Narrative. (Your play must tell a story, with beginning, middle and end, but not necessarily in that order.) Humour. Shock/surprise. Dialogue. Use all the stage. Don’t have your characters constantly vertical. Use all the variations of the human form.

Narrative. (Your play must tell a story, with beginning, middle and end, but not necessarily in that order.)

Humour.

Shock/surprise.

Dialogue.

Use all the stage.

Don’t have your characters constantly vertical.

Use all the variations of the human form.

Dialogue. The essential part of all good plays. Can be suitable for time and place ( = setting) and character. But doesn’t have to be! (Eg. Shakespeare is often given modern costumes and a modern setting.) Vary the register. Put in a few screams!

The essential part of all good plays.

Can be suitable for time and place ( = setting) and character.

But doesn’t have to be! (Eg. Shakespeare is often given modern costumes and a modern setting.)

Vary the register. Put in a few screams!

Characters. Contrasting. Different personalities. Different view of the world. Different function in the play. Different relationship with other characters. “ We all know how to take care of our enemies. It’s from our friends that we need protection.” Sigmund Freud.

Contrasting.

Different personalities.

Different view of the world.

Different function in the play.

Different relationship with other characters.

“ We all know how to take care of our enemies. It’s from our friends that we need protection.” Sigmund Freud.

Conflict. Every good play, film, etc. has this. Internal or external. Allows for dramatic language. Allows for dramatic action (actor ‘storms off’, some else ‘storms in’.) Allows for visual impact. Allows for technical back-up (sound effects, change of lighting to add to effect.) Shakespeare expert at conflict. King Lear.

Every good play, film, etc. has this.

Internal or external.

Allows for dramatic language.

Allows for dramatic action (actor ‘storms off’, some else ‘storms in’.)

Allows for visual impact.

Allows for technical back-up (sound effects, change of lighting to add to effect.)

Shakespeare expert at conflict. King Lear.

The production. This refers to the overall effect of the ‘bits’ when their all put together. Style of acting, movement, setting, scenery, lighting, costumes, music, sound effects. Who will play the lead? A well known person or an unknown person? Can Hamlet be played by a woman? Can she be gay? Production is the responsibility of the director, and of the choices he/she makes with regard to the staging of the play.

This refers to the overall effect of the ‘bits’ when their all put together.

Style of acting, movement, setting, scenery, lighting, costumes, music, sound effects.

Who will play the lead? A well known person or an unknown person?

Can Hamlet be played by a woman? Can she be gay?

Production is the responsibility of the director, and of the choices he/she makes with regard to the staging of the play.

An important quotation. “ There is a great neglect of that great provincial hinterland represented by Mullingar, Roscrea, Kilkenny and Athlone where the real dynamism of change and development is centred. When our city writers go down the country they invariably head for exotic places like Ballyferriter and Achill, bypassing a whole provincial ethos in a blur of alternating grey and green.”

“ There is a great neglect of that great provincial hinterland represented by Mullingar, Roscrea, Kilkenny and Athlone where the real dynamism of change and development is centred. When our city writers go down the country they invariably head for exotic places like Ballyferriter and Achill, bypassing a whole provincial ethos in a blur of alternating grey and green.”