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Scriptwriting II - TFT00019I

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  • Department: Theatre, Film, Television and Interactive Media
  • Module co-ordinator: Dr. Hannah Davies
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: I
  • Academic year of delivery: 2021-22

Module summary

This optional module builds on Scriptwriting 1 in Year 1, and seeks to draw on that knowledge to take your own scriptwriting practice several steps further. It aims to develop in you the ability to plot and write plays which are capable of being staged and are theatrically dynamic. A selection of plays will be explored and their technique analysed, as possible stimuli and precedents. Special emphasis will be placed on the need to use the drafting and redrafting process as productively and forensically as possible.

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Autumn Term 2021-22

Module aims

  • To successfully create larger narrative structures than those produced for Scriptwriting I.

  • To learn how to use to best advantage the drafting and redrafting process, and to put to maximal use the feedback received during it

  • To use intelligently the precedents of plays studied earlier in the course and in this term, not merely imitatively, but as cues and prompts which can trigger fresh invention

  • To learn to produce writing for the stage which is fully alert to how it might be realised performatively

Module learning outcomes

Subject content

  • Use the skills needed to successfully manipulate the main elements of drama (plot/structure, character, dialogue, etc.) in their writing for the stage

  • The ability to analyse contemporary scripts and use cues and hints drawn from them in one s own writing

  • The ability to cope with the challenges of drafting and re-drafting one s script in response to others feedback

Academic and graduate skills

  • Ability to write stage dialogue, plot a scene, and complete a one-act play

  • Ability to analyse the craft skill at work in well-executed scripts

  • Ability to analyse the relationship between the writer s and the actor s input in realised performances of scripts

  • ability to investigate materials from the past systematically and imaginatively

  • ability to absorb, and put successfully into practice, unfamiliar and challenging approaches

  • ability to communicate complex ideas effectively and to a high standard in writing, orally and through IT

  • ability to manage time effectively and meet deadlines in appropriate fashion

Assessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Script		 N/A 100

Special assessment rules

None

Reassessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Script		 N/A 100

Module feedback

Written feedback from the tutor and fellow students will be given on first drafts of plays in workshops; additional verbal feedback from the tutor will be provided in one-on-one meetings the week after each student's workshop. With summative essays we provide written feedback within the 20 working day return period specified by the university

Indicative reading

A. Ayckbourn, The Crafty Art of Playmaking (2003)

D. Ball, Backwards & Forwards: A Technical Manual for Reading Plays (1983)

P. Castagno, New Playwriting Strategies: A Language-Based Approach to Playwriting (2001)

L. Catron and Mary Luckhurst, The Elements of Playwriting (1993)

D. Edgar, How Plays Work (2010)

L. Egri, The Art of Dramatic Writing (2013)

S. Smiley and N. Bert, Playwriting: The Structure of Action (2005)

V. Taylor, Stage Writing: A Practical Guide (2002)

S. Waters, The Secret Life of Plays (2011)


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University is constantly exploring ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary by the University. Where appropriate, the University will notify and consult with affected students in advance about any changes that are required in line with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.