Task 42: Scriptwriting

The Royal National Theatre on London's South Bank - the home of much of the world's best contemporary theatre

After some sonneteering and a piece of prose, I thought I would throw you into some scriptwriting again, a medium we haven't explored on wordvoodoo since early 2008!

Before I explain what I am looking for from this task, you MUST all read carefully the following three tasks first. With each one, look at the original task I set; and THEN have a browse through some of the students' attempts (and their comments). [I know a small number of you were on wordvoodoo when these tasks were originally set, but it would still be helpful for you to refamiliarise yourselves.]

The tasks are as follows:

• Task 22: Click HERE for the original task; and HERE for some student attempts (and comments).
• Task 23: Click HERE for the original task; and HERE for some student attempts (and comments).
• Task 24: Click HERE for the original task; and HERE for some student attempts (and comments).

Right. Have you read through all that now? Are you SURE? If you've done it properly, it will have taken you a while...

OK.

Task 42 is as follows.

PRODUCE THE SCRIPT FOR A SHORT (min. 400 words, max. 600 words) PLAY WITH ONE OF THE FOLLOWING TITLES:

1. The Right Balance
2. Testing the Water
3. Waiting for Something
4. Everything in its right Place

Like Tasks 22-24, your script must:

• be both accessible and yet profound - and, above all, totally ORIGINAL (however you achieve this);
• use TENSION to create a powerful, effective and deliberate ENDING;
• employ CONVINCING, believable and engaging DIALOGUE;
• have plenty of SUBTEXT (i.e. room to 'read beneath the lines');
• be built around CONFLICT, the essence of effective drama, and explores that conflict in an original way.

Also, as with these tasks, you should make strategic, careful use of STAGE DIRECTIONS as and when appropriate.

However, it is up to you what sort of impression you are aiming for, and what reaction you are hoping for from your audience: laughter? confusion? fear? sadness? It's up to you...

As ever, I will attempt an exemplar myself in the next couple of days.

The deadline for this task is midnight on Sunday 27th September.

Good luck - and have fun! And, above all, stretch yourself with this one and do NOT post until you are 100% convinced that this is you at your COMPLETE best.