Playwriting
If playwriting is event writing, how are those events structured?
usually in chronological order.
Intrigue is?
the quality of a play that makes us curious (sometimes fervently so) to see what happens next.
In discussing this aspect of playwriting, we use the terms?
compression and economy.
Some writers prefer to begin with a _________ or a ____ outline.
storyline or a plot.
Theatrical means?
Usually suggests something like “glittery” or “showy."
A playwright is a creator of ______?
events
The combination of speakability and stageability creates ____?
flow
Compression refers to?
refers to the playwright’s skill in condensing a story
plays need to drive their events to some kind of ________.
conflict
Richness means?
Detailed but not overflowing with detail.
A playwright can provide a ______ with the knowledge that it is simply a first draft and then revise and adjust as rehearsals proceed.
script
Speakability means?
that a line of dialogue should achieve its maximum impact when spoken.
Characterization requires that every character possess independent.
intention, expression, and motivation.
The best conflicts make the audience members feel ambivalent because they can understand each character's.
point of view
“wright” is an old-fashioned way to say?
"maker"
The playwright is both the most _______ and the most __________ figure in the theatrical event.
central and peripheral
Stageability is?
dialogue that can be written so it can be spoken effectively onstage, but also that it be conceived as an integral element of a particular staged situation in which setting, physical acting, and spoken dialogue are combined.
_______ and __________ are terms used to describe the importance of a play’s theme and its overall relevance to the concerns of the intended audience.
Gravity and pertinence
While some playwrights begin with abstract concepts or specific visual pictures, most begin by writing ________.
dialogue
Economy means?
relates to an author’s skill in eliminating or consolidating a play’s characters, events, locales, and words in the service of streamlining its plot and ideas.
Most playwrights work with ____ as their medium.
texts
Credibility means?
that the audience-imposed demand that requires a play’s actions to emerge logically from its characters, its situation, and the theatrical context the playwright provides.
Ultimately, a great play does not simply depict or analyze life—it __________ it.
celebrates
What are the 12 characteristics of the best plays?
credibility, intrigue, speakability, stageability, flow, richness, characterization, gravity, pertinence, compression, economy, and celebration.
Pertinence means?
Refers to the play’s touching on current audience concerns, both of-the-moment and timeless.