Introduction to Theatre Arts MORE TO THE STAGE PICTURE THAN MEETS THE EYE (& EAR) THTR 13100 13100-F (31645) Aaron Davis 01 SPRING 2020 / Monday and Wednesday 3:30 - 4:55pm / Office Hour MON 2-3pm / CG 314 Professor Alvin Eng / aeng1@ccny.cuny.edu ASSIGNMENT # 2: Due WED FEB 19: The Playwright’s Perspective II: Creating a Classmate Portrait Character Monologue Creating Identity, Community & Culture through Theatre    Assignment Criteria Base Interview Questions and Requirement Notes Scene Structure & Play Script Format notes Quote for Context and Inspiration “ ‘My Shot’ is, in the lingo of musical theater, an ‘I want’ song. These are the numbers that appear early in a show, when the hero steps downstage and tells the audience the fierce desire that will propel the plot.” LIN MANUEL-MIRANDA, playwright/composer of HAMILTON  Interview a classmate using the base interview questions on page two. Based on this interview, and inspired by Hamilton’s “My Shot,” or “Rose’s Monologue” from Fences––you will write a First Person, Present Tense Classmate Portrait Character Monologue or “I Want” spoken word poem/rap/rant or a monologue/letter/prayer that covers those base questions––as if you were your classmate.  During this interview, and inspired by “The Hairpiece” & “Symbiosis,” think of what could be a prop in the monologue that symbolizes the “Playwright’s Concept” of your monologue…(i.e.) Wigs in “The Hairpiece” and The Temptations “Greatest Hits” album from “Symbiosis” Also address the Vital Molecules of a Monologue  Who or what is the character speaking to?  How does the setting/location and era of the monologue impact what and how they are speaking? WED, 2/19, YOU WILL BRING IN A TOTAL OF 3 DOCUMENTS: I. Classmate Portrait Monologue or Narrative Poem/Lyric (FENCES or HAMILTON-inspired) II. Playwright’s Concept for Monologue - bullet pt. outline format III. Brief Process Reflection: A few thoughts and observations on “How is storytelling for the stage different than on the page”? For REFERENCE: “My Shot” Lyrics and related essays have also been posted to Blackboard Here are links to videos of the monologues we studied from Hamilton and Fences in class: A related essay by Lin-Manuel Miranda follows   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qt5LLLU_qew - ROSE / FENCES https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysaQRkD-xPs - MY SHOT lyrics BASE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS “HOW DO YOU DEFINE YOURSELF, YOUR COMMUNITY & CULTURE? How do others and the media see these same things?       Basic biographical background––where you grew up, previous schools, etc. What communities or cultures do you identify with? WHY? How do others see you and your community? Is this different than how you see yourself and your community? How have these communities or cultures been depicted in theatre or film and in the news media? Are these depictions important to you? Why/Not? NOTES Many playwrights begin writing a play with a “Character Monologue” (Or in musical theatre, an “I Want” song) For this monologue, playwrights seek to answer the following “Big Three” character questions:  What do I need from this situation?  Why is it so important to me?  What would happen if I don’t get it? Answering these questions helps the playwright establish the character’s voice, behavior and objective. In turn, this monologue helps the playwright to establish what is at stake for the character, as well as in the play’s central conflict For your “Classmate Portrait” monologue, try to cover as many base questions as possible, but the main priority is to create a clear Playwright’s Concept/Point of View monologue portrait of your classmate. Follow play script format––notes follow. CONTENT REQUIREMENTS  Give your Classmate Portrait a title that reflects your CONCEPT (i.e.) NOT just “My Classmate”  Choose a SETTING and ERA for your “Classmate Portrait” that informs the tone of the monologue and may also inspire an action of activity for your character (classmate) CONSIDER  Who is your classmate talking to?  Where and when are they? Finally, have fun, after all this is PLAYwriting! FORMAT / CONTENT REQUIREMENTS  Give your Classmate Portrait a title that reflects your CONCEPT (i.e.) NOT just “My Classmate”  Follow one of the Play Script Formats on the following page or from one of the plays we are reading or have already studied in class. SCENE STRUCTURE Structure scenes like mini-plays  Each scene should have its own Set-Up / Conflict / Resolution-Revelation  Each scene should move the story forward.  Try to reveal an element of theme, plot or character––ideally all three in each scene. Can your scenes have a “Fashionably Late” framing of the action––(i.e.)  Enter the party or event late and leave early  Get to the action as quickly as possible then leave with as little idle small talk as possible Considerations: How does each scene follow-up the previous scene, and set-up the next one? Can the scene shape and structure mirror the character’s psychology? (I.E.) Short, jagged scenes for unstable situations Long, lyrical scenes for the more well adjusted ones . . . or vice versa! PLAYWRITING FORMAT NOTES Screenplays introduce each character as they enter. In a play, please include all of that on a: TITLE/CHARACTER/SETTING page that precedes the actual script After title and setting list characters and include:  Character name and age  Relation to other characters  Personality traits  Physical traits if necessary  Setting(s) and era of your play STAGE DIRECTIONS & DIALOGUE CHARACTER NAME in CAPS whether you choose either of the formats: Scene setting in italics –align text left SETTING: The tangled mind of the playwright at work! PLAYWRIGHT Which play are you in again? CHARACTER: Your latest, unfinished one, you . . . ! (Stage directions indented and upper and lower case Italics––with CHARACTER NAME in CAPS) To distinguish from dialogue, indent stage directions and format them in (parentheses) and/or italics. IN GENERAL:  Try to keep stage directions solely to the necessities of the story and other emotional conditions that apply to the heart and poetry of the play.  Try not to make them about stage business.  Try to have as few as possible—try to get everything, from outline and attitude, into the dialogue. 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