General Information

Bruce Closser, Instructor
Nethery Hall 116
Hours are posted
471-3172 (office)/473-5480 (home before 9 p.m.)
closserb@andrews.edu

Textbook

Madden, David. A Pocketful of Plays. Ft. Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace, 1996.

Course Description

According to the University Bulletin, ENGL467: Creative Writing provides "practice in writing stories, essays, poetry, or drama. Course emphasis changes from quarter to quarter" (77-78). This version of Creative Writing will focus on drama. Students will study theories pertaining to the writing of dramatic scripts and will write and perform several different plays of varying lengths.

Course Objectives

At the conclusion of this course, you will

1. Understand why writers write plays.
2. Learn how to make use of a stage as a visual area.
3. Explore why drama is action.
4. Practice writing dialogue.
5. Explore plots and conflicts.
6. Understand and experience the process of writing plays.
7. Produce several plays of your own.

Assignments

In additional to various in-class writing exercises, other course assignments may include three plays of varying length, a dramatist's journal, a public performance of one of your plays, and an analysis of your own process of writing plays. If possible, we will attend a play during the quarter. Which activities you complete will be determined by the grade which you elect to earn.

Three Required Plays

Convert a short story to a dramatic script. Take your favorite short story and develop it into a play. Make any necessary adjustments to the story necessary to perform it on the stage such as adding information to complete the play.

Turn a historical event into a play. Identify a historical event, study the characters and their motivations, learn what you can about the time period, then write a play which explores this event. In the past some students have researched and written Biblical or moral plays for Your Story Hour.

Develop a personal experience into an original play. You may have had a dramatic moment in your life that you can make into a play. Or you may want to explore a philosophical idea. Why is there evil in the world? How do good people survive? When is too much too much? How does one deal with disagreeable people? To prepare to write your play you may want to conduct research on your subject. You may choose to take a humorous or a serious tone. You may produce a comedy or a tragedy. But the play must grow out your own experience and research.

The dramatist's journal. Most successful writers have kept journals which provided a store house of ideas. Keep a dramatist's journal during the quarter. Write in the journal daily. Use the journal to practice ideas, develop character sketches, write dialogue, rehearse plots, record overheard conversations, keep a record of anything you think might be useful in a script you're working on. This journal will be graded on good faith effort. If it looks like you put in a good effort, you'll receive full credit. A good effort would be at least a page a day.

Workshops. You'll have regular opportunities to share your writing with your classmates. To receive credit for participation, you must have something written to share.

Performance. Once during the quarter, arrange to perform one of your plays. Engage a cast of characters and do a reader's theater. It is unlikely that you'll do a full-blown production of your play, but you could do a reading of the play with minimal effort. Class time will be set aside for these performances, or we may adjust the schedule and plan to set aside time to do performances in the evening.

Attend a play. If we can work it out, we'll try to attend a play once during the quarter.

Analyze your process. At final test time, write an analysis of the process you followed in writing plays. Apply information you learn in class and from personal experience as a dramatist.

Course Evaluation

Course evaluation is by contract. To earn a

C	Write all three required plays and attend at least 75% of all class periods, appointments, or activities.
B	Write all three required plays, keep a dramatist's journal, and attend at least 85% of all class periods, appointments, or activities, and write the final examination.
A	Write all three required plays, keep a dramatist's journal, produce a public performance of one of your plays, attend at least 95% of all class periods, appointments, or activities, and write the final examination.

Attendance will be taken by roll call or by record of in-class written activities in grade book. Please note: I reserve the right to assign a plus or minus to your grade based on the quality of written work you submit.

Tentative Schedule

The class will follow the schedule of activities below unless otherwise indicated. Please note various workshop days have been designated. You will be assigned to a workshop group. When indicated, meet in the Writing Center when your group meets. Additional work may be done in one of the computer labs on non-group days or after class hours. On other workshop days, all students are required to come to class as indicated.

Week 1

T/3/28

Introductions/Course Overview

W/3/29

Why Write Plays?  Project 1: Look for a short story you can convert to a play. You'll probably know of your own favorite short story authors, but if you need some guidance, consult this list of authors for ideas.

R/3/30

Read and discuss "Trifles." Review associated questions.

Week 2

M/4/3

What's the advantage of drama versus narrative?  In class, working in pairs or small groups, create a character and give this character a strong action.  Create a visual that will embody this character's action.  Then create an obstacle that will keep this character from getting what he wants.  Decide how much is at stake for this character. 

T/4/4

Workshop: Go back to the scene in the first exercise and try changing the obstacles so there will be stronger things for the character to overcome.  Try shifting the stakes of the character's action so they will be much greater.  Write this in another scene. 

W/4/5

Continue developing script from last class period.

R/4/6

Week 3

M/4/10

Dialogue and Motifs. Read and discuss "Oedipus the King," looking at the dialogue and motifs, as well as action, stakes, and visuals.

T/4/11

Learning to think visually; seeing the stage as a visual area.  Pick up three objects that are around you in the classroom and try to endow them with a major action so they will become vivid on stage visuals. Then write a brief scene that uses all three of these visuals.

