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Writing Your First Play
Roger A Hall

  • Explores all aspects of how to write a first play
  • Examples are based on undergraduate level student work
  • Thoroughly updated, including a new chapter on how to market your play once it is written

Review of First Edition:
"Simplifies playwriting by breaking the process into its components. The result is both clear and helpful"
Dramatics, 1992
In brief

Writing Your First Play provides the beginning playwright with the tools and motivation to tell a story through dramatic form. Based in a series of exercises which gradually grow more complex, the books helps the reader to understand the basic elements of drama, conflict, and action. The exercises help the reader to become increasingly sophisticated in the use of dramatic formats, turning simple ideas into a viable play.

Topics include:
the role of action in drama;
developing action and conflict to reveal character;
writing powerful and persuasive dialog;
writing from personal experience:pros and cons;
how to begin the story and develop the storyline.

With examples based on student work, this text both inspires and educates the student and fledgling playwright, providing solid tools and techniques for the craft of writing a drama.

Roger A. Hall, a professor of theatre at James Madison University, had taught playwriting for nearly 20 years. Many of his students have gone on to write for theatre, television, and the screen. He has written numerous plays and articles and has acted and directed extensively in the theatre.

Contents

Foreword* Preface* Introduction* Action* Direct Conflict* Character* Dialogue* Three-Character Conflict* Writing From Life* Writing From a Source* Expanding Your Skills* Writing Your Play* Marketing Your Play* Appendix: Classroom Procedures* Bibliography

Readership: People interested in learning how to write a play; students of playwriting.

ISBN: 0240801172     Paperback
Color plates:    Line Illustrations:    Halftones:
Measurements: 6 x 9 In.
Pages:

Publication Date:
Price: $29.99