PLAYWRITING I: (TRAINING MONTAGE)

T/TR 3:30pm-5pm

Instructor: Daphne Silbiger

Email: daph.silbiger@gmail.com
Office hours by appointment

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is designed to survey the fundamental skills needed for making plays. The first half
of the course will be focused on going step by step through the mechanics of dramatic writing.
The second half will provide an opportunity to use those skills in a workshop setting. Regardless
of experience, you will learn to work with words on the page in a way that lets you express your
dramatic vision—lets you play. We will also spend a significant amount of time reading the work
of other playwrights to gain an understanding of what is going on in the contemporary field.

The final project for the semester will be the first draft of a one-act play of between 15 and 50
pages. This flexibility is meant to allow you to process the lessons from class in a creative setting
that feels right for you and your work. You will also turn in a revised portfolio of in-class work.

Plays come alive when they are read out loud--after spring break, there will be days scheduled
for each person to share their in-class work. On our last two days, everyone will have the
opportunity to hear work of their choosing from the semester read out loud by the class. But, for
the most part, your focus will be independent. This class is an opportunity for you to experiment
on your own terms without the expectation that all work will be ready to share in public.

Plays are weird animals and making them is extremely rewarding. By the end of this course, you
will be fully prepared to go forward into the process of writing a full-length first draft.

COURSE ORGANIZATION

Craft Days

Tuesdays will be dedicated craft days. Before spring break, we will focus on gaining an
understanding of the mechanics of playwriting—what literally goes on the page. These
fundamentals may seem obvious to some. But, taking time to examine the tools you’ll use as a
playwright will let you find your own sense of how best to utilize them. After spring break, we
will use those tools in workshops structured around in-class writing.

This syllabus is subject to change based on our goals and needs this semester. 1
Lab Days

Thursdays will be dedicated lab days. Reading plays is the first step towards writing them. So,
each Thursday we will read excerpts (and some full scripts) in class from writers who provide
good examples of what we’re looking at during that week’s Craft. I will provide PDFs of all
scripts on Canvas so that you can take a look at the pieces before Lab, if you wish.

PROJECTS

We will have four major assignments this semester, plus points for participation. Here is an
overview of each—more detailed information on each will be distributed as they are assigned.

Workshop Portfolio Part 1

(Due 3/11, date subject to change—25 points)
During the first half of the semester, Craft will focus on in-class exercises which outline the
mechanics of dramatic writing. At the midpoint of the semester, you will collect the work you’ve
done in class, revisit it and make any edits you deem necessary, and turn it in as your midterm.

Workshop Portfolio Part 2

(Due 5/10, date subject to change—25 points)
After spring break, Craft will focus on open-ended prompts that provide the opportunity to use
dramatic writing skills in practice. At the end of the semester, you will collect the work you’ve
done in class on these days, revise it using methods we will discuss in class, and turn it in as part
of your final.

One-Act First Draft

(Due 5/10, date subject to change—30 points)
After spring break, you will get your one-act play assignment. You will have until the end of the
semester to work on a 15-50 page piece (any length in that range is fine.) You will turn in a first
draft as part of your final. This project is not meant to produce a perfect play—just a draft in
which you take an idea from your opening line to “end of play.”

Lab Presentation- 10 points

At the start of one Lab, you will be asked to give a 10-minute presentation on the play and
playwright for that week. This can include a production history of the play, information about the
time when it was written, biographical information about the playwright… anything you think
will enhance our discussion. You will be asked to read the full script on the week you are
presenting. We will have presentation sign-ups during our first class.

Participation- 10 points
Please try to make it to all meetings. You will have 4 excused absences because life happens. If
you are not able to make it to class but are able to Zoom in, I will make my best effort to allow
you to do so (without affecting your grade.) Please communicate your needs—we’ll work it out.

This syllabus is subject to change based on our goals and needs this semester. 2
TOOLS

Since this is a writing-intensive course, you will need a way to record your work. If you’re
working on a computer, please turn in all assignments as PDFs. If you are not working on a
computer, let me know and we’ll figure out the best way to turn things in. Either way is fine by
me. Please bring your computer/notebook to each Craft day.

You will not be required to buy any books. But, please bring a computer/reading device to each
Lab day in order to access the play PDFs on Canvas. I will bring one physical copy each class.

