CW Module 10.pdf

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SHS CREATIVE WRITING MODULE
Quarter 2 – Module 10: The Playwright’s One-Act Stage
Write at least one scene for one-act play applying the
various elements, techniques, and literary devices.
Republic Act 8293, section 176 states that: “No copyright shall subsist in
any work of the Government of the Philippines. However, prior approval of the
government agency or office wherein the work is created shall be necessary
for exploitation of such work for profit. Such agency or office may, among
other things, impose as a condition the payment of royalties.”
Borrowed materials (i.e., songs, stories, poems, pictures, photos, brand
names, trademarks, etc.) included in this book are owned by their respective
copyright holders. Every effort has been exerted to locate and seek permission
to use these materials from their respective copyright owners. The publisher
and authors do not represent nor claim ownership over them.
Regional Director: GILBERT T. SADSAD
Assistant Regional Director: JESSIE L. AMIN
Development Team of the Module
Author: PAMELA G. GARCIA
Editor: JOE-BREN L. CONSUELO
Reviewers: JOE-BREN L. CONSUELO and SDO CAMARINES NORTE
(headed by EMMA V. DASCO)
Illustrators: JOHN LEONARD P. CUIZON
KENNETH OCAMPO
Layout Artist: CRIZ T. NUYLES
Special thanks to award-winning and national artist JOACHIM EMILIO
ANTONIO, Ph.D. for granting permission to use his works The Domestic
Problems of Good King George and William Shakespeare has Left the
Building as sample and analysis works in this module.
www.shsph.blogspot.com

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Introductory Message
For the teacher:
Welcome to the SHS CREATIVE WRITING MODULE!
This module was collaboratively designed, developed and reviewed by
educators from public institutions in Department of Education Region V (Bicol)
to assist you, the teacher in helping the learners meet the standards set by the
K to 12 Curriculum while overcoming their personal, social, and economic
constraints in schooling.
This learning resource hopes to engage the learners into guided and
independent learning activities at their own pace and time. Furthermore, this
also aims to help learners acquire the needed 21st century skills while taking
into consideration their needs and circumstances.
As a teacher, you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this
module. You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing
them to manage their own learning. Furthermore, you are expected to
encourage and assist the learners as they do the tasks included in the module.
For the learner:
Welcome to the SHS CREATIVE WRITING MODULE!
This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful
opportunities for guided and independent learning at your own pace and
time. You will be enabled to process the contents of the learning resource while
being an active learner and at the same time an adventurer. Diego your
learning companion is with you as you embark in this learning journey. You will
transport in the different realms to learn and perform noteworthy tasks.
If you encounter any difficulty in answering the tasks in this module, do
not hesitate to consult your teacher. Always bear in mind that you are not
alone.
We hope that through this material, you will experience meaningful
learning and gain a deep understanding of the relevant competencies. More
so, use your notebook or a separate sheet of paper in noting significant details
and pieces of information in the different modules and even in accomplishing
the tasks given to you. You can do it!

“You now carry an inexplicable energy and worldview exploring the
Alpha and the current Omega of stage design. I must now tell you that your
journey is also nearing its own Omega my friend. As you finish The Creative
Writer, you and Everyone will finally meet,” Diego remarked.
UNUS SOLUS. There, etched in loud yet gentle marking is the phrase you
have no idea of. Bewildered, you ask Diego what it means.
“ONLY ONE dear writer, that’s what it says. Say it with me. Unus Solus.”
You feel a rush come to you. In a whiff, half of your persona becomes a
quill, light as a feather. You are perplexed of what just happened.
Diego calmly explains, “I am sorry. I needed you to say it yourself so that
you can experience what it means to be one. This is one of the twists you will
learn along the way. Only then you can be ready of the challenge the One-
Act play presents. Unus Solus. It is only one.”
You do not understand. All this time you thought Diego is there to help
you, but now he gave you this new complexity. You feel half your body go
numb.
“You are a playwright,” Diego continues. “There is a mistaken belief that
writing a one act play is somehow easier, requiring less skill, less expertise than
its full-length counterpart. The truth is, it neither harder nor easier to make. It is
different.”
Only then did you understand that the one-act play is its own person,
possessing its own uniqueness and beauty. You journeyed into the One-Act
play’s basics and explored different techniques, elements, and varied literary
devices in the previous chapter. This time, you are going to apply what you
learned and unleash our creative personas and pen a simple one-act play.
You needed to be one with the quill so that you can be only one.
Unus Solus.
SOME REMINDERS:
1. This module contains three (3) Learning About It discussions and
activities which can be accomplished in 3 sessions.
Session 1: Warm Up, Elements of One-Act play, What makes a good
One-Act play
Session 2: Spicing Up with Twists, Keeping you in Practice, Cooling
Down
Session 3: Points to Ponder, Learning Challenge
2. It is recommended for you to observe the following learning
management schedule so that we can avoid information overload
and mental fatigue. You can also devise your own, just remember
that it should be within your learning schedule. As to the pacing of
the sessions, it totally depends on your time management, resources,
and capacity

