Structure and Imagination
At the July meeting, playwright and play writing instructor Ken Prestininzi spoke on using structure to spark the imagination.

Ken stressed the importance of thinking about the "world of the play," which is much more than just the dialog. Ken sited Howard Gardner's "Frames of Mind" as a resource. Your play's theatrical impact will be enhanced by thinking about moments as well as dialog. Thinking about the world of your play, consider the following moments:

• A sound moment. For example, a vase crashing to the floor.
• A visual moment. For example, a red flag passes outside the window.
• A kinesthetic moment. For example, a man falls down the stairs as the wife sits motionless in a chair.
• A spatial moment. A moment where space matters. For example, the husband is hiding under a bed while the wife is having sex with his best friend.
• A moment of using space the wrong way. For example, crawling across the floor instead of walking.
• Interactive, physical moment. For example, ripping a light shade from the light, exposing a bare bulb. (Streetcar Named Desire)
• An inner moment, where a character has a thought or realization. For example, the moment where the pupil gets the idea to write a book about the life of her teacher. (Collected Stories)
• Mathematical or logical moment. For example, everyone exits in a line.
• Language moment. For example, a character is misunderstood because of multiple meanings of words.
• Transcendent moment, where a character transcends a limitation. For example, character learns to fly. (Peter Pan). Or a character breaks the fourth wall.
• Textural moment. A moment where texture matters. For example, the scene takes place on the beach and the sand matters.