Playwright Discovery Award Teacher's Guide - The John F. Kennedy ...

PLAYWRITING EXERCISE 3 continued
PART 2 Draft a Narrative
Next, draft a narrative—a possible outline or scenario for a play—from these soundscapes and postcards.
For example:
As our play begins, middle school student John breaks into a classmate’s locker. Peter tries to stop him,
but John wins their struggle, sending Peter sprawling to the ground, his crutches toppling. John escapes
with his loot—a cell phone—while Peter picks himself up.
Suzie catches Peter near the scene of the crime and wrongly assumes he’s the culprit. In her effort to look
inside Peter’s backpack to search for the missing phone, she dumps out an antique clock that Peter had
brought for a special class presentation. The clock falls to the ground, and there’s a shattering sound as
the glass cracks and several pieces of the clock break off.
Peter sits on the ground, desperately trying to put the clock back together. The bell rings, and the hallway
is filled with students, but Peter pays them no heed, a little island of misery in the middle of the hallway,
with people stepping around him and occasionally accidentally kicking a piece of clock.
John catches a piece that’s sliding along the hallway, and walks over to Peter with it. When John tries
to help, Peter pushes him off. But John’s persistence eventually triumphs, and Peter allows him to help.
The hallway clears out. Suzie enters and joins them. A phone rings somewhere among their possessions.
John pulls it out and places it in front of Suzie, ringing. But she doesn’t answer, choosing instead to focus
on helping Peter put his clock back together as the lights dim. •
VARIATION Postcards From a Play: The Director’s Cut
The Producer’s Version of Postcards from a Play asks the writer to create a narrative using sounds and
images that were provided by the studio. In this version, the writer has full creative control to choose the
visual images, the soundscape, and the narrative that connects it all together. Remember, each image
must include at least two characters, and at least one image must include a conflict related to an apparent
or non-apparent disability. At least one soundscape or physical indicator of a disruption must include
a conflict related to an apparent or non-apparent disability. Every character must have a secret and work
hard to hide it.
ACT II: PLAYWRITING 29