3. Coordinate with your subject teacher regularly. During these times,
efficient time management and effective communication is key!
4. The module also has external links and sites which you can visit for a
video tutorial of the lessons. You can just copy the URL to your browser
if you are holding a printed copy. If you are viewing this module via
PDF, just click the URL and it will direct you to the site.
Now that you and the quill are one dear playwright keep these terms close,
you will use them in creating your one-act play later!
✓ Antagonist: a person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or
something; an adversary.
✓ Back-story: Information about a character’s past that helps viewers to
better understand the story.
✓ Crisis: A point in the plot when two or more forces confront each other.
✓ Denouement: The period that follows the climax, when any remaining
issues are resolved.
✓ Dialogue: conversation between two or more people as a feature of
a book, play or movie
✓ Exposition: The parts of a script that show what happened previously
and identify the characters and the time and place of the action.
Exposition shouldn’t be spelled out by the characters, rather it should
be an invisible part of the story.
✓ Log line: A compelling one- or two-line description of a screenplay that
sells your idea.
✓ Master scene: All the action and dialogue that occurs within one
setting at a detailed time, preceded by a slug line (see below).
✓ MacGuffin: An object that moves a story forward: For example, a clue,
such as Cinderella’s glass slipper, or something desperately wanted by
a character.
✓ Plot point: A specific occurrence within a script when something
happens to change the direction of the story.
✓ Protagonist/Hero: the leading character or one of the major
characters in a drama, movie, novel other fictional text
✓ Scene: One event in a screenplay, with a beginning, a middle, and an
end; a scene often contains a crisis or confrontation and always
advances the story.
✓ Shot description: A description of the action in a scene. For example:
“Trina, twenty-five, dressed in nurse’s scrubs, enters the hospital corridor
briskly, headed for her patient’s room.” This information follows the slug
line(see below) and is given in lowercase letters.
✓ Slug line: Identifies the time and location of a scene. Follow these
guidelines:

o INT. (interior) and EXT. (exterior) indicate whether the scene is
taking place inside or outside.
o Provide the scene’s location: BARN, BEACH, or LIVING ROOM, for
example.
o Indicate the time of NIGHT or DAY.
o A slug line for one scene might read INT. LIVING ROOM—NIGHT.
The slug line information is always given in capital letters.
✓ Storyboard: Sketches of a script’s scenes that the director uses to plan
the making of the film.
✓ Synopsis: A summary of a script, generally only a few paragraphs long.
✓ Treatment: A breakdown of a story that describes it in just a few pages
(ten to twenty is standard). Often a producer who is considering a
script will ask to have a treatment written to sell him or her on the story.
✓ V.O.: Stands for voice-over and entails commentary by a character or
narrator that is heard from off screen or that is set up as a character’s
thoughts.
You have encountered in The Quests of the Knights and the Pen about the
character, setting, and plot for a one-act play. You even conceptualized
sample for these elements! As we start this module, let me ask you: What makes
a G-O-O-D One-Act Play?
Answer me in just ONE word. Expand your thoughts by creating a
Gnomic Poem of this word. You were challenged in Poetria Wonderland to
make one and I look forward to your outputs! Be guided with these criteria:
All writing is performance. Style performs our voice. What makes the one-
act play different from the short stories, novels, and poems is that this art form
requires attention to visual elements such as costumes, props, and the stage.
But keep in mind that the one-act play started with the richness of a script.
Gnomic Poem Criteria:
Content: 10 pts.
Theme and Style: 5 pts.
Presentation: 5 pts.
Total: 20 pts.
THE SIMPLICITY OF THE ONE-ACT PLAY

