Playwriting - Chong Tze Chien

We discussed our SDEA script with Tze Chien today.
He felt that it was a bit confusing and there were too many focus points - homosexuality, religion, inferior...

1. Have different characters to bring out different points of view - Examiners? Mother? Boyfriend? Girlfriend? Sister?
- He suggested we could have different examiners of different religions.
- Right at the start of the play, we must show that this play is not happening in Michelle' real life, it's only a mental landscape. Or else, audience will be confused.
-Voices of mother, boyfriend, girlfriend and sister should be consistently appearing throughout the play
2. Let the situation speak for itself - SHOW NOT TELL
- In the monologue for Michelle, there's a part where she mentions "I don't have an identity!" or something along that line.
- Don't tell the audience that she doesnt have. Instead, you SHOW it, and the audience will know.
3. Use conversations to bring out theme
4. Don't confuse theme and story
- Story can still focus on the choice of having to live of die.
- Theme is the Politics of Identity.
Theme can still be carried out in a story of life and death via conversations.

He helped us with a few lines in the script to give us a rough idea of which direction it should go towards.

After discussion, he told us to write about any scenario happening a hotel room.
[Exposition - 2 pages, Rising Action - 5 pages, Climax - 2 pages, Falling action+Resolution - 1 page]
1. You must develop the background/history of your the character first
2. What does the character want in the play?
3. Relate to real life examples and rmb SHOW NOT TELL
4. Use of conversation and movement
5. If you're stuck, it means you have not fully develop your own understanding of your character and his/her objectives
6. Create unexpected events in between
7. Fix the characters involved - No enter/exit of new characters after exposition

Yup, thats what I've learnt! :D Hope it's of good use hahaha.

Rui Shan