Script Swap

Today the Playwriting Workshop students swapped scripts with a partner. This was the first time in six days that the writers formally shared their scripts with another person. Before the swap, I had the playwrights create a question sheet that included the following:

1. Who is the main character and what are they doing?
2. What is the most interesting moment of the play?
3. What questions do you have about the play?

I also asked the playwrights to write any specific questions that had. These could be about characters, moments, or themes about which they were uncertain, or really felt were strong. After pairs were established, students read the questions first, then the script. The readers' answers were recorded on paper for the playwright to have as s/he continued to work later, but time was also given so that the pairs could talk with each other in more detail.

Playwriting students discussing each other's plays.

This is an exercise I frequently do when the group feels they are about
75% finished with a first draft. For some, that may be too soon to talk about their work, but I find that as long as the playwrights have a clear sense how the story will end, it does them a lot of good to get some early audience intervention through this format.

Looking forward to seeing how they progress from here and to the sharing of the works-in-progress on Friday.

The Focus on Process

Tomorrow morning we will host the culminating presentation for the Acting Workshop class as part of the Summer Theatre Camp at Playwrights Theatre of NJ. This event will mark the end of a two-week process in which six elementary school students created and developed two original short plays under my guidance. We've been meeting in the rehearsal/conference room at the PTNJ offices, which yesterday I transformed into a performance space. We don't often hold class and perform in the same space, but a last minute scheduling issue made it necessary. While skeptical at first, the students have enjoyed the quirkiness of the room, which I think has been an interesting challenge to which they needed to adapt. I also think this arrangement is appealing because it helps to downplay the traditional emphasis on performance and focus the students (and our audience of family and friends) on the work that has been done the previous nine sessions.

Our classroom spaced transformed for performance.

The spotlight on the development process (of scripts, of students, of imaginations...) is what is at the core of the educational work that we do at PTNJ. This is not to say that our programs don't value a product like a final presentation, but rather we see it as a part of the creative process that began on the first day of class. This idea is supported by the concept of a play as a tranche de vie ("slice of life") of the larger story of the character's lives. Part of our play development includes explorations of characters' lives before the script begins and after. Similarly, the performance itself is a slice of the actors' and audience members' lives: they come to the presentation with a certain understanding and expectation and leave with new thoughts and feelings based on what they have just experienced. It is fascinating to watch 7-10 year olds struggle with and understand this concept. I've also challenged them from the start to think of a play being a story that is communicated from one group of people to another; that all we need to do this is a story, some actors, and an audience. The rest is just extra fun. That's not something that is easy for a 7 year old to take, especially when their primary point of reference when developing a character is what props they need or the costume they will wear. We've struggled with that to the very end, but overall, I think they get it and that their work demonstrates this.

To further emphasize the development of the work, I've lined the walls of the room with the notes, ideas, lists, pictures, and other brainstorms that helped propel the students' original concepts into the works-in-progress that will be performed tomorrow. This modified lobby display is something that the other teaching artists and I have talked about for years, but only began to put into practice about two summers ago. The impact has been great as students and parents alike have noticed and commented on just how much work has been done and as a result, how much has truly been learned. And in the end, that revelation and reflection is what the whole thing is all about.

 

These papers outline the first ideas and drafts for each of the group's stories.

Photos from Day 1 - Rehearsals

Yesterday we spent the day reading through all ten plays for the Festival with many of the playwrights present. It was an active day that didn't leave time for many pictures, but here are a few to give a small glimpse into the work that is being done this week:

How's it going? One month to go!

Why, hello there!

Sorry for the long radio silence. We're back and anxiously awaiting your scripts.

How's it going?

What are you writing about?

One of the more difficult parts of writing is getting started. And while it can be easy to suggest that the best way to get started is to simply sit down and write, ideas don't always come that easily. Hopefully you're reading this with a solid idea already in place and you're cruising through a first draft (or later) of your script. Certainly there are some of you who may feel a little stuck. That's ok. It happens. The trick is figuring out a way to get out of the rut.

For the past few weeks, we've been sharing a series of writing prompts on the NJYPF Pinterest page and linking them through PTNJ's Twitter feed and the NJYPF Facebook page. Maybe you've seen some. These short prompts are great ways to get started with a story and see where it takes you. It could be that you come up with a story, or a character, or some other germ of an idea that sprouts into your script submission. Even if a prompt only sprouts a sliver of an idea, that is a success to embrace.

So, if you haven't yet, take a peek at some of those prompts and find where your pen, or keyboard, takes you. And if you do use one of the prompts for your final submission, we'd love to know which one it was and how it got you started. But most of all, we'd love to know what you're writing. What is your story about? What excites you about it the most? We'd love to hear from you.

One month left to write before the December 15 deadline!

Happy writing!

Accepting "works-in-progress" for 2015 NJYPF

You may have heard that the submission deadline for the 2015 NJ Young Playwrights Festival is one month earlier this year than it has been in the past. We realize that the new December 15 deadline may be too early for some playwrights who are writing their scripts in a school classroom, or residency program, so we're accepting partial script submissions for this year only.

Playwrights who may not finish in time for the December 15 deadline need to send us whatever draft they are currently working on and identify their play as a "work-in-progress" on the submission form. That indication, along with some additional information about the play, will help our readers better understand the play as you intend it.

If you have any questions about the work-in-progress submissions, please contact the PTNJ Education office at 973-514-1787, ext. 21 or via education@ptnj.org.

Happy writing!