Live performance renders your writing into something provisional. The
spoken performance of your language escapes books by this means and
audiences read you as the messenger, not the message, of your writing. In that
sense, you are being read as you stand before an audience.
One-act plays may consist of one or more scenes. The origin of the one-
act play may be traced to the very beginning of drama: in ancient
Greece, Cyclops, a satyr play by Euripides, is an early example.
If plays are the small siblings of movies, then a one act play is the infant
of the family. One act plays are short plays, but complete stories.
• How many scenes does the One-Act play have? There is no required
minimal number of scenes in the One-Act play. However, it is important that
you finish your plot within the scenes you have. It is a good idea to keep
your play to one set and as few scenes as possible in 9-12 pages long.
• How long does the One-Act play last? One-acts can run anywhere from
fifteen minutes to an hour or more. Arguably the most popular length for
one-acts is around a half-hour.
• How many characters should the One-Act play contain? One of the key
elements of one-acts is that it has a simple story plot. It generally has around
1-4 characters. Do not be misinformed that because one-acts have simple
story plots, it does not mean the theme is not as important or grand.
• What is the One-Act Structure? This is the simplest way I can present to you
the structure of one-acts. Remember that it should have all the elements,
encapsulated in this structure:
1. Set the Scene
2. Introduce the character goal(s)
3. Introduce an obstacle to the achievement of the goal(s)
4. Introduce a disaster (the result of a twist if your story has one)
5. Let the character(s) react
6. Resolve the story
Like all drama, one act plays are made up of the same elements that are
necessary for short stories : Theme, Plot, Character, and dialogue.
1. Theme
The one-act needs to have a theme or thought just as a full-length does.
What is the play about? Revenge? Self-discovery? Whatever your choice,
it needs to be clear in your mind what your theme is. In a full-length play, all
A one-act play is a play that has only one act, as distinct from plays that
occur over several acts.
WHAT ARE THE ELEMENTS OF THE ONE-ACT PLAY?

characters, plots, and subplots need to point to and support the theme. The
one-act is not much different, except the subplots will likely be absent.
2. Plot
This is much different in the one-act than in the full-length. For a full-
length play, the plot is the series and sequence of events that lead the hero
(and the audience) on the journey. In a one-act play there is only time for
one significant event. This is the determining place for the hero, where all is
won or lost. Events that led up to this must be incorporated into the script
without the benefit of the audience seeing them. And any events that
follow must be inferred or understood by the audience that they will occur.
3. Character
In the short time that the one-act play is going, it is the hero's event that
the audience is experiencing; again, there is not time for more than that.
Some characteristics of the supporting characters, including the
antagonist, will need to be portrayed for the story to move forward, but it is
the character of the protagonist that is vital to the story line.
4. Dialogue
Economy is the key here. Each line must be crafted carefully to focus on
the theme, the incident, and the character of the protagonist. The dialogue
need not be terse but must be concise and full of meaning. Any lines that
do not point to the focus of the play should be carefully considered whether
they are needed.
1. A good one-act focuses on one main action or problem; there's not
time to get into complicated layers of plot.
2. Write your one-act with the most minimal set and technical
demands possible. Do not complicate your one-act play with so many
set/scene changes.
3. Choose a subject to cover in a brief one scene act play. A short story
works best. Remember to give the one act play the necessary plot,
action and characters to make it a complete story. Research other one
act plays to get ideas and inspiration for yours.
4. Develop the action first, then compose the dialog before you decide
anything else. Keep the plot simple for a one act play and it should move
consistently throughout the play.
5. Develop the characters. Write out a character sketch beforehand to
help you flesh out your characters and bring them to life. Give your
characters a motive in life (or lack thereof) and up the stakes by making
them face a problem. This is central to any story.
WHAT MAKES A GOOD ONE-ACT PLAY?

6. Generate the setting. The setting for a one act play will be one scene,
but you have to still develop the scene so the audience sees everything
about the story line. Include as many of the five sense as you can.
Lighting helps the setting. Make sure you write in notes about how the
lighting should look.
7. Add in the stage directions after you write the action. Write notes about
how each character should respond and what props you'll need. For
example, if the characters should be facing another direction and
talking to another character, note it in the script.
Twist endings are the result of a sudden reversal that prevents the
outcome a character has been working towards. There are five common
types, three that depend on a surprising revelation and two that depend on
the intervention of a surprising event.
REVELATION TWISTS
1. Mistaken Identity: A woman plans her revenge on the man who
cheated her. She crashes her car into him only to discover it was the
man’s twin brother who was responsible.
2. Deceit: A man thinks he is buying an elixir of life but has been lied to by
a huxter and it is actually poison.
3. Misperception: An old man, housebound by age, wants a final look at
the world around him only to discover the environment he roams each
day is actually a pen in an alien zoo.
EVENT TWISTS
1. Accident: A bookworm succeeds in a plot to get locked in a special
collection of books at the library for one night… and breaks his glasses.
2. Competing goals: A couple are unhappily married and wish a divorce.
Each wants to get the bulk of the assets so would rather the other pre-
deceased them. The woman tries to kill her husband with poison, while
he rigs the light switch to produce a fatal shock. He dies first but when
she goes in to check on the body she turns on the light and kills herself.
Excerpt of a Sample Play with Twist:
[SETTING THE SCENE]
NARRATOR: Some say Hell is other people. Today’s story focuses on one such man,
old and frail, and just now questioning whether his self-imposed life-long isolation has
been worth it. We join him as he pushes his wheelchair around his yard on his bit of
daily exercise.
SOUND: OUTDOOR AMBIANCE – BIRDS, A SLIGHT BREEZE, ETC. – ESTABLISH AND
UNDER.
SOUND: SQUEAKING OF WHEELCHAIR – UNDER.
SPICING THINGS UP WITH TWISTS

