Writing AssignmentsEvening of Short Plays
 
The Greensboro Playwrights' Forum invites you to be a playwright by sending you monthly writing assignments. You don't have to be a member of the Forum or even attend the meetings to receive the assignments. Simply enter your email address on the email list page.

Here are some sample assignments:

May 2008
Write a play with the following elements:
1) Characters trapped in remote area, such as on an island, in the desert or in the arctic
2) Characters have the last of something
3) The line, "Are you going to eat that?"

April 2008
Write a play with the following elements:
1) An old pair of tap or ballet shoes
2) A bar about to be bulldozed
3) A ghost as a character
4) The line, "Dancing is mandatory."

March 2008
Write a play with the following elements:
1) A four leaf clover
2) An empty wallet
3) Dirty clothes
4) Start with the line: "Now, what do you want me to do?"

February 2008
Write a play with the following elements:
1) An empty box.
2) The line, "What I want you can't give me."
3) The line, "Drop it right now or I swear I will..."
4) The line, "Do you have to wear that?"

January 2008
Write a play with the following elements:
1) A character who can only speak in questions.
2) A glass heirloom.
3) An empty bottle of pills.
4) All the characters must be related.

December 2007
Write a play with the following elements:
1) A person standing under mistletoe.
2) A person with a wrapped present.
3) A firefighter in full gear.
4) The line, "What are you doing?"

November 2007
Write a play with the following elements:
1) The sound of dripping water.
2) A blood-curdling scream.
3) A ringing telephone that doesn’t get answered.
4) The setting, a confined space.
5) The line, “Stop touching me.”

October 2007
Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to write a play with the following elements:
1) A dead body in the center of the room.
2) One high-heel shoe.
3) A set of keys.
4) The line, “I’m not a doctor.”
5) The line, “Where do you think you’re going?”
6) A character who only speaks in questions.

September 2007
Wrire a play with lots of exposition and description. Throw the book out the window, we’re writing play noir (think Maltese Falcon, Double Indemnity, and Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid). Use the following elements:
1) A lead character who sets the stage. It can be a detective, but you are encouraged to pick another profession (hairdresser, bus driver, drug store photo developer, or anyone who interacts with different people everyday).
2) A small revolver or derringer.
3) A deck of cards.
4) The opening line, “It was a dark and stormy night.”
Don’t be afraid to make the characters 'big.' Make the stakes high and the descriptions long (let loose the adjectives and adverbs). The only stage directions you should write are sound effects. 

The following are some old assignments. They are abbreviated; listing only the needed elements of character, setting, and lines of dialogue. Many of you may recognize them from the Evening of Short Plays.

August 2007
Thunderstorm -- A broken umbrella -- Lines: “Where did I put your money?” “Get under there before they see you.” -- Start in a living room with the front door wide open.

July 2007
Five people playing blackjack or poker, each with a specific goal for being there. They are not playing for money. How high can you make the stakes? Winning is everything. What does each one fear most? How well do they know each other? Start in the middle of the game.

June 2007
Line: “Move away from the pie.” -- Can of whipped cream. Line: "Did you touch it?" -- Fairytale character or someone dressed as a fairytale character.

May 2007
A couple couple on a blind date; one is a psychic. Line: “Stop touching me.” Prop: Large red tomato.