In the theatre, the actor is in total control.

The director wasn't in the house last night, the designer

wasn't there, the author's dead. It's just us and the audience. ---Ian Murray McKellen

A one-act play, as the name suggests, is a play that has only one act in it as opposed to the
popular format involving three or more acts. One-act plays typically run between 15 minutes to
an hour.
CONCEPTUALIZING CHARACTER
Characters are so vital. They literally define the art of drama and distinguish it from all other literary
genres. A one-act play is 9-12 pages with four characters or less.
Your main character is everything in your story. They might be likable or awful, yet we generally
emphasize with them because we feel what they feel too. You may also use pet names.
The viewpoint character may or may not be the main character. Nevertheless, we see and hear
the story through them and there may be more than one viewpoint character. They are the narrators.
Generally, you rely on them to move the story along and tell the truth of it. However, you may invent
what is called an unreliable narrator. It is usually a character who we monitor and soon learn to
distrust, however much fun they are.
The most common and effective ways by which to present a character in a story are: 1) through
appearance or physical description; 2) through speech or dialogue; 3) through action; and 4) through
the thoughts and feelings of the character.
CONCEPTUALIZING SETTING
A basic formula to remember is: setting = scene (time + place) + mood/atmosphere.
For example, the combination of a time like “midnight” and a place like “a Gothic cemetery” has a
natural resulting atmosphere that is “eerie or scary”. This could be the static backdrop of a novel on
Dracula.
Unusual or unexpected details, however, may be added. Setting, then, becomes more dynamic and
ceases to be a mere introduction or decoration in the story. In our example, the cemetery at night
could be “invaded” by a group of teen-age Halloween revelers who bring their class party to an
authentic setting, thus waking up the dead, both in a literal and figurative way. The niches could be
lined with lanterns and the tombs laden with food.
CONCEPTUALIZING PLOT
To begin your plot, you need to choose the genre of your story followed by these Guide Questions:

✓ Romance: Do the lovers get together and live happily, or do they separate and feel miserable?
✓ Mystery story or quest: Will the character solve the mystery or find what he seeks?
✓ Adventure or war story: Does the character survive the hostile environment he’s battling against
or overcome the enemy?
✓ Rags to riches: Will the character succeed or fail?
✓ Redemption story: Will the character save others, or transform himself?
✓ Coming of age: Does the character grow up, and if so, how and why?
✓ Tragedy: Does the character escape his fate or not, and if not, why?

Ten Tips to Develop your Plot

1. Create a world that's true to real life or fantastical or that mixes the mundane with the magical.
But whatever set of rules you create for that world, make sure you follow them.
2. Write a conflict that builds as the play progresses. As you structure the conflict, think in terms of
your play having a beginning, a middle and an end.
3. Write characters that want something (which puts them in conflict with other characters) and try
to get what they want at every moment.
4. Make sure that each character has something at stake, a consequence if he doesn't get what he
wants.
5. Create a "ticking clock" that puts the characters under pressure to get what they want right away.
6. Make sure there is a good reason, an "event," for your play. It's not enough for two characters to
sit around and talk for a while and then leave. There needs to be some important reason why we're
watching them now, at this particular moment.
7. Write dialogue that illuminates your characters and advances the plot at the same time.
8. Make each character speak in a distinctive voice. If you have trouble with that, try imagining a
specific actor you know - even if it's someone who will never play the part - in the role.
9. Do not have a character tell us something she can show us instead. For example, it's much more
effective to hide under the bed than to say "I'm afraid."
10. Give each character a "moment," something that justifies the character's existence in your play
and that makes him attractive for an actor to play.

ACTIVITY 1. Write a character profile for a person whom you think best fits each description. The
character profile must include physical attributes, educational background or professional training,
special skills or talents, personality traits, etc.

CHARACTER 1: a student who doesn’t want to attend classes regularly

Character Profile
Name
Gender
Age
Height
Weight
Address
Physical Appearance
Favorite hang-out
Favorite subject
Class schedule
Describe him/her
when;
a. he’s happy
b. he’s frustrated
c. he’s nervous
For him;
a. what is family?
b. what is school?
c. what are friends for?
Other descriptions:

CHARACTER 2. a teacher of 34 students of various ages who live in a remote mountain village

Character Profile
Name
Gender
Age
 Height
Weight
Address
Physical Appearance
Work schedule
Salary per month
Mannerism
Describe him/her
when he/she’s ;
a. happy
b. irritated
c. exhausted
d. discussing the
lesson
e. administering a
test
f. at home
g. dealing with
students’ personal
problem
For him/her;
a. what is family?
b. what is work?
c. what are students
What is his/her dream
job?
What is his/ her
future plans?
Other description:

ACTIVITY 2 Now that you are done creating your own characters it’s now time to form the perfect
setting. This exercise will help you to explore how you can use a place to reveal your Characters.
Direction: Choose one character from Activity 1, then answer the questions that follow. Please use
a separate sheet of paper for your answer. To show coherence and clarity in your answer, write in
paragraph form.
1. Describe your character’s home.
Start from the outside before writing about your character walking through the front door and through
each room; describe how he feels about each one. Think about the following:
• Which is your character’s favourite room?
• What would he most like to change about his home?
• What objects does your character possess, and what memories do they connect with?
2. Describe your character at home on a typical evening. What activities does your character enjoy?
Does he read, watch TV, phone friends, cook, play computer games, drink, take drugs, eat chocolate
or shop online?
3. Think of some other locations that feature in your character’s life. Think of key places where your
character goes regularly: his workplace; the houses of friends; anywhere he visits daily, such as a
café or wine bar, a library or swimming pool.
4. Write a paragraph describing your character in each of these settings in turn. Again, think about
how your character feels in these different locations. A place is always more interesting to the reader
if a character has a strong reaction to it.
ACTIVITY 3. We are almost done with the structure of your composition. Now for the last part,
referring to your character and setting, it’s time to kickstart the plot your story. We will now create
the opening scene of your masterpiece. Write your answer on the space below. Direction: Follow
the steps below to create the beginning of your plot. Write your answer on the space provided.
Step 1: Introduce the characters: By name if you’re writing in the third person, or by individual voice
if in the first person.
Step 2: Set the scene – the time and the place: You can do so simply with a place and date, or by
describing the scene.
Step 3: Create a mood: You create atmosphere by description, but also by style, length of sentences
and choice of vocabulary.
Step 4: Describe an action or situation – including dialogue if needed: The more dramatic, the more
arresting your opening is likely to be.
Step 5: Ask a question: Don’t try to give too much information – provide enough to orientate readers
in the story but leave questions to entice them to read on.