BOB: (MUTTERING) I hate bein’ old. I hate pushing this chair around. Time was, I
hated the world more, though. Built these high walls so’s I could keep it out.
(SNEERING) No “junk mail”. No “TV”. None o’ them blasted “sales-folks” hangin’ on
the bell. I thought life was better without seein’ people. Just me ‘n my books…
[GOAL]
BOB: (CONTINUING) But now? Now I want to look outside. Jus’ one las’ time. Not for
long, mind you, just for a little, and say goodbye. I’m too sick and too tired for any
lies about wantin’ to be remembered. My passin’ won’t even get a notice in one o’
them “newspapers” people used to be so fond of. But I still want to look.
[OBSTACLE]
BOB: (CONTINUING) If it weren’t for this chair it’d be easy… and that blasted grate! I
put the grate in across the entry to my property long ago. Didn’t want my
neighbour’s cows wandering in. Nice wide grate. The gaps are too wide for cow
hooves to navigate. And too wide for this chair to manage. I’d look pretty
undignified if the folks who deliver my groceries each week found me lying in the
yard with my chair stuck in the grate. (LAUGHING) Heh! They’d love that. They’d
finally get to see the mysterious old man living in Chesterfield Lane. More entertainin’
than leaving the groceries on the steps… assuming I weren’t dead of exposure. They
only come once a week.
But what do I care o’ dignity? I’m old. There ain’t much dignity in that… and life
works hard to steal what little dignity I’ve got left. Just going to the bathroom in this
chair’s a major production. Yeah, what do I care about dignity? I’ll do it! I’ll crawl if I
have to. My arms are still strong. I’ll crawl, dignity be damned, I’ll see the outside of
this place one last time.
SOUND: TIPPING OF CHAIR. THUD OF BODY DROP – LET IT FINISH.
BOB: (IN PAIN) Aaaah. That hurt. Too old. Too old for falls. Still I can move. I can
crawl…
(INTERMITTENT GRUNTS AS BOB CRAWLS) Ugh… Argh… Mmmpf… Aaah… Nnnng…
etc.
(PANTING) Here’s… the grate… Should’ve got a bit closer before ditching the
chair… ah… well… Live and learn.
INTERMITTENT GRUNTS AS BOB CRAWLS) Ugh… Argh… Mmmpf… Aaah… Nnnng…
etc.
(PANTING WITH EXERTION) What’s happening? There’s a slope. It feels like it’s curving
upwards… and it’s smooth, like glass… Let me just… clear some of this dirt off.
SOUND: RUBBING SOUND – UNDER.
[DISASTER/TWIST]
BOB: What’s under here? It’s… what? No? This can’t be right. It’s a window… a
window to … to the stars!

[REACTION]
BOB: (CONTINUING) (PANICKED) Where am I? It… it looks like my house… my yard…
but, it ain’t. How long? How long has it been like this? I’m in space, a bubble… a
zoo! I’m… (PAIN) My heart! My… Ugh.
[RESOLUTION]
SOUND: BOB COLLAPSES – LET IT FINISH.
ALIEN: (CHITTERING ELECTRONICALLY MODULATED) Oh well. It was getting old. Still it
will be hard to find another one to last so long. They tend to be so self-destructive
when they find out they’re no longer on earth. I’m surprised this one lasted so many
years. I guess we’d better flush the body into space.
NARRATOR: And so ends our little tale. We all know that peace and quiet is a good
thing. But when was the last time you had contact with another person? It’s grown
awfully quiet while you were listening to this, hasn’t it?
Diego knows that it is his oath to guide you every step of the way. You can go
back to your normal self and separate from being fused with the quill you
found in the start of this adventure by completing the activities and the
learning challenge which you will add in your Creative Footprint.
WHY SHAKESPEARE LEFT THE BUILDING
Read the one-act William Shakespeare has Left the Building by Joachim
Emilio Antonio. Create an analysis of the work with the following questions
guiding you. Do this in your notebook.
a. How many scenes did the play have?
b. If it will be performed in stage, how long do you think will it last?
c. If you are a co-author of the play, will you have added more characters?
Why do you say so?
d. How did the play appeal to you? Will you recommend it for others to read?
What made the one-act play good?
e. Why did William Shakespeare leave the building?
(The script is found on the next page)
Analysis Criteria:
Content 5 pts
Organization 5 pts
Language Use 5 pts
Depth of Analysis 5 pts
Total 20 pts.

