Writers Room – Writing Drama based on real event
This week our club members were challenged with creating Drama based on a real event – namely the Lee Jeans Factory Sit-In of 1981.
Danny McCahon local screenwriter, held a Writers Room in April of last year with club members. The purpose was to write some fictional scenes based around the Lee Jeans Sit-In, to include as part of a Documentary on the Sit-In. Danny provided the main facts of the sit-in along with collected memories of the people involved and those directly affected. He then gave instructions on forming a character, followed by that characters interaction with our partners character, to form the basis of a Scene. Much fun, hilarity and creativity ensued.
Our worthy members were given a quick summary of the Sit-In with the same instructions Danny had given to us last year on forming characters and imagined scenarios. Given the short time and lack of familiarity with the event, the creativity still flowed. Members were split into pairs to form characters then write a scenario between them, producing fabulous results. Most of the characters developed worked in the factory, while others were various family members trying to keep things together. After 45 minutes there were six fully formed dramatic scenes, impressive work indeed.
Our next Competition is a Drama based on a real event and is to be up to five pages long or the equivalent of five minutes. There will be a copy of Dannys’ Lulu script included in the Writing Tips section of the GWC website, to help with the layout.
I for one am looking forward to seeing these plays acted out !