Projects* From Page To Stage

PROJECT:

From Page To Stage

PROJECT BRIEF

Write, produce and perform your own one-scene comedy play. The play should be loosely linked to your experience of secondary school – although it can be purely fictional – and the intended audience is teenagers. To be successful in this project, you will need to: bring an imaginative and creative idea from page to stage write an engaging and humorous short play script make consistently imaginative choices in staging the play perform convincingly, speaking clearly with sustained engagement with the audience. Plan Draft Redraft Stage Perform Reflect Plan It The basic theme or idea for the script could develop from absolutely anything to do with school. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Someone has left their PE gear at home – again Someone is late for school – again Someone suspicious is in the school building

Someone has been threatened by an older student and ordered to bring in some money or ‘there will be trouble’ Someone is in trouble for something they haven’t done

Someone has lost something ‘borrowed’ without permission 1 Brainstorm a list of potential ideas: think about funny or dramatic things you’ve seen so far this year or maybe funny stories you’ve heard about school. 2 Once you have chosen your basic idea, you must now try to develop the plot. Complete the plot development exercise in your activity book (see pages 103–104). ACT IVITY ©The Educational Company of Ireland 3 Now complete the planning the plot exercise in your activity book (see page 104).

4 Next, you should develop the characters in your play by giving them a backstory. How did they become who they are the day the audience meets them onstage? Write a short paragraph detailing each character’s backstory. For example: Jane is twelve. She was happy at primary school but finds secondary school rather large and unfriendly. Her best friend from primary school has moved away. She has just found a new friend, Sally, who is fun to be with, but sometimes skips school and is often in trouble. Jane used to get on well with her mum, but recently there have been lots of arguments… Draft It Create your first draft of your play. Remember to use a play script layout (see page 152). Don’t forget stage directions are what you want your characters to do and dialogue is what you want your characters to say. Redraft It Organise a read through of your play. Ask your friends to read the different parts and listen to how the dialogue flows. Change anything that sounds like a narrative story into dialogue. Have you left out any punctuation? Was that line a statement or a question? Your actors will need to know how to deliver their lines. Have you left out any stage directions? Have you laid out the play script properly? Look back at the annotated example on page 152 to check your punctuation and layout. Stage It In your activity book (see page 105), use the staging a scene graphic organiser to plan how you will stage your play. Then complete the justifying your choices worksheet (see pages 106–107), which helps you explore why you made the decisions you have for your play. Per form It In your activity book (see page 108), complete the preparing a performance graphic organiser to ensure you’re ready for your performance. Decide whether you will perform each play in turn or choose one play script you would all like to perform. You also need to decide who will direct the play and who will play each part. Then it’s time to perform your one-scene play with the rest of your class as your audience! REFLECTION 1 Which element of this project did you enjoy the most? Why? 2 Which element did you find most difficult? Why? ACT IVITY ACT IVITY ©The Educational Company of Ireland 3 If you had to do it all again, what would you change?