Playwriting Flashcards
What is a playwright?
a craftsman, a noun
What are the origins of playwrighting?
Storytelling
What is an Abydos Passion play?
Reading and memorizing - Egyptian
Egyptian priests about gods telling the stories over and over again using masks. Very first form of theatre based on storytelling
What 3 characteristics will you examine while creating a character?
Physical
Sociological
Psycological
What questions might you answer while developing your three characteristics?
Physical: sex, age, height, weight, color of eye and hair
Socio: family, friends, nationality, occupation
Psyc: gender, fears, wants, needs
What are the 3 unities, and how are they beneficial to theatre?
Time - the play will transpire under the exact timing as the play length in actual time
Place - play will only have one location
Action - all characters in the play will commit to the same conflict
What is the difference between the Tragedy of Kings and the Tragedy of the Common Man?
Kings - Someone with power/big and when the fall, the size of the fall is what matters.
Common man - connecting empathetically during the fall
Why is a (play)wright and not a (play)write?
Wright: noun; a craftsman
Write: verb; I wrote a playwrite
What are the pros of choosing playwrighting as a profession?
- It is your world
- It’s a catharsis (release of emotions)
- You control the script
- Royalty checks
- All you need is your mind, a piece of paper, and a pencil
What are the cons of choosing playwrighting as a profession?
- There are only 200 people in the USA that make a living strictly on playwrighting
- You are one of the least visible theatrical jobs
- You expose yourself through the thoughts and words of your characters
- It can get lonely sitting by yourself at your computer for hours on end
- Rejection will happen. A lot.
