Playwriting Project - Final Draft DUE MAY 12

IMPORTANT DATES:
Thursday, May 1 - First Checkpoint (Have 2-3 play ideas - full sentences - ready for me to look at.)

Monday, May 5 - Second Checkpoint (Have ONE SOLID IDEA.  Write a short 3-5 sentence synopsis for me to see.)

Thursday, May 8 - Third Checkpoint (Have one ROUGH DRAFT.  Can be handwritten.)

Friday, May 9 and Monday, May 12 - LIBRARY.  Final typed draft (5-10 pages) due at end of day, Monday May 12.

Playwrights’ Festival: EHS Advanced Theater Premieres/SEMESTER EXAM/SUMMATIVE

Objective: To evaluate and assess advanced theater (Theater II) students ability to write, direct, and/or perform in short productions written exclusively for the stage.  The project is also designed as an assessor of collaborative skills necessary for continued study or work in the theater.

Writing Requirements: Each student will write a short play for the stage.  They may use any brainstorming or creative exercises learned in class, or any other method they feel is necessary.  Each play must:

·      Use only 2-3 characters.  Each play can also have 1-2 offstage voices (characters who we hear, but do not see).

·      Use a simple unit set and have no major scene changes.

·      Use simple costumes and makeup.

·      Be no less than 5 minutes (5 typed pages) but no more than 10 minutes (10 typed pages) in length.

·      Have a final draft (due Monday, May 12, 2014) TYPED (10-12 pt font) and FORMATTED properly.  (Please see example attached.)

·      Have 2 title pages.  One must include the TITLE and PLAYWRIGHT’S NAME.  The other should include only the TITLE of the play (no playwright’s name!).

Readings: Readings will take place in class starting on May 13.   We will read each play aloud in class. 

Festival Selection: Plays for our festival will be selected by a panel of educators.  The panel will not be aware of the names of playwrights.

In the days prior to the festival, the festival plays will be posted, along with cast lists.  Ms. Yanchak will serve as casting director to prevent overlap and arguments arising from double-cast students.

Rehearsals and Performances: Each play will start rehearsal during class time on May .   Lines should be memorized.  Directors are encouraged to set an off book date.  Actors are expected to follow the direction of the playwright/director, and mark all blocking in their scripts. 

Actors and directors are expected to work out costumes, props, and makeup on their own.  Ms. Yanchak will be available on certain days after school to assist in gathering items, but the cast must work together to have an executable plan.

Performances will take place during each class’s scheduled final exam time.

Grades: Grades will be based on the rubrics below.  Each part of the final (playwriting and directing/acting) serves as 50% of the Final Exam grade.  These grades will also stand alone as two summative grades for the nine weeks. (Two test grades AND one Final Exam grade.)