Signature pedagogies for the playwriting classroom : spotlight on teaching the novice playwright / Andrew Black.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Black, Andrew, active 2025, author.

Contributor:

Bloomsbury (Firm), publisher.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Playwriting--Technique.

Playwriting.

Playwriting--Study and teaching.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (208 pages)

Edition:

1st edition.

Place of Publication:

London : Bloomsbury Academic, 2025.

Summary:

Drawing on qualitative research exploring the techniques of playwriting instructors, this book outlines signature pedagogies within playwriting instruction for 'novice' writers and how they may be reimagined and reinvigorated. Through research gathered in interviews with 11 instructors, and surveying their methods, syllabi and handouts, Andrew Black interrogates key challenges within dramatic writing pedagogy: the myth that it, along with creativity, cannot be taught; the lack of clarity about the instructional value of playwriting education for diverse contemporary audiences; the tendency to allow the writing product to drive instruction rather than process; and the tension between traditional and experimental models of play construction and how this can confound instructional techniques. Identifying 3 indispensable and signature pedagogies that are consistently used in the classroom - the writing exercise, the use of mentor texts and the workshopping of student material - this book describes key strategies and practices used by seasoned instructors which bring these pedagogical strategies to life, strategies and practices which can support instructors in reimagining their playwriting classrooms. An intervention for "lorebased" pedagogical models that are often out of date and reflect the biases of previous generations, Black offers a starting point for instructors developing their inclusive lesson plans, offering a comprehensive understanding of pedagogical options available to the instructors.

Contents:

Introduction

Chapter One

Setting the Stage

The backstory on playwriting:

how we got to where we are

Lore as the pedagogical standard in playwriting

Who is the learner in our classrooms:

instructing the novice

A qualitative approach to disciplinary research:

what is going on out there?

The book's organization

What it is/What it isn't

Chapter 2: The Challenge of the Romantic Model

Understanding the challenge

What educators think

Teaching self-efficacy:

I can do this; I can write a play!

Chapter Three:

Instructional Objectives, or Why Teach Playwriting?

The challenge: not just the vocational objective

Multiple objectives for playwriting instruction

Using expanded objectives to justify the offering

Chapter Four:

Linear Versus Non-linear Models of Theatre in the Classroom

Closed and open models for plays

Some historical context

Teaching using the linear approach:

pro

Teaching using a linear model:

con

Dealing with this tension in the playwriting classroom

Frameworks and models / the advance organizer

Let the student lead

Chapter Five:

Teaching Playwriting as a Process

Understanding the challenge known as "focusing on product" not process

Stages in the writing process

Strategies for teaching "process":

pre-writing, writing, rewriting

Chapter Six:

Signature Pedagogies

The Writing Exercise

The value and purpose of the writing exercise

Exploring the universe of writing exercises

Setting up, conducting, following through

Linear and non-linear approaches and the writing exercise

Chapter Seven:

The Mentor Text as a Signature Pedagogy

What is a mentor text?

The value of the mentor text

Students don't read the plays

Building a comprehensive, yet diverse, reading list

Talking about the play versus learning how to write a play

Teaching the play in class

What about copyright?

Chapter Eight:

The Playwrights Workshop

What is the playwrights workshop?

Context and background for the workshop

The purpose of the playwrights workshop

Strategies for a playwrights workshop with novices

Chapter Nine:

Other Pedagogical Models

Self-Efficacy and the playwriting instructor

Context assessment

Time management

Understanding student goals

Non-Mentor texts / Secondary texts

Next steps for students when the class ends

Chapter Ten:

Bringing the Curtain Down

Lore as a pedagogical practice

Applications to other forms of dramatic writing (screenwriting, digital storytelling)

Playwriting instructor as dramaturg

A call to action for the discipline and the instructor

Appendix A:

A Proposed Flow for a Playwriting Class for Novices

Appendix B:

A Playwrights Workshop Punch List for Critique

Works Cited

Index.

ISBN:

1-350-49664-2

1-350-49666-9

OCLC:

1517204633