Programme Three: For the stage
Mark Ravenhill
Trying out loud
Trying out dialogue at the bus stop might get you odd looks but could improve your plays, suggests Mark Ravenhill.
The third programme in Ian McMillan’s Writing Lab will be devoted to exploring a skill that appears straightforward - until the new writer hits its hidden difficulties.
Ian and his guide, the dramaturg Paul Allen, explore techniques playwrights use to write dialogue for the stage.
They hear from three generations of leading British playwrights: David Edgar, (writer of Destiny, Pentecost and Playing with Fire), Mark Ravenhill (Shopping and ...g, Mother Clap’s Molly House, The Cut) and Laura Wade (Breathing Corpses).
The programme will offer advice on:
- the importance of listening closely to everyday speech
- how to make use of what this reveals to create character through language
- ensuring that dialogue works as action and that characters are driven by specific wants
- how to avoid clunky exposition of information
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Plus: useful exercises for playwrights to try out to develop their skills and rescue scenes that have got stuck – and why you should always hear your play read out loud...
Content last updated: 14/12/2006
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