Crafting Mini-Plays: Scriptwriting for Beginners

This beginners class, taught by José Guillermo Rodríguez Plaza, founder of Teatro Paloma, is designed for those interested in playwriting. We will provide a foundational exploration of key playwriting elements, such as character development and scene composition.

 

The primary objective of this class is to gain a solid understanding of the fundamental elements related to character creation and the crafting of fully-developed scenes, enabling you to apply these skills to larger-scale theatrical projects. In addition to understanding the essential aspects of playwriting, you will learn strategies for meaningful theater-making by assessing real-life examples from Teatro Paloma’s devised scripts inspired by community interviews.

 

Following an introductory discussion of relevant concepts, including play structure, dramatic questions, character goals, conflicts, and obstacles, you will embark on the individual process of brainstorming ideas for your play. We will outline the beginnings, middles, and ends of our plays, all the while taking into account the key components of playwriting. Outlines will be reviewed and workshopped by both the instructor and your peers before you complete a finalized version of the script.

 

You are encouraged to explore the use of other languages, besides English if you wish. By the end of the course, you will understand the full process of playwriting, from initial ideation to finalized creation, leaving with a fully workshopped short play that adheres to the traditional and essential elements needed in a dramatic piece: structure, characters, suspense, and more.