Understanding Action vs. Activity in Playwriting

In this session, the teacher guides students through understanding the difference between action and activity in storytelling. The session includes exercises where students write scenes based on given scenarios, such as a bank visit, baking a cake, and digging a hole. Each exercise emphasizes the importance of linking activities to character motivations and actions. The session concludes with an assignment for students to apply these concepts to their own plays.

What is the main focus of the seventh session?

• Exploring plot twists

• Differentiating between action and activity

• Learning about dialogue writing

• Understanding character development

In the story about Cat, what is her primary goal?

• To become rich

• To make her father proud

• To travel the world

• To find a hidden treasure

What is the difference between action and activity?

• Activities are more important than actions

• Actions are daily tasks, activities are goals

• Activities are daily tasks, actions are goals

• Actions and activities are the same

In the first exercise, what is the initial activity performed by the bank customer?

• Depositing money

• Withdrawing money

• Closing an account

• Opening an account

What additional layer is added to the bank scene in the first exercise?

• The customer is planning to rob the bank

• The customer is a secret agent

• The customer is a bank manager

• The customer is a detective

In the second exercise, what are the characters engaged in?

• Gardening

• Cooking dinner

• Baking a cake

• Cleaning the house

What should be considered when writing the scene in the second exercise?

• The characters' ages

• The characters' hobbies

• The characters' actions and motivations

• The characters' favorite colors

In the third exercise, what activity are the characters engaged in?

• Building a house

• Digging a hole

• Painting a fence

• Planting trees

What is the final assignment given to the students?

• Write a scene combining activity and action

• Create a character profile

• Revise their previous scenes

• Write a new play

What is the ultimate goal of combining activity with action in a scene?

• To make the scene longer

• To add more characters

• To serve the character's motivating characteristic

• To include more dialogue