Marsh Cassady

To write for the theatre you need to know about theatre. Ideas are easy to come by. Examine your background, interest, and beliefs. Examine the world around you. Exercises can help you come up with ideas. Choose the audience you want to reach and write to that audience. To learn to write dialogue listen to and record everyday conversations. Dialogue should sound like ordinary conversations but has more direction. Know as much as you can about your central characters. Do a character analysis. Choose the character traits to emphasize. A character should come across as both typical and individual. Most plays have a plot, which involves conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist. The parts of a plot are: inciting incident, rising action, turning point, climax, and falling action. Other types of organization for a play are circular and thematic. Before starting to write, you need to develop a central idea. Plays exist for a number of reasons--entertainment, to bring attention to something, and to teach. You need to decide what you want to accomplish. It's easier to gain an audience's interest if you start with a theme they agree with. A play needs a sense of universality. A play should be unified, but it also needs contrast. Since theatre is a collaborative art, the director, actor, and designers may see the different facets differently than you do. It's not difficult to have a well-written produced. Possible markets are schools, organizations, and professional theatre. Finished plays have to follow a particular format. About the Expert Marsh Cassady has had thirty-eight plays published and/or produced--including Off-Broadway. A former theatre professor with a Ph.D. degree, he started a playwriting program at Montclair State in New Jersey that included beginning and advanced classes, workshops, and individual projects. He also taught creative writing, including playwriting, at UCSD. Marsh is the author of sixty published books in a variety of genres from theatre textbooks to novels to true crime, and hundreds of shorter pieces. For about thirty-five years he led all-genre writing workshops in San Diego and in Rosarito, BC, Mexico, where he has lived since 1997. HowExpert publishes quick 'how to' guides on all topics from A to Z by everyday experts.

To write for the theatre you need to know about theatre. Ideas are easy to come by. Examine your background, interest, and beliefs. Examine the world around you. Exercises can help you come up with ideas. Choose the audience you want to reach and write to that audience. To learn to write dialogue listen to and record everyday conversations. Dialogue should sound like ordinary conversations but has more direction. Know as much as you can about your central characters. Do a character analysis. Choose the character traits to emphasize. A character should come across as both typical and individual. Most plays have a plot, which involves conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist. The parts of a plot are: inciting incident, rising action, turning point, climax, and falling action. Other types of organization for a play are circular and thematic. Before starting to write, you need to develop a central idea. Plays exist for a number of reasons-entertainment, to bring attention to something, and to teach. You need to decide what you want to accomplish. It's easier to gain an audience's interest if you start with a theme they agree with. A play needs a sense of universality. A play should be unified, but it also needs contrast. Since theatre is a collaborative art, the director, actor, and designers may see the different facets differently than you do. It's not difficult to have a well-written produced. Possible markets are schools, organizations, and professional theatre. Finished plays have to follow a particular format. About the ExpertMarsh Cassady has had thirty-eight plays published and/or produced-including Off-Broadway. A former theatre professor with a Ph.D. degree, he started a playwriting program at Montclair State in New Jersey that included beginning and advanced classes, workshops, and individual projects. He also taught creative writing, including playwriting, at UCSD. Marsh is the author of sixty published books in a variety of genres from theatre textbooks to novels to true crime, and hundreds of shorter pieces. For about thirty-five years he led all-genre writing workshops in San Diego and in Rosarito, BC, Mexico, where he has lived since 1997. HowExpert publishes quick 'how to' guides on all topics from A to Z by everyday experts.

A readable, workable text that deals with everything about theatre and the artists who make theatre possible. Styles of drama, staging, production, directing and acting, along with all backstage functions are defined in detail. Theatre history and the business of theatre are covered fully for the use of both students and instructors.

The Teacher's Guide which includes suggestions for further reading, in-class discussion topics, and sample exam questions.

Over 300 improvisation and theatre games to develop creative abilities and acting skills. Improvisational theatre involves students immediately without having to audition, and learn lines and blacking. Instead, they learn to watch, listen, and think on their feet. Improvisation is also a good way to develop confidence, to build characters, and to understand the various aspects of acting and drama. Many different types of improvisation are presented, ranging from the serious to the hilarious. All are easily producible, requiring only simple sets and props. Includes exercises leading to widely varied subjects and genres of improvisation, from scenes dealing with youth problems to situation comedy, to the creation of original play scripts. Tips and examples are included on how to present or initiate each improvisation and scene. A valuable resource for all acting students.

Twenty-two one-act plays and sketches demonstrating comedy techniques. Comedy relies upon exaggeration incongruity, automatism, character inconsistency, surprise and derision. Now a book that defines and demonstrates each of these devices with twenty-two short sketches and one-act plays.

A unique collection of 74 scenes from plays by minority playwrights designed to make students aware of cultural diversity in American Theatre. Providing a stepping stone to the study of minority writing, the book presents a variety of scenes for acting and directing practice. Instead of isolated cuttings from a large number of plays, a number of scenes from single plays are included.

If you're hoping to find that one simple high school text that "tells it all" for your beginning theatre class, then look no further Marsh Cassady has taught theatre at the high school and college level for many years and is currently a director, playwright, and award-winning author whose 20 books are used extensively in schools. Fifteen chapters grouped into five sections present a complete overview of the art of theatre (theatre styles, genres, and structures), directing (interpreting a script, casting, and rehearsing), design (scenery, lighting, costumes, and makeup), acting (imagination, improvisation, body, voice, character analysis), and the history of theatre. The chapters are a good length for student reading, and abundant photos, diagrams, and illustrations help explain key concepts. This classroom textbook also includes several plays and scenes to allow students to 'flesh out' characters and gain perspective of various types of dramatic works from great playwrights such as Shakespeare, Ibsen, and Wilde, as well as several contemporary writers.