Michael Patrick
v=lAN-
What makes a playwright different
from other writers?
1. Playwrights write for theatre and when mak-
ing theatre, playwrights are part of a creative
team. They are often the primary creators,
but we do not stand alone like a novelist or a
poet does. A play does not exist on the page;
it only exists with actors and a director. It’s
fully collaborative. You must learn to be
flexible. Especially on new plays. You might
have an idea in your head, and if the creative
team can’t do that – what happens? In writ-
ing a new play, writers collaborate with a
dramaturg – who gives them notes on each
draft –, with actors – who might do readings
of drafts to help move the script onto the next
stage –, directors – who would give them
feedback on how it might be staged –, as well
as designers and other creatives.
2. Playwright’s work is to be performed to a
live audience in a real space and in real time
– it’s for an audience, it’s not just for you.
Audiences consume our work differently
than the work of a novelist. People read nov-
els at their leisure. We as playwrights control
the audience’s time. And it is our responsibil-
ity to make every single second of that time
interesting. PLAYS ARE ENTERTAIN-
MENT! (well, I think that anyway …)
3. And the difference between playwriting and
tv and film? All you need for a play is, as
Peter Brook once said, “an empty space”.
You don’t need cameras and lights and stage
and set – they can help – but you don’t need
them.
What is a Tiny Play?
● Tiny Plays are plays of 600 words long, in-
cluding stage direction and character names
(4–6 pages maybe). Maximum of three char-
acters.
How did this come about?
● Fishamble are the Irish new play company.
They did a callout to the public and produced
50 Tiny Plays in 2012/2013
● Produced again in 2016.
● Another callout in 2020 & EBS callout 2021
Links to 35 Tiny Plays from the Fishamble
Website:
www.fishamble.com/tinyplaychallenge.html
More information on Tiny Plays:
www.fishamble.com/tinyplays.html
Fishamble’s Literary Manager’s tips on writing
tiny plays:
www.youtube.com/watch?
izYzEFA&t=7s&ab_channel=Fishamble
%3ATheNewPlayCompany
YouTube link to many of the tiny plays:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaY2Ztf3gyg
Exercise 1 – clearing your mind and stream
of consciousness writing!
The hardest thing in the world as a writer is the
blank page. Once something is one the page you
can fix it – and you should fix it! Plays may go
through 5, 6, 7, 8 drafts – each one a major re-
write with entire scenes / characters being cut or
changed dramatically between drafts. In The
Border Game, we re-wrote the entire second
half of the play in the middle of rehearsals.
This exercise is designed to get people writing –
what is written down should never be shown to
anyone – it is simply to get people writing. Do
not share what you wrote, if you know you must
share it you will be more self-conscious. Write
the following statements at the top of five dif-
ferent pages:
● I am frightened …
● I am angry …
● I hope …
● I am ashamed …
● I love …
For one or two minutes (depending on time con-
straints) write whatever flows from your mind
after seeing the first statement. This can either
be one continuous thought (e.g., fully expanding
on one thing you are frightened of) or multiple
thoughts (a list of things you are frightened
about) – if you get stuck in the middle of a
thought, move on to another, even if the last
thought is unfinished. The main thing is to write
as fast as possible and to get as many words on
the page as possible. You should be writing
without thinking. When the first minute (or two
minutes) is up, move onto the next one. Never
let your pen stop moving!
Then it’s important to talk afterwards – how did
people find the exercise? What came up for
people? What did they find easy / hard?
The list of five questions can also be useful
when you want to determine what the theme of
your play might be – if there is a recurring topic
which came up time and time again – you might
want to think about writing something in that
area.
Exercise 2 – Stream of consciousness tiny
play.
Someone (the teacher) leads the exercise by
telling people to write a dialogue between two
characters A & B. It should be stream of con- B: Indeed.
sciousness – so there is no time to think – do not Run this for 30 seconds
let your pen leave the page, or your fingers stop 3. Three syllables (30 seconds)
typing, just write as fast as you can. Tell the Then call out that they are allowed up to three
writers that you will be calling out instructions syllables per line.
as the time goes by. Run this for 30 seconds
1. Monosyllables (30 seconds) 4. Whatever length they choose! (2 minutes)
The initial constraint is that the characters can Then call out they can write whatever they
only say one syllable words to each other, be- want! Full length sentences or giant monologues
fore the other character replies with a single syl- (or simply keep one syllable) – it’s their choice
lable word. now! Run this for 2 minutes
e.g.:
A: Hi 5. A third character enters! (1 minute)
B: Hey Tell them that a third character must enter –
A: You? character C. Run this for one minute.
B: Me. 6. Something mad happens! (1 minute)
A: You! Tell them to do write something which will af-
B: You! fect all three characters – something completely
A: Me? out of left field – run this for one minute then
Run this for 30 seconds end the exercise.
2. Two syllables (30 seconds) Students should have written a stream of con-
Then call out that you are allowed to have two sciousness tiny play! Encourage them to talk
syllables! Either one two syllable word, or two about it after – how did they find it? Is there
one syllable words per line. (But one syllable anything in there which is useful? Even one line
lines are still acceptable) of dialogue, or a central conflict – is there any-
A: Yes you. thing at all in the scene which could be used as
B: Do not – the basis for something else? This could be a
A: Do what? first draft of something new.
B: Do that!
A: What this?