Can you picture that? Using visual media to inspire playwrights

Abstract

In the United States, the culture of new play development has led to placing primary importance on the spoken dialogue rather than the larger world of story. Because many writers do begin in early dramatic writing classes, it is important for playwriting instructors to recognise that they themselves are dramaturgs operating in a workshop environment. This research asked instructors to consider using exercises (which we may also think of as writing prompts) that challenge writers to engage with other media as a means writing for performances in three-dimensional spaces: Todd Ristau at Hollins University has an exercise in which he asks his students to build small, imagined versions of the sets for their plays using found materials. James Ryan, formerly of The New School, asks students to use photographs of persons and antiques to create monologues and scenes. In my advanced dramatic writing class, students take pictures using their friends (or action figures, Legos, etc.) to stand in for their characters and world of story during key moments of their plays. The article argues that these approaches will help playwrights move away from dialogue as an end-goal by encouraging writers to focus on the mise en scène.