One Act Comedy Play

One Act Comedy Play
Paper instructions:
ENGL 210: Final Creative Writing Assignment/
Introductory Analysis
Due Tuesday, December 13
“Performance”/Reading Date: TBD
Your final project is to write a one act comedic play. This can take the form of farce, satire, parody, absurdism, black comedy, or a combination of these comedic genres. Though the process may be more enjoyable than writing a research paper, the project itself will still involve diligent research and deep analysis.
*Refer to the sample play I’ve posted on Moodle for how to structure and format your play.*
You are writing a one act play (though you may have a number of scenes within your act if you wish) which should be about 8-10 pgs at least. If you decide to write a play involving a single character; or character(s) that do not speak in the production, it should be about 4 pgs (mind you, each are difficult to pull off well).
The amount of stage directions you want to include is up to your discretion. They can be as minute as Guirgis or as detailed as Beckett.
Along with your play, you should comprise a 4-5 page introduction. Here should be included:
-A brief history of the comedic genre(s) you were inspired by in writing your play.
-2-3 secondary sources from Google Scholar or JSTOR or those we have read in class. Do not refer your genre history solely on my Power Point presentations.
-A brief summary of the play you wrote. (3-4 sentences)
-An explanation of how you were inspired by the comedic genre(s) to write your play and how you used their motifs in composing/structuring your play. What aspects of your play echo the play(s) you’ve been inspired by; [much like Will Eno has Thom Pain describe to the audience a childhood story involving a dog, something inspired by Jerry’s monologue in Edward Albee’s play.]
-Analyze your character(s), describing how they compare to a character or characters that we’ve read about. What makes them funny? If they aren’t particularly funny, how do they work as a cog in the major work, allowing the humor of others to press forward?
-What is the major theme of your piece? Or rather, what are you commenting on/portraying humorously, and for what purpose?
-Explain what type of stage or outside setting you would want the play to be performed on/at and why. Or instead, do you think it would work better as a short film, like that of many of Beckett’s plays? Explain why this medium would enhance your theme or the all-around humor.
On the day we are supposed to have a final exam, you are to bring a 1-2 pg sample of your play to be read/”performed” in class by students of your choice. The best feedback comes from having someone else read your play aloud, so you can hear what sections of the dialogue the “actors” may stumble with, or if the rhythm of the piece or desired effects of humor perform properly.CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON THIS TOPIC