Exhume seeks work for Spring 2024 Issue
We accept both established and emerging artists and writers across the board.
We welcome simultaneous submissions, though we ask that you let us know
immediately should your submission be accepted somewhere else. At this time we
do not accept previously published work.
***
Theatre Southwest is accepting short plays for its Annual Readers' Theatre
Matinee.
Selected plays will be read and voted on by the audience in attendance and the
Audience Favorite will receive a $100 cash prize
***
Theatre Now defines a 10-minute musical as any piece that can be performed in10
minutes or less, has a beginning, middle, end story arch, and includes music.
Having produced nearly 100 pieces, we want musicals that are diverse, current,
test the musical form and communicate a well-crafted story.
*** FOR MORE INFORMATION about these and other opportunities see the web site
at https://www.nycplaywrights.org
***
*** PLOT DEVELOPMENT ***
Plot Point 1 ^
The plot point 1 (also called: break into act II, first revelation, point of no
return) separates the first from the second act. It leads the plot into an
ascending positive or into a descending negative development. Ideally it
embodies the best or worst case scenario for the protagonist depending on his
exposition. By doing this the plot point 1 sets up the central question of the
film which will affect the entire second act.
Pinch Point 1 ^
The first pinch point occurs after the first quarter of the second act – i.e.
after approx. 3/8 of the story. It provides the protagonist with new clues and
reveals the main conflict of the story. At the same time it serves as a
reminder of the antagonist’s power by making the protagonist feel the “pinch”
of the antagonistic force. Thus it sets up the next 1/8th of the story.
Midpoint ^
As its name points out the midpoint is in the middle of the second act and
divides the entire story into two halves. It offers a possible turning-point.
This means that at this point of the story a change/turn may occur but doesn’t
have to. It is also possible that the positive ascending or the negative
descending development progresses until the plot point 2.
More...
https://dramaqueen.info/wiki/turning-points/?lang=en#PlotPoint1
***
In literature, a plot is the sequence of events that creates a story. A plot
begins with an inciting incident—an event that forces the main character to
take action and embark on a mission. Conflict and tension arise along the way
to shape the plot into a narrative arc. Every plot has five elements that
create the story structure, and each has an essential function.
Exposition: In the beginning of the story, exposition introduces the main
character, setting, conflict, and themes.
Rising action: The rising action starts right after the period of exposition
and ends at the climax. Beginning with the inciting incident, rising action is
the bulk of the plot. It is composed of a series of events that build on the conflict
and increase the tension, sending the story racing to a dramatic climax.
Climax: The climax of a story happens when the tension reaches a breaking
point, forcing the protagonist to face the antagonist and resolve the conflict
once and for all.
More...
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-master-the-art-of-plot-development
***
“Nothing happens. Twice.” That was the succinct view of the Irish critic and
Beckett expert Vivian Mercier on Waiting for Godot. Beckett, of course, was the
master of writing theatre that defied Aristotle’s theory that plot is a significant
requirement for drama. You don’t go to Endgame or Not I for the cliffhangers.
There are several plays currently on stage in London, or about to tour, that
defy the idea that narrative is a primary driver of interest in the theatre as
some have suggested. I’m not sure it ever is. After all, we keep going to see
King Lear even when we know what will happen; we don’t shun A Doll’s House
because we are already acquainted with the fact that Nora will leave at the
end.
More...
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2016/may/10/plays-lose-the-plot
***
Plot is the sequence of events dramatically arranged by a writer to tell a
story. That is a plot structure definition in the strictest sense.
Often the true genius of writing is in recognizing how to order those
interrelated events.
So, another way to think about movie plot structure is to answer the question
"what happens in the story and in what order?"
Some might say what happens in a story is a character discovers himself. But
that's not the plot. It leaves out the critical ordering of the events. The
plot of a story is something like "A character loses his job, gets
divorced, leaves town, and then lives in the woods alone..."
Those are the elements of plot. It's those events that lead us to think about
how the character discovered himself. It's also those events that keep us
interested... if they use dramatic tension.
More...
https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/plot-structure/
***
The simpler the plot, the more effective it is on the stage. It was
Shakespeare's custom, as in The Merchant of Venice, to weave together deftly
two or more stories, and to carry along with them scenes of low comedy to
please the rabble in the yard. Macbeth here differs from the rest. It has but
one plot, and interest is focused on a few characters. It contains but one
comic scene — the Porter at the gate. For introducing this scene, Shakespeare
has often been praised, on the ground that it furnishes a relief to the horror
of the assassination. This is undoubtedly its effect on critics and
philosophers; and yet it is, I think, nothing more than the vulgar interlude
demanded by the Elizabethan audience. But for it, the drama preserves
throughout perfect unity of tone. Without it, the knocking would be equally
impressive.
Because of this simplicity and unity of plot, the play is, of all Shakespeare's
tragedies, the most rapid in its movement. Macbeth is tempted to the murder of
Duncan, and with a bound Shakespeare brings him to the deed. Banquo must be put
out of the way; the hint is followed by the plan and its execution. Macbeth is
told that the thane of Fife has fled to England; and he at once resolves on the
murder of Macduff's kin.
More...
https://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/macbeth/stagesplotmacbeth.html
***
Just like a novel or a poem, a play will have some sort of structure. The
traditional plot of a play will consist of an exposition, action leading to a
climax, and a denouement or resolution. A certain amount of information about
characters and events is necessary at the start of a play, and sometimes an
explanation of what has happened in the past is required for the audience to
make sense of what is to follow: all this is accomplished through the
exposition. Some skill is necessary if the exposition is to be interesting, and
subtle, natural-seeming, not holding the action up for too long. The plays of
Ibsen offer a particularly interesting variation on this theme, since the
action of the play is in fact to unravel those happenings in the past that have
led to the present consequences that the play is concerned with. It has been
said that his plays are one long exposition.
More...
https://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/literature/approaching-plays/content-section-5
***
How to write a play - five golden rules
In this video, James Lark gives you five professional tips that cover script
layout as well as the dos and don’ts when “telling the story”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O_ISCHsaUw&t=5s
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