W/4/12

Workshop:  Perform scenes using visual objects and discuss visual elements.

R/4/13

Workshop: Workshop:  Perform scenes using visual objects and discuss visual elements.

Week 4

Reading Responses: Project 1

Read each of the plays listed below. Click on the response option and provide a brief response in which you indicate at least one aspect of the play which you appreciate and at least one suggestion for how you would like to see the play improved.

• The Cop and the Anthem. Adapted from O. Henry by Christine Ashton.
• The Man Who Was Almost a Man. Adapted from Richard Wright by Nick Sigler
• Revelation. Adapted from Flannery O'Conner by Katrina Mace
• The Necklace. Adapted from Guy de Maupassant by Katie Widner
• Emily. Adapted from William Faulkner by Jennifer Savatovich
• The Guest. Adapted from Albert Camus by Ruth Engel
• Roman Fever. Adapted from Edith Wharton by Lori Halvorsen
• Come Out the Wilderness. Adapted from James Baldwin by Ercell Watson
• Searching for Mr. Green. Adapted from Saul Bellow by Phillip Rand
• Yellow Wallpaper. Adapted from Charlotte Perkins Gilman by Carissa Downs
• Einstein's Dreams. Adapted from Alan Lightman by Herbie Escamilla
• The Lottery. Adapted from Shirley Jackson by Jennifer Bailey

M/4/17

Complete performance of "visuals" scene. Work day--Prepare to perform play 1.   Begin writing play 2.

T/4/18

Perform Play 1. Meet in University Towers.

W/4/19

Perform Play 1. Meet in University Towers.

R/4/20

Read and discuss "Glass Managerie"

Week 5

M/4/24

Obstacles to action: Write a brief scene with a character who has a strong major action, and then create a strong obstacle for that action.  Begin Play 2. 

T/4/25

Workshop: Write a brief scene with a character who faces a strong external obstacle, and show how this obstacle frustrates any major action he may try to initiate.  How is the scene complicated when the character has a tragic flaw?

W/4/26

How much is at stake?  Write a brief scene in which someone is about to jump off a cliff, and choose the stakes so this action will be seen first as tragic, then as comic.

R/4/27

Workshop: Write a brief scene about someone's wanting to get married, and then choose the stakes so this action will be seen first as comic, then as tragic.

Week 6

• Arg by Jennifer Savatovich
• Omar by Phillip Rand
• Mayan Prophecy by Herbie Escamilla
• Ruth, the Moabitess, by Ruth Engel
• Bathsheba's Tale, by Carissa Downs
• Jane Austen's Flirtation, by Lori Halvorsen
• The Love of the Master, by Katie Widner
• In Small Things Forgotten, by Jennifer Bailey
• Just Josh, by Nick Sigler

M/5/1

Perform Play 2.  Begin working on Play 3.

T/5/2

Perform Play 2.

W/5/3

Perform Play 2.

R/5/4

Read and discuss "A Doll's House"

Week 7

M/5/8

Character is action.  Imagine that you are a character in a play.  Write down the conflict in this play.  (Hint: this is an opportunity to begin working on the third project) What are your given circumstances?  Who are you?  What do you what?  Where are you?  Why are you where you are?  Where is your life taking place?  When is it taking place? What is your physical life like?  Be autobiographical; use the circumstances of your life.

T/5/9

Workshop: Write a brief scene in which you are a character, then draw an action diagram and trace the action lines from each character to each of the other characters, and indicate the major action of the scene with an extra bold arrowhead.

W/5/10

Plots and conflicts: Work out the plot of your third play in detail.  Identify subplots.  Create reversals.  Decide when how much of the plot to tell your readers or viewers.

R/5/11

Workshop:  Develop a scene from your third play.

Week 8

M/5/15

Major Actions.  What are some of the major actions you can use in a play?

T/5/16

Exposition.  What information do you need to present as background to your third play which can't be presented in a scene?  Write the passage of exposition that presents this information.

W/5/17

Read and discuss "Raison in the Sun"

R/5/18

Conferences over Play 3.  No Class.

Week 9

• A Matter of Loyalty, by Herbie Escamilla
• The Usual, by Jennifer Savatovich
• The Reunion, by Phillip Rand
• Twelve Roses, by Ruth Engel
• ¡España!, by Katie Widner
• A Piece of a Journey, by Carissa Downs
• Eggs, Not Coffee, by Jennifer Bailey
• Love Is Never Simple, by Lori Halvorsen
• The Good, the Bad, and John, by Ercell Watson
• A Piece of a Journey, by Carissa Downs
• Rough Waters, by Katrina Mace

M/5/22

Perform Play 3.  Continue Conferences over Play 3

T/5/23

Perform Play 3.  Continue Conferences over Play 3

W/5/24

Perform Play 3.

T/5/25

Perform Play 3.

Week 10

T/5/30

The process of play writing.  Write an analysis of the process you followed in writing one of your plays during the final examination time.