Great! The feathers to the quill have detached from your body. The spell of
Unus Solus is finally wearing off! Finish the tasks so you can finally go back!
SOLVING THE DOMESTIC PROBLEMS OF KING GEORGE
The one-act play found on the next pages is national and award-winning script
written by a Filipino writer, Dr. Joachim Emilio Antonio. It won 2nd prize in the
2006 Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature. We were granted
permission to help decode and solve the Domestic Problems of King George
by breaking it down to its structure and elements using the outline below:
1. Theme
2. Characters and Characterization
3. Setting
4. Plot
a. The beginning of the one act play
b. The middle of the play
c. The end of the play
5. Twist Technique (if there is)
6. Dialogue
7. Analysis
What makes the plot effective?
Is it universal and relatable?
What socio-cultural issue is present?
Present your answers to the outline above in your notebook. Be guided
by the rubric below:

This is one of the last learning challenges that you will add in your creative
Footprint. At last, Everyone will now see how you have evolved within the
Creative Writer’s pages.
THE PLAYWRIGHT’S ONE-ACT STAGE
Write an original piece that follows the conventions of a one-act play.
Spice your script up by adding twists and effective dialogue. You can adapt
an existing short story and translate it into a one-act play or you can write an
original piece. Keep in mind the various elements, techniques, and literary
devices you have learned from the previous lessons. Use the one-act play
scripts we analyzed as your model.
Be guided with the rubric we will use for assessment.

You are now back in one piece! The identity of the quill in the One-Act
play has become one and its own. Thank to you!
You heard what Diego said before you began this chapter. Dear writers
this is where the end begins. Are you ready to meet Everyone?
Interpretation is a series of intellectual and analytical mental acts that lead
to a conclusion about the play’s meaning and significance. We can isolate four
aspects of interpretation that we perform almost automatically.
1. Observe details of speech, setting, and action.
2. Connect these details into patterns; we relate them so they begin to
make sense to us.
3. Draw inferences ----educated guess or hypotheses----- based on
these connections.
4. Formulate from our inferences a consistent and coherent
interpretation of the play.
In reading (or viewing ) any play, it is important to distinguish between our
experience of a play and our interpretation of it. Our experience concerns our
direct apprehension of the ongoing performance either on stage or in our mind’s
eye; interpretation concerns our comprehension of the work after we have
finished reading or seeing it performed.
Our experience of a play involves our emotions and subjective impressions
of the plays dramatic action.
Our interpretation of a play involves our ideas and thought about the
meaning of that action.
Our experience of a play is private, personal, and subjective: we discover
how it entertains, moves, pleases, frustrates, or otherwise affects us.
In interpreting a play, we try to discover what it might mean for others as
well.
We ask ourselves not so much: How do I respond to the speech and actions
of the characters?” but instead “ What do their speech and actions signify: what
do they mean?”

BOOKS:
Morley, D. (2007). The Cambridge Introduction to Creative Writing. New York:
Cambridge University Press.
Barnes,G and Sutcliffe, M.J.(1954) On Stage, Everyone. New York: MacMillan
Company
DiYanni, R. (1994) Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and the
Essay (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
ONLINE SOURCES:
Active Interest Media. (2020, July 1). The Play's the Thing. Retrieved from
https://www.playwriting101.com/chapter01/
How to Write a One Act Play and Sample Script. (2019). Retrieved June 29,
2020, from https://www.cityoperahouse.org/ypf
Leaf Group Education. (2018, July 12). How to Write a One-Act Play. Santa
Monica, California, USA. Retrieved July 1, 2020, from
https://penandthepad.com/write-one-act-play-2123970.html
Robotham, P. C. (2017, October 17). 5 Common Twists and a Model for
Writing Short One Act Plays. Retrieved July 1, 2020, from
https://www.weirdworldstudios.com/5-twists-for-one-act-plays/

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