Scene Entry Points and What Does Your Character Want?

The biggest thing I’d like to comment on as far as what we need to do to take the next step is to really focus on developing your scenes so that something happens that you can build on.  Make sure we (the audience) know the relationship (not just wife/husband, but what kind of a relationship – do you love each other, did you marry for money, etc.), the location, and the conflict as soon as possible so you can really dive into it.  The longer you take to get there, the less likely you’ll get there.  You’ll have time, once you've established the scene, to fill in all the little details.

Here’s an example of quickly getting into a scene, word of inspiration:  love

Player A:  (sad tone, shoulders shrugged) Mom, Dad told me you two are getting a divorce and that it’s my fault.

Player B: (angry tone) It is your fault, you’re 37, you still live at home, you don’t have a job, and you and dad are having an affair.

Player A:  (still sad, but reaching out to Player B) I don’t have a job because you know dad, he’s such a traditionalist, and, yes, we are having an affair because I saw how wonderful he treated you over the years and, like you, I don’t want anyone else to have him, but me.  But, I need you to know that you’ll always be Mom to me, not the hated ex-wife.

Now, that is a bit ridiculous, but it shows just how quickly you can get into a scene and note that emotions help to establish relationships/intent.  Now, let’s try it with a different suggested word from the audience, you got it:  bananas!

Player A:  (happily) Uncle Jed, I’d really like it if you would help me free the animals from the zoo.

Player B: (excitedly) Timmy, I've been hoping you’d ask me to run your army of freedom fighters!

Player A:  (happy/in awe) Well, you’re an inspiration to me because ever since you told me about how you valiantly freed Aunt Mary from her previous husband, I figured I should take up the torch.

Player B:  (happy/proud) You always were an impressionable young lad.  Mary’s husband was such a nice and handsome guy, it just didn't seem fair that she should be caged by him forever.

See how quickly we left the bananas behind (and, didn't even mention them)?  The audience suggested words of inspiration as well as the word association games are just launching pads – the scene didn't have to be about bananas, it just had to start somewhere around bananas.  In the above example – the zoo.  If the word was balloons, you could start a scene at a birthday party or at a circus or amusement park or the scene could start with someone blowing up a balloon and talking to their sister about their father’s retirement and party, etc., but you don’t have to mention balloon – at all.  You have to trust that the audience will make the connection and move on.  The reason this is important is you don’t want to get stuck on the word.  The word, ultimately, is the least important aspect of the game/scene, but if you spend the first 45 seconds talking about bananas, it becomes the focal point instead of the story, the relationship, the characters.

Remember, scenes are not monologues about how you feel about the topic.  Scenes are about characters interacting, developing conflict, creating history, and going somewhere.  Scenes are about how your characters feel about each other.  Each character in every scene should want something and the audience should know that.  It could be an actual thing they want (all the gold in Texas) or a person (his brother’s wife) or an idea (the respect of his fellow congressmen) or something else that the character reveals.  And, each character should try to get what they want – this creates conflict and possible resolutions.  

If your character doesn't want anything in a scene or doesn't try to get anything, your character is just floating along.  Drama demands tension of some kind – so want something and try to get it and see how your fellow characters onstage respond.  Then, resolve it.

A simple way to look at it is like this:

Player A wants Player B’s approval.

Player B wants to rule the universe.

In order for Player A to get what he/she wants (Player B’s approval), a good way to start would be to support all of Player B’s ideas to rule the universe (no matter how zany they are).  Even better – not only support the ideas, but up them a notch or two to beef up Player B’s ego.

In order for Player B to get what he/she wants (to rule the universe), he/she will obviously need supporters, so recruiting and agreeing and accepting Player A’s ideas is a good way to start.

Building the list of what you should be asking yourself:

If this is true, what else is also true?

What do I (my character) want? And how am I going to get it?