Brighton Beach Memoirs: Day 5; Coming of Age 10-minute Use

Please finish analyzing and reading Brighton Beach Memoirs. Complete and turn in the analysis handout of the play.

Use your character sketch for a "coming of age" play. Your character sketch should include:

• The character's name
• A description of your character (both physical and non-physical traits that make this character unique)
• An explanation about what motivates this character
• Identify a weakness or flaw that this character has that causes a problem for him/her
• What conflicts with authority figures (parents, teachers, older siblings or relatives, society, etc.) must this character confront? Consider the types of conflict to help you identify a couple
• You may include a rough drawing or illustration of your character (counts as extra credit for this assignment)

This character sketch should be included/attached to your 10-minute play draft when completed. Before writing your play consider/define:

• Use the 4 stages of the coming of age plot. I suggest starting with a confrontation with authority. From there you should quickly establish removal and challenge stages. Your last page should address the reintegration of your protagonist. 
• Your protagonist should struggle to achieve a solution to a problem. Remember to use other characters to develop conflict: person v. person; person v. self; person v. society; person v. nature or God/fate--you can use any of these to help introduce conflict for your protagonist.
• Choose a setting. Keep your play in one setting for now. 
• Think about how your story will express a message. Ex. In order to grow up, we need to accept responsibility, or it's okay to accept one's flaws despite what others think of you; or friends are the only true support we should expect in our lives; or to learn to forgive is the greatest gift you can give yourself, etc. Messages tend to be a statement that the writer believes is important and true. What do you want to say to the world? That's your "message". 
• Remember that plays and acting involve playing a different person than oneself and showing a character's actions (actors act--that's what they like to do!)
• Be creative with familiar material. You know the struggles and conflicts you face growing up because it's happening to you...use your own experiences, but go out on a creative limb and tell us an old story in a new way. 
• Make sure your protagonist wants something that he/she can achieve. Make your protagonist work to achieve this goal with obstacles--often in coming of age stories, obstacles are parents, teachers, relatives, rules, or self-inflicted problems. See what you can do with these ideas.
• It's okay to fail. Do your best. Think outside the box. Give yourself a chance to succeed. You're not an expert at writing plays yet because you have just started doing so. The more you write the better you will get at this. Remember: above all--tell an interesting story. 
• 10-minute plays should be between 7-10 pages in script format. To help give you some advice please spend about 10 minutes reading this article: How to Write a 10-Minute Play and watch this video. See the handout as well for more advice on how to start and what your 10-minute play script can include. 

HOMEWORK: Continue writing your play script. A draft will be due later next week.