Monday, November 7, 2016

Guillain, Charlotte. Writing and Staging Funny Plays.

Guillain, Charlotte.  Writing and Staging Funny Plays.  Capstone/Heinemann  2016  48p  $24.49  ISBN 978-1-4846-2769-3  Series: Writing and Staging Plays  elem/ms  Nonfiction  VG-BN    

In this how-to book, all the elements of writing and staging a funny play are covered: writing and staging humor, designing sets and costumes, and performing. There is also practical advice for novice writers and those interested in a theatrical career. If the illustrations included people of all age groups from elementary through high school, this book would appeal to all age groups. However, most of the color photographs include only very young people and thus may not easily fit into high-school collections, and is more suited to grades 4-8. The author gives practical ideas and tips for writing a play, starting with the story map through the creation of humorous dialogue and actions.  She also covers directing a play, audition criteria, and set and costume design, as well as practical tips to make opening night a success.  This book can be used to teach common-core standards related to understanding the structure of play dialogue and stage directions, as well as the creation of humorous scenes. Glossary, index and a list of resources for further reading complete the book.  

Summary: In this how-to book, all the elements of writing and staging a funny play are covered: writing and staging humor, designing sets and costumes, and performing. There is also practical advice for novice writers and those interested in a theatrical career.


Playwriting, Drama-How To                                         --Lois McNicol

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