How to Write a One Man Show!
A one man show is a theatrical piece presented by one person. It can be based on real life events or totally fictional. We as a class wanted to work on our writing, and our teacher thought this project would be a good challenge. Compared to other pieces we could have created, a one man show has:
-You have more control over not only what you write, but also the performance itself because other actors are not involved.
-As the sole writer you can input your own personal opinions and not be vetoed by a writing partner.
-This piece is "all yours!"
In this unit our process covered:
-How to compose a script
-How to edit
-How to act it
Please the same steps we did to begin composing your own one man show:
Click here to see videos of us practicing pieces from our writing!
-You have more control over not only what you write, but also the performance itself because other actors are not involved.
-As the sole writer you can input your own personal opinions and not be vetoed by a writing partner.
-This piece is "all yours!"
In this unit our process covered:
-How to compose a script
-How to edit
-How to act it
Please the same steps we did to begin composing your own one man show:
Click here to see videos of us practicing pieces from our writing!
How to Compose it:Step 1-Writing Exercises: We began writing using different simple exercises. The first were "Our Most Embarrassing Moment," and "Gender Swap." We found writing down and sharing our most embarrassing moment made us vulnerable and willing and able to make fun of ourselves as well as receive criticism. Gender swap involved writing from another gender's perspective. We found this effective because we were able to see a different perspective on ideas we normally wouldn't consider.
Step 2-Using Metaphors: First we wrote a short paragraph on a real life event from our past as literally as possible. Next we rewrote the same paragraph only using metaphors in place of actual events or actions. The final time, we blended metaphors an real events together. During this exercise we learned how to balance a piece of writing. We felt it would be difficult to perform with an uneven mix; too few metaphors would be too simple and too many would be ridiculous. Overall this helped us see all our possibilities for writing and performing; it gave us different options. Step 3- Creating a Character and Monologue: First we picked a subject to discuss, different from our own point of view. From that point of view we created a character with credibility. Next we began to write our monologue. We were concentrating on what this person wanted to say and why, not on making it perfect. After we had a very rough draft of our monologue, we tried to make our characters more solid by asking several questions of them. Who are they? Where are they from? Why are they saving this? Why do they feel this way? Step 4-Stimuli to Monologue: Once we felt comfortable creating a character we took a bigger step toward actually writing our one-man show. We found a stimulating or inspiring picture on the internet. Using that image as inspiration we created several different scenarios that could relate to our picture somehow. Then we created a short monologue based off that picture. We rehearsed it several times out loud trying to make it more and more coherent, adding to its length each time. |
How to Edit it:There is not a good or bad time to edit. We felt it was better to do so throughout the writing process, after each time we wrote.
Generally once you write something, when you reread it you'll always find some flaws. Little by little you start eliminating those flaws. Also in rehearsing our pieces we found we needed to edit them because there were certain points or characteristics that didn't fit in with our character. In other words, the spoken text that sounded good on paper, didn't always word when said aloud. |
How to Act it:Being an actor means being able to play a part similar to someone else while still adding your own personal touch. When acting out a piece you've written yourself, we think it largely depends on the person. Acting really is about interpretation, whether you've written the piece or not. Have fun with it and find your own interpretation.
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