Sample Assignments

Playwriting and Screenwriting

Below are some samples of assignments I give over the course of the semester in my playwriting and screenwriting classes.

Conflict exercise:  Pick two characters, either real or fictional.  They can be celebrities, politicians, characters from TV, books, films, etc.  However, they should be characters that you know well.  Then write down the following:

    -- 1 thing that one character has that the other wants.

                It can be tangible: book, money, glass of water, car.

                Or it can be intangible: love, acceptance, praise.

    -- Why it is difficult for the character to get that thing.

    --  2-4 ways character one might try to get that thing.

Write a short scene showing character one trying to get that thing.  You don't need any buildup or resolution, just the essence of the scene: conflict.

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Character exercise:  You are going to create a character.  As a class we will decide on a single situation for everyone to use for their scene..  (If we can't come up with anything good, we'll use the following: your chosen character is asleep.  His/her mother enters and wakes him/her up.)  You need to decide all of the other relevant details of the scene: where the character is, why he/she is there, how he/she reacts, etc.  Then write:

    --  A paragraph of background information about the character, which will include, some childhood information, family information, current living situation, etc.

    -- How the character got into his/her current situation.  What are the events leading up to him/her being awakened and/or his/her reaction to that.

    -- A short scene that conveys some of the above information to an audience.

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Reflection paper:  In 1-2 pages discuss the following:  At this point you've had to write a monologue.  You were given few parameters for this assignment and had to create and synthesize character, structure, style, content, and plot on your own.  How did you approach this?  What did you have to consider?  Did your approach work?  Did you struggle with anything?  How did you overcome those obstacles?  Now, if you had to write a 10-minute play, how would you approach that?  Would approach it differently than you did your monologue?  What would you do the same?  How would you go about getting ideas for character, plot, theme, etc.?  How would you develop those aspects of the play?  Would you use any organizational tools or exercises?

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Brainstorm:  This is something to get you thinking about your screenplay.  Come up with a as many possible ideas as you can for the following (these can all be changed as the process evolves, so don’t worry):  Characters, plots, themes, style, content, or anything else that might help you think about your screenplay. 

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Character exercise:  Take two characters that you came up with during your one-act brainstorm and give a at least two paragraphs of background on each.  This can include: the character's childhood, adolescence, career, family life, past troubles or successes.  Write a paragraph about each character's personality.  Think about how this relates to their background.  What in their past gave them these traits?  Finally, add a paragraph on their relationship to each other, including how they arrived at whatever situation they are (or will be) in in your play.

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Dialogue exercise:  Using the two characters from your character exercise, place those characters in a situation completely unrelated to anything you are considering for your screenplay.  If your characters are students, put them working on a construction site.  If your characters are businessmen, put them in outer space.  Put them in any situation which you will never use in your screenplay.  Put these two characters (even if they are going to be allied in your later one-act) into conflict in this setting.  This will help you get to know your characters better.