PAP - Plays and Playwriting Module Overview

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Plays and Playwriting

Introduction

"As a writer, you're holding a dog. You let the dog run about. But you finally can pull him back. Finally, I'm in control. But the great excitement is to see what happens if you let the whole thing go. And the dog or the character really runs about, bites everyone in sight, jumps up trees, falls into lakes, gets wet, and you let that happen. That's the excitement of writing plays--to allow the thing to be free but still hold the final leash." - Harold Pinter, The New York Public Library Literature Companion, 2001

In this module, you will be introduced to the role and process of the playwright, appropriate formatting for a theatrical script, distinguishing characteristics of dramatic dialogue, dramatic characters, and dramatic plot structure, as well as to the Aristotelian Elements associated with theatre.

Key Terms

    1. Playwright: The person that crafts the play.
    2. Playwriting: The act of crafting a play. 
    3. Dramatic: Designed for a theatrical performance often characterized by action, from Greek, dran to do, act.
    4. Extraordinary: Larger than life.
    5. Representative: Quintessential version or found in day-to-day life.
    6. Dominant Trait: A specific physical or mental trait by which a character is defined.
    7. Narrator: Storyteller, often external to the story.
    8. Genres: A category of artistic or literary composition characterized by a particular style.
    9. Freytag’s Pyramid: A modification of Aristotle's structure where he transformed the triangle into a pyramid.

Module Lessons Preview

In this module, we will study the following topics:

  • Plays and Playwriting: Introducing the role and processes of the playwright, a proper formatting technique for theatrical scripts, 
  • Dramatic Characters, Genres, and Structure: Introducing defining characteristics of dramatic plot structure for a theatrical script, multiple categories of dramatic characters, and theatrical genres.
  • Reading Plays: How to read, analyze, compare, and discuss scripts from various styles and periods.

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