EN2271 – Introduction to Playwriting

Second last lesson of our playwriting class. 4 years in NUS, this is the one class that I really like. This is the one class that makes me forget the reality outside, cheers me up. This is the one class that is going to make me find it hard to leave NUS (assuming I manage to graduate in time of course)!

A continuation of my work, I added in one flashback scene in Act 3 that previewed everything that had happened before Act 2 (which occurs chronologically before Act 1), during Act 2 and up to the beginning of Act 1. Now on thinking back, I gave the wrong diagram on the board in class when I drew my supposed timeline of the play. Chronologically speaking, it should be:

Now that seems confusing. I blame the anachronistic nature of the play on the anime, 涼宮ハルヒの憂鬱, haha. My only problem is that the emotions and characters are not intense enough as yet to be able to convince that one of the characters is the murderer.

Huilin presented her piece and it kind of confused everyone in class because we tried to rationalise her piece when in fact it was meant to provoke thoughts and leave everything hanging I guess. I wish I had kind of supported her in class because I think I kind understand where she was coming from. But it’s the case of playwright’s intentions versus the audience’s expectations and so we spent a good amount time arguing over how to resolve her play logically.

Haza re-wrote her play, entirely! She used the dream device of hazy recollections, which immediately prompted me to think of Kanon, AIR and CLANNAD. Very dreamy, very interesting.

Douglas continued with his poetic-styled play. I love the presentation style! How does one write like that? Is it the Arts/cultured thing?

Benita and Faith re-wrote and expanded on what they had. I’m looking forward to their endings. Should be very interesting given the dynamic of the relationships established, Satan-on-Earth in the former and a three-way-relationship in the latter.

What’s my ending going to be like, I wonder?