SCHEDULE

Date: Craft topic

Date: Lab reading (Title—author last name)

1/18 Course Introduction

1/20 Grand-Guignol (In the Darkroom—Level and Rey)
(No student presentation)

1/25 Frontmatter (Title, cast list, setting)

1/27 The Wolves—DeLappe

2/1 Stage Directions I: opening

2/3 Wheelchair—Arbery

2/8 Dialogue I
2/10 Appropriate—Jacobs-Jenkins

2/15 Stage Directions II: in text

2/17 Circle Mirror Transformation—Baker

2/22 Dialogue II
2/24 The King’s Henchman—Millay

3/1 Formatting (draft, final), Scene Breaks

3/3 The Dybbuk—S. Ansky

3/8 Dialogue III

3/10 Is God Is—Harris
3/11 Workshop Portfolio Pt 1 Due (date subject to change)

SPRING BREAK (3/14-3/18)

This syllabus is subject to change based on our goals and needs this semester. 3
3/22 Workshop I
3/24 How to Make Friends and Then Kill Them—Feiffer

3/29 Workshop II
3/31 Tiger Style!—Lew

4/5 Monologues
4/7 Brief Chronicle, Books 6-8—Borinsky

4/12 Workshop III

4/14 Behind the Sheet—Simpson

4/19 Magic
4/21 Dance Nation—Barron

4/26 Workshop IV
4/28 The Price—Miller

5/3 Share Day I

5/5 Share Day II

FINAL (5/10): Turn in Workshop Portfolio Pt 2

(date subject to change) Turn in One-Act First Draft

BEST PRACTICES

Writing plays is a personal business, and it is useful to state explicitly—the following behaviors
are considered harassment and are unacceptable in our small community:

- Violent threats or language directed against another person

- Discriminatory jokes or language
- Distributing or discussing sexually explicit or violent material outside the scope of the
material necessary for class research
- Posting, distributing, or otherwise promoting information intended to ridicule or discount
another student’s engagement with the course material
- The use of racist, sexist, or queer-and-transphobic language
- The use of language intended to discount or intimidate someone for their anti-racist views
or practice
- Unwelcome sexual attention
- Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior
- Repeated behavior which someone has identified as harassment

This syllabus is subject to change based on our goals and needs this semester. 4
 ACKNOWLEDGING INDIGENOUS LAND
We acknowledge that the University of Texas’s
Main Campus sits on indigenous land. The Tonkawa
lived in central Texas, and the Comanche and
Apache moved through this area. Today, various
indigenous peoples from all over the globe visit
Austin and/or call it home. Since some of our classes
are online, you may be contributing from other tribal
lands. Here is a map that may help you in
identifying the indigenous peoples of the land on
which you study: https://native-land.ca/
ACADEMIC ACCOMMODATIONS
Any student with a documented disability (physical
or cognitive) who requires academic
accommodations should contact the Services for
Students with Disabilities area of the Office of the
Dean of Students at 471-6259 (voice) or 471-4641
(TTY) to request an official letter outlining
authorized accommodations.
FERPA AND CLASS RECORDINGS
Class recordings are reserved only for students in
this class for educational purposes and are protected
under FERPA. The recordings should not be shared
outside the class in any form. Violation of this
restriction by a student could lead to Student
Misconduct proceedings.
Please let me know if you have any reservations
about this class, including, but not limited to,
learning differences and hidden or sensory
disabilities. I want to make the course as inclusive
and safe as possible, and I need your help and
communication to stay informed. If you need
accommodation for any facet of this course, make an
appointment with me during the first two weeks of
class.
CANVAS
We will use UT’s Canvas program, an online
website where students will be able to read
announcements, participate in online discussions,
and download course materials. All students are
responsible for class information posted on the
announcements section of Canvas.
This syllabus is subject to change based on our goals and needs this semester.
BEHAVIOR CONCERNS ADVICE LINE
(BCAL)
You may use the Behavior Concerns Advice Line to
discuss by phone your concerns about another
individual’s behavior. This service is provided
through a partnership among the Office of the Dean
of Students, the Counseling and Mental Health
Center (CMHC) the Employee Assistance Program
(EAP) and The University of Texas Police
Department (UTPD). Call 512-232-5050 or visit
www.utexas.edu/safety/bcal
COVID GUIDANCE
To help keep everyone at UT and in our community
safe, it is critical that students report COVID-19
symptoms and testing, regardless of test
results, to University Health Services. Faculty and
staff report to the HealthPoint Occupational Health
Program (OHP) as soon as possible. Please see
official online publications and email distributions to
understand what needs to be reported. In addition, to
help understand what to do if a fellow student in the
class (or the instructor or TA) tests positive for
COVID, please visit the University Health Services
website. Free PCR and rapid COVID-19 testing is
available by appointment through MYUHS.
RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS
This class strictly observes the University of Texas
policy on religious holidays. If you are absent from a
class session for the observance of a religious
holiday you may complete the work missed within a
reasonable time offer the absence. Written notice
must be given at least 14 days prior to the classes
scheduled on dates you will be absent.
SCHOLASTIC INTEGRITY
Students who violate University rules on scholastic
dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties
including the possibility of failure in the course
and/or dismissal from the University. Since such
dishonesty harms the individual, all students, and the
integrity of the University, policies on scholastic
dishonesty will be strictly enforced. For further
information, please visit the Student Judicial
Services website.
5