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The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus
100 points (x3) One-Act Plays: The Faustian Bargain A.P. ENGLISH LITERATURE & COMPOSITION Archbishop Moeller High School, Mr. Rose
Due Dates: Synopsis Fact Sheet: ______________________ One-Act Play + Presentation: _______________
Assignment: One-Act Play You will be working in small groups to write an original one-act play that somehow involves a Faustian bargain. This does not means that you will be re-telling a story (like Doctor Faustus or “The Devil and Tom Walker”) but coming up with your own original storyline.
Subject: The Faustian Bargain The idea of an individual selling his or her soul to the devil for youth, knowledge, wealth or power is an old motif in Christian folklore, one that had become attached to the historical persona of Johannes Faustus. The phrase “Faustian bargain” has entered the English lexicon in a less literal way, referring not just to a deal made with the devil but to any deal made for a short-term gain with great costs in the long run. Your play may involve either type of Faustian bargain. You are free to write an ending that is tragic, comic, etc.
Step One: Synopsis Fact Sheet This should include the following information: names of all students participating, the name of the play, the names and a short description of the characters, and a prose synopsis of the play written in present tense. One student from your group will be presenting (reading) the synopsis on the day it is due. The synopsis fact sheet will be turned in.
Step Two: Final Presentation There are two parts to the final presentation: the play itself, written in standard play format (see sample); and the “production” of the play. Your play may be produced in a number of ways, including performing a live dramatic performance, videotaping a simple production of the play, or audio-taping the play (using sound effects, etc.) as if the play were being produced for radio. Whichever method of production you choose, it will be presented to the class on the due date.
The following pages present a “How To” guide… Use this resource!
How To Write a One-Act Play/Film
What Is a One-Act Play? A one-act play is usually between 10-40 pages long, and is often called a “tenner” because of the short length. Writing one-acts can be an excellent way for new playwrights to learn the basics of story and character construction. While there are no set rules for how to write a one-act play, some basic guidelines may help clear away any confusing format or content problems.
Traditional plays, and often one-act plays, sometimes conform to the unities of drama as discussed by the philosopher Aristotle. These guidelines suggest that a play should take place with a unity of location, time and action. In other words, plays should have:
- one location,
- be set over a period of no more than one day,
- and have one central plot.
These unities are somewhat more helpful in writing one-acts, as the 10-40 minute running time will not leave a lot of room for set changes or subplots.
A one-act play usually will have four or fewer characters that are developed in varying degrees. Depending on the story you are trying to tell, there may be one or more main characters. In some short plays, the roles are balanced equally; in others, some roles may only have a few lines. Even though your play is short, you should have a clear idea of who your characters are, what they want, and how they will try to get what they want.
The most important element to any play is conflict. This does not necessarily mean fighting or arguing. A man being sad about throwing away his baby blanket is in conflict with himself. Equally, two people trying to decide what couch to buy is also a conflict. Conflicts are essential to give a scene and a play life.
Because a one-act play is so short, most experts recommend you avoid extensive exposition. If the play is about Mary and John arguing in a restaurant, the audience does not need to know where they were born, how many siblings they have or any information extraneous to the play. It does not mean that the playwright cannot know these things, but you can waste valuable time giving explanations or background about things that do not affect the immediate outcome of the scene or situation. Avoid using a narrator.
You may wish to read examples of one-act plays to understand how they are written and what can be done with them. If you like classical literature, Moliere and Anton Chekov both wrote extensive collections of one-acts. David Ives is considered by many theater critics to be the greatest modern mind when it comes to one-act comedies. For drama, you may wish to look at the work of Horton Foote or David Henry Hwang.
WUNDERKIND by Darren Callahan SAMPLE: One-Act Play
(LIGHTS RISE on an office.
Seated is ALBERT, flustered, pulling at his necktie.
Enter BRANDON.)
ALBERT
Sit. Now.
(BRANDON does as he’s told, in a spot away from the door. ALBERT picks up a piece of paper and waves it in the air.)
ALBERT (Continued) Tell me you’ve seen this.
BRANDON I have. Just now.
ALBERT This is crap. This memo. It’s...it’s...tell me it’s crap.
BRANDON Most of it.
ALBERT What’s true?
BRANDON The part about me being named Brandon Coply.
(ALBERT smiles.)
ALBERT
I knew it. I knew it. This is political. Smells of it. Indulge me... (MORE)
ALBERT (Continued) (Reading) “Effective immediately, Brandon Coply is no longer an employee of the New Hampshire Star. After an investigation of allegations...” (Breaking) Allegations! (Reading) “...allegations of misconduct related to his series on the sheriff’s office we are forced...” (Breaking) FORCED!
BRANDON I know what it says.
ALBERT Aren’t you angry? Doesn’t it just burn your feet.
BRANDON Yes.
ALBERT Well show ‘em, show ‘em, my boy! This is nineteen-seventy- five. This isn’t the 50s. This isn’t the Age of McCarthyism. We’re not blacklisting anybody because of what they’ve written. Your sources – - they’re in line, right? Not like it says here. “Coerced, bribed, beaten.”
BRANDON Sources are all golden, Albert. Swear to it.
ALBERT Get your notes. We’re bringing them up to Fitzgerald.
(ALBERT stands. BRANDON hesitates.)
ALBERT (Continued) Your notes, your notes. Come on.
BRANDON They’re missing. From my desk.
CELIA
You are?
BRANDON They stole my notes. All my proof.
CELIA
Who did?
ALBERT (To CELIA) Do you have anything we could take up to Fitzgerald. Check stubs, ah, ah, dictation, steno notes, anything.
CELIA No. No, I don’t. Brandon, he keeps his own files.
ALBERT Come on now! I raised this boy, brought him into the industry. I’m not gonna-- Crummy. Damn crummy. Not a private conversation with you, but a note to all those you touch. And I’m your editor, kid. No respect upstairs for us. Those moneymen in their box. That miserable office. Fitzgerald. Paaah!
(ALBERT returns to the desk and picks up his phone.)
CELIA
Who are you calling?
ALBERT You know.
CELIA Albert, be caref...
ALBERT (Into phone) Hello? Yeah. Albert Cummings here. (Pause) Oh, he can’t take my call? (MORE)
ALBERT (Continued) (Rolls eyes) Send him down then. Yes. Send him down. Pronto. (Angry) If he’s not here in one minute...well then I quit!
(ALBERT slams down the phone.)
BRANDON
Mr. Cummings. I—- I don’t know what to say. That was a very sweet gesture. But you’re not really gonna —-
CELIA I should leave.
ALBERT No, you stay. Unless you’re afraid to stand by us.
CELIA I. I’m only a typist, I--
ALBERT Go, then, go! Save yourselves!
(ALBERT starts to shoo her away.)
ALBERT (Continued) Don’t let a little injustice get between you and your minimum wage! A man’s been wronged, Celia, but if you feel that a little distance is just what the doctor or—-
CELIA I’ll be outside if you need me.
ALBERT Take your phony concern out of here, then. We don’t need it.
(ALBERT shuts the door on CELIA.)
BRANDON (Continued) (Pause) That’s better. (Softly) I’m not asking, I’m telling. This job is mine. I earned it. And I’ve got so much dirt on this place it would make the sheriff story look like Walt Disney.
FITZGERALD Please don’t. Please don’t shoot.
ALBERT (Confused) Brandon, what...
BRANDON I want a retraction. Another memo. I want it today. Within the hour. Hear me old man? You had no right to do what you did. Make me look like a freak. Like no one’s supposed to touch me. The last ten minutes I’ve been scheming how to get onto your floor without the elevator boy calling the guards. Luckily...Albert here has some guts.
FITZGERALD They’re just outside, son. You don’t want to—-
(BRANDON pushes the gun into FITZGERALD’s cheek.)
BRANDON
I’m gonna do right by you, Mr. Fitzgerald. I’m gonna write you good stories. Real stories. You need someone like me in the streets. I get some answers. I get some answers. Albert knows what I write. Tell ‘em, Albert. Some people are afraid to get their hands dirty. This paper’s full of cowards. Well not me. My hands are real dirty. And I like it that way.
(Pause.)
FITZGERALD
Whatever you want...Brandon...whatever you want. Just p- please. (Pause) I have a daughter, a son, a--
(BRANDON backs away. He goes into the corner of the office and pockets the pistol, looking to ALBERT, then FITZGERALD, then back again to ALBERT.)
ALBERT
(Disgusted) Brandon...
(Long pause.)
BRANDON
Get typing.
(Lights out.)
