Playwriting Techniques

The focus of this class is to discover both the nature of the creative process and the fundamentals of dramatic structure that give form to that process. To this end, the students will write a series of “spontaneous writing” exercises, as well a number of “structural’ exercises, both of these from Mr. Spencer's Playwrights Guidebook. At the end of the first term, students will write a short, but complete, play based on one of their “spontaneous writing” exercises. Students are also asked to read and discuss several plays that mirror the problems presented by their own “structure” exercises. Work will be read aloud in class and discussed in a conversation that Mr. Spencer will guide and moderate. In the second term, students go on to adapt a short story of their choice and to write a play based on a historical character, event, or period. The focus in all instances is on the writer’s deepest connection to the material—where the drama lies. This class meets once a week.