WRITE ON!
Introductory Workshop
Classroom Materials
(for use after artist’s visit)
INTRODUCTION
You are now ready to turn your narrative into a script!
You have accomplished a lot so far. You have written a narrative. You have learned Cara Mía’s
basic rule of creating a scene; every scene needs a WHO, WHERE, and a WHAT. You have
divided your story (or one of your classmate’s stories) into a sequence of events by creating
freeze frames. If you have done all of these things, you have accomplished 75% of the work!
Now it is time to write the script!
EXAMPLE OF A STUDENT SCRIPT
Before we move on, please take a moment to read this example of a student script.
SCENE: LA LLORONA
Narrator:
Our families come from a land of mystery. From Mexico, our families carry their legends
with them.
Pedro and Braulio enter walking down a road.
Narrator:
One night, when my Uncle Pedro and Uncle Braulio were walking from my great uncle’s
house, they heard a loud scream.
An actor screams from offstage.
Narrator:
My uncles looked at each other and looked back at where the scream came from. Then,
they heard a strange sound like La Llorona.
La Llorona enters. She walks like a phantom.
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La Llorona (as if weeping):
Mis hijos! Mis hijos! Mis hijos!
Narrator:
They felt like something was holding them back.
Pedro and Braulio cannot move forward. It appears as if they’re being pulled by an invisible
force from behind them.
Pedro:
I don’t want to know who it is. I’m not turning around.
Braulio:
I don’t want to turn around either but I’ve got to see who it is.
Narrator:
My uncle Braulio didn’t want to but he looked back to see who was following them.
Braulio turns around.
Narrator:
A dark, womanly figure was following them and my Uncle Braulio shivered.
Braulio:
Let’s get out of here. Fast!
Pedro and Braulio run home. They arrive to their house, hurriedly open the front door with a
key, and enter. Their mother is in the kitchen, preparing hot atole*.
Narrator:
They ran home and their mother looked at them as if they had just seen a ghost.
Mother:
You look like you have just seen a ghost.
Pedro and Braulio:
We have!
* Atole is a hot drink made from corn flour, sugar, cinnamon, and sometimes with fruit, chocolate, oatmeal, or
milk.
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VOCABULARY
A script is a written version of a play so that actors can rehearse and prepare for a
performance. A script also allows other people in the future to perform your story because it
has been written down.
A script is made up of several elements.
One element is the stage directions. Stage directions describe what happens on stage during
the scene. Entrances, exits, and the movements of characters are stage directions and help the
actors know their responsibilities. Here is an example of a stage direction found in the script
above:
Pedro and Braulio run home. They arrive to their house, hurriedly open the front door with a
key, and enter. Their mother is in the kitchen, preparing hot atole.
When you write your script, you will be required to write down the stage directions for all of
the entrances and exits and almost all of the movements of the characters. If you feel like you
are writing down too many stage directions, ask your teacher and he or she can help you.
Another element is narration spoken by a narrator. Clearly, these terms are related to the word
narrative. A narrator is a person within a play who tells the story to the audience. The narration
is what the narrator says while recounting the story. An example of narration from the student
script is:
Narrator:
One night, when my Uncle Pedro and Uncle Braulio were walking from my great uncle’s
house, they heard a loud scream.
The final element that we will require you to include in your script is dialogue. Dialogue can be
defined as the conversation between two or more characters in a story. An example of dialogue
in the script is:
Pedro:
I don’t want to know who it is. I’m not turning around.
Now that you understand the elements of stage directions, narration and dialogue, you have
the basic tools to write your script!
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EXERCISE #1
Break up into groups with your partners from the Write On! workshop. One person will be in
charge of writing the script although everyone will contribute their ideas.
Using the example of the student script below, discuss with your partners how you would
animate your scene from freeze frames into a theatrical scene with movement and spoken
words. How would you bring the freeze frames to life? Together, as a group, decide how you
would create the movement of your scene, the narration, and the dialogue. You can decide
while sitting down or you can figure things out while on your feet, acting out the scene.
Next, using the format of the example script above, write down the stage directions based on
how you and your partners decide the characters will move. Write down the narration which
can be taken directly from the narrative although you and your partners can alter it for your
script. Finally, work as a team to decide the dialogue that you want the characters to say.
Have fun. Know that you can always change the stage directions, the narration, and the
dialogue whenever you have a better, funnier, or more effective idea for your script. Writers
say a script is never finished! There are always ways to make it better!
Also, it is very, very important to listen to other people’s ideas when working in a group. As
they say, two brains are better than one. Just think how much better several brains can be
when working on the same script! So, listen to other people’s ideas and try them out.
REVIEW
Remember the basic principles of what we have learned. Recall the concepts, the vocabulary,
and the exercises from our Write On! workshop.
Writing a story is as easy as telling a story.
A narrative is a story that describes a sequence of real or make-believe events.
To be effective, your scene must have a place WHERE the story takes place, show WHO
is participating in the story, and demonstrate WHAT is happening.
Create freeze frames to identify the sequence of events in your scene.
When writing your script based on your freeze frames, include stage directions,
narration, and dialogue.
Have fun coming up with new ideas for your script with other people.
Think about how you can create costumes, props, or set pieces for a future performance
of your script.
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CONCLUSION
Congratulations! You have written an original script based on a personal story! Now, can you
rehearse your script and perform it for a group of people like your classmates, friends or family.
You can also create costumes for your play and use objects for props and set pieces. Plays are a
great way to share personal stories, stories from history, and fictional stories of great
imagination and fantasy. People learn more about the world by seeing plays. Now, you have the
tools to create scenes and plays for your community!
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