Explain the reasons behind your Dramatic Question, as well as the reasons for choosing your Inciting Incident and Climax.

Write up a complete script analysis of Quiara Alegria Hudes’ Water by the Spoonful, using the tools you’ve learned throughout the semester. I’ve provided a detailed prompt below, but you can reference the VoiceThread from Module 2 for further clarification.

Part 1 – PLAYWRIGHT ANALYSIS: Dramatic Structure

  • Articulate and/or identify the Exposition, Dramatic Question, Inciting Incident, Climax, and Resolution/Denouement for the play.
  • Remember that there is a specific formula for the Dramatic Question!
  • Explain the reasons behind your Dramatic Question, as well as the reasons for choosing your Inciting Incident and Climax.
  • Include at least 3 facts EACH for the Status Quo and the New Status Quo.

Part 1 should be about 1-1 1/2 pages long to completely answer the questions and get full credit.

Part 2 – ACTOR ANALYSIS: Given Circumstances

  • Choose 2 characters from the play. 1 of them MUST be your Protagonist. Identify the following key elements for EACH of your chosen characters:
    • each character’s THREE most significant factual Given Circumstances
    • each character’s main Objective
    • each character’s main Obstacle
    • each character’s Character Arc
  • Remember that there is a specific formula for the Objective!
  • Explain your reasons for choosing your Objective and Obstacle.
  • Support your Character Arc with specific details from the play.

Part 2 should be about 1 1/2-2 pages long to completely answer the questions and get full credit.

Part 3 – DIRECTOR ANALYSIS: Casting

  • Using the same 2 characters you chose for Part 2, decide which celebrity actors you would cast in those roles.
  • Support and defend your casting choices with specific factual details from the play and evidence from the actors’ past performances on stage or screen.

Part 3 should be about 1-1 1/2 pages long to completely answer the questions and get full credit.

Part 4 – DRAMATURG ANALYSIS: Research

  • Identify 2 subjects, topics, events, or issues you would research and include in the Actor Packet for a production of this play. You may NOT include research about the playwright’s life, interviews with the playwright, or reviews of past productions of the play.
  • Choose 1 of the 2 subjects you’ve identified, and do a small amount of research on that subject. Include 2 or 3 fun facts or intriguing details that would be useful to someone working on a production of this play. And cite your sources!

Part 4 should be about 1-1 1/2 pages long to completely answer the questions and get full credit.

Part 5 – DESIGNER ANALYSIS: Design Plan

  • Decide whether you want to focus on Scenery, Costumes, or Sound. Choose 1.
    • If you chose Scenery, find 3 inspirational images that would influence your scenic design. Copy and paste them into your document. These images might represent a color or texture that speaks to you, they might represent a specific furniture piece that belongs in the world of the play, or they could be something else entirely. But they CANNOT be photos of previous productions of the play.
    • If you chose Costumes, find 3 images to represent a costume design for 1 of the characters you chose in Part 2. Copy and paste them into your document. Base your decisions on the given circumstances of the character. You may NOT use images from previous productions of the play.
    • If you chose Sound, find 3 songs or audio tracks that you would include in the sound design. Copy and paste links to those songs into your document. Only 1 of them can be a song mentioned in the play.
  • Explain EACH of your images or audio tracks in 1-2 sentences. Why do they belong in this play?

Part 5 should be about 2 pages long – including the images or links you’re providing – to completely answer the questions and get full credit.

Supplementary Part – MARKETING ANALYSIS: Production Poster

If you’re feeling artistic, you may replace any ONE of the Parts above with this Supplementary Part. This Supplementary Part is not required. If you choose to complete this AND the 5 Parts above, I will count this as bonus points.

  • Design a poster to advertise a production of the play.
  • The poster should include a striking central image that captures the spirit of the play without revealing too much about the plot of the play.
  • The poster design must include more than just a single image you pulled from a Google Image search. This needs to be DESIGNED – not just CUT and PASTED.
  • The poster should include the title of the play and the playwright’s name.
  • Think carefully about the font you choose for your text. It’s part of the design too.
  • The poster design should be big enough to fit on an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper.
  • You may NOT use images from previously made posters for the play. You may NOT use photos from previous productions of the play.

Explain how you came up with the design and why you think it suits the play.

The Supplementary Part should be about 2 pages long – INCLUDING 1 page for the poster design itself – to completely answer the questions and get full credit.

Each Part is worth 5 points. If you complete the Supplementary Part as a bonus, you can get a maