Ideas???

[pheebs]

Hey I'm wanting to write a One Act play for the theatre company I perform at or have once but my problem is I have no ideas....the age group of the actors I'd probably write it for is 6-16 because I'm oly 14 bit I need a good griping idea or something roiginal....if you have any ideas please reply to this...any at all it doesn't matter how bad or boring you think it sounds because I could adapt it....so please feel free to help me:)
please & thankyou
pheebs

[dpaterso]

Welcome to the forum. If I were you, I'd try to watch and read as many plays as I could. And TV dramas, films, novels, short stories. Maybe your local library has famous plays on record? It's a long shot, but maybe worth asking. What about your theatre company? Don't they have a stock of plays, from previous productions? The more information and technique you absorb, the easier the writing. In theory anyway.

Check out the playwriting prompts / tips (http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14789) thread in Playwriting forum which has a couple of interesting links.

And the Getting in to playwriting/screenwriting (http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25246) thread in Script Writing forum.

If you're really truly stuck for ideas, try http://www.seventhsanctum.com/index-writ.php
which has story generators galore. Just as a crazy example:
"This is a comedy-of-manners. The story is about an odd champion, a performance artist, a reporter, and an inventor. It starts in a space launch facility. The critical element of the story is a betrayal. The gap between the rich and the poor nations plays a major role in this story."

Hey, I said it was crazy. But you never know when something crazy can give you an idea for a story.

-Derek
My Web Page - naked women, bestial sex, and whopping big lies. (http://hometown.aol.co.uk/DPaterson57)
Take the critiques you get with a grain of salt. Invariably, some of the critics will be kooks, bitter curmudgeons, or complete fools. ~odocoileus

[pheebs]

Thankyou for those I'll have a look at them but I'm still up for ideas if anyone has any;) :)
pheebs

[odocoileus]

You could get together with friends and/or theater people and improv/brainstorm ideas. A guide to improv - games, techniques, for groups etc.

http://humanpingpongball.com/

There are lots of books for improv in the theater.

Check out skit shows like SNL & Mad TV too. Standup comics too.

One book I like for ideas is E Jean Carroll's A Dog In Heat Is A Hot Dog

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0671568140/103-3682015-4667834?v=glance&n=283155

a collection of Carroll's advice columns for Elle magazine. Lots of basic human dilemmas here - sex, career, money, love, family, you name it. Sort of an inside look into the mysterious minds of the alien gender.

Other advice givers would probably serve just as well Carolyn Hax, Dr Laura (uggh), Dr Phil, whatever. Or the numerous court TV shows. Imagine if Springer guests weren't all psychotic losers.

I like independent comic books/graphic novels, like Raw, American Splendor, etc. http://www.fantagraphics.com/artist/clowes/clowes.html .