Dramatic Scene needed.
What are your favorite scenes from movies or plays? What is it about those scenes that really grabs you—is it the interaction between the characters? How about the drama of the conflict? Or maybe there’s a surprise twist in the scene. As you start writing your scene, think about the elements that make your favorite scenes really exciting to you—and how you can incorporate the same excitement into your own scene.
Step 1: Decide the following
What is going to happen in your scene?
What will be the conflict?
Who will be the characters?
Where will your scene take place?
How will you move your plot forward with dialogue?
What kind of stage directions will you need to include?
Step 2: Begin Drafting the Scene
List your characters at the beginning of the scene·
Provide stage directions to introduce the setting (time and place), position and tone of the actors, as well as sound effects and/or lighting. Stage directions provide information about what is happening on stage and appear at the beginning and throughout the scene. Be sure to italicize all stage directions. Begin the conversation between your characters. Give the character’s name followed by a colon, and put only the words that would come out of the character’s mouth after that colon.·
Use details in the dialogue to move the plot of your scene forward.
Create a conflict and be sure that it is somewhat resolved in the scene, or at least holds the audience’s attention, making them wonder what will happen next.
Your scene should be from 2-3 pages in length.
Requirements:
List of characters with a brief description
Stage directions that set the scene (italicized)
Dialogue that moves the plot forward. Put only the words that would come out of the character’s mouth.
Some sort of conflict (doesn’t have to be negative) that is somewhat resolved in the scene, or at least holds the audience’s attention, making them wonder what will happen next.
Stage directions that indicate how lines should be delivered (italicized)
2-3 pages
Here’s an example of what your scene should look like:
Your Name
Teacher’s Name
Class Name
Date
Title of the Play
Cast of Characters:
Olivia – Popular girl at school
Claire – Olivia’s best friend
Roseanne – First year student at a new high school
The time is lunch time on a typical school day. The curtain opens to a noisy lunch room in a junior high school. There are 4 or 5 tables scattered around the stage area. Claire and Olivia enter from the left carrying lunch trays.
Olivia: Man, I hope this tastes better than it looks.
Claire: It better, but I am not optimistic…
Olivia: Do you think we ought to do it today?
Claire: Sure, why not? I am tired of her little goody-two-shoes act.
(They sit down side by side at the table. Roseanne enters alone, carrying her lunch.) Do you have to sit here?
Roseanne: I, I, guess I don’t understand…Olivia, we always sit together…
Olivia: (looking at Claire) Well, do you have to sit here every day?
Roseanne: What is wrong? Why are you mad at me? What have I done?
Claire: (with disgust) Oh brother! You are such a whiner!! What a baby!
Olivia: Yeah, what a baby!
Roseanne: I don’t have any other friends to sit with…
