Writing a Play: Or how to avoid the panic of the blank page.

Today the British Theatre class has been amazingly different. We've had a guest today, a former student of the degree of English Studies who now works at the Sala Beckett (Barcelona) and has translated and directed several plays. He has been interviewed by our teacher and then he made us do a writing exercise.

The premise was the following. He would give us the setting, the characters and two sentences of dialogue, and we would start writing. Five minutes later he would stop us, give us another sentence (which could be stage directions or dialogue), and we would continue, until five minutes later he'd do the same. We did this for half an hour, and the plays that resulted from the exercise were incredible.

I was happy with the result of mine, so I'm going to leave it here for you to read it. The sentences in bold are the ones he told us, the rest is all mine. Any comments are welcome :) (and remember, I didn't know what I was writing so this was flowing as ideas were coming. But that's the nice thing about this kind of exercise).

                                           _______________________________

Title: Of mice, rats and men

Character A

Character B

B is holding a book, a Pullitzer winning book called “Mouse”

A small room with only one chair. A and B are looking at each other in silence

A:           I like your tie

B:           Thanks

A:           I thought I’d never see you again.

B:           That’s what journalists do all the time, sweetie.

A:           Not all of them do.

A takes two steps and gets closer to B, but B refuses.

A:           What the hell is going on with you?

B:            It’s nothing, forget it.

B sits on the chair with the book still in his hands. He opens it and starts reading. A stares.

A:           So, you’re not going to tell me what happened?

B:            Nothing happened.

A ignores him and gets closer.

A:           Do you have to keep accusing me of things I never did?

B:            We both know you did, sweetie.

A:           What do you know? You weren’t even here; you were interviewing that bloody writer you admire so much.

B:            If you read him you’d understand why I admire him.

A:           As if I cared! Ho on, flee to his arms, I don’t give a shit about your life!

B:            Yes you do, you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t.

A shuts up and takes a few steps back, still looking at B.

A:           You don’t care about what I did or didn’t do. You can’t even be bothered to get angry.

C comes in.

A:           Who the hell are you? How did you come in?

A looks at B, who looks surprised.

B:            C…

A:           Oh great, the happy couple reunited! Go on, go and fuck each other, who cares about you two!

Both B and C stare, ignoring A.

C:            I thought I’d never see you again…

B stands up from the chair, the book still in his hands, and gets closer to C. A then stays in the way.

A:           I will not allow it.

B:            You what? (laughs histerically) Who are you to allow or prohibit anything, kid?

A:           Oh, now I’m a kid? You weren’t complaining about it last week when you were fucking me like hell!

B opens the book and takes a piece of paper out of it.

B:            So what’s this, then?

C takes a few steps closer to see what’s written on the paper, A is frozen.

B:            Only kids draw hearts on little pieces of paper. You only have dreams in your head that are not real, and you’re too childish to even see it.

A is still frozen; then she falls on her knees crying. C laughs.

C:            Let’s go, B, this child won’t do any good to you. I still can’t understand what you saw on her.

B:            Neither do I, believe me. Neither do I.

A realizes the chair is gone seconds before she is hit on the head. A falls flat on the floor and C laughs.

C:            Are you ready to come with me and leave all of this shit behind?

B looks at A, a little of blood staining the floor.

B:            I am.

B breaks the paper into pieces and leaves them scattered around the unconscious body of A, then closes the book and takes C’s hand.

B:            Let’s go somewhere only we know.

A terrible noise is heard, it comes from somewhere outside the room. A voice is calling A, B is suddenly very nervous.

B:            Quickly, through here!

C follows B to a corner of the room where there’s a window.

C:            Let me go through first.

C jumps through the window outside and falls on the ground. B follows just in time to hear the door smashed and a voice shouting.

B:            We did it, we did it!

C:            Just like the mice in my book.

B:            Stop it. Do you really want to know the truth?

C:            What truth? You just left her behind, didn’t you?

B:            Oh yes I did, but that’s not all.

A noise is heard behind C, B is smiling mischievously as a policeman comes running towards C.

Policeman:         I’m arresting you under the attempt of murder and suspicion of homicide of two other people…

C:            WHAT?

B:            That’s the truth, my man. Not all of us are as stupid as the mice in your book.

C is taken away; B looks at this hand, the book is still there. He throws it away, it falls on the ground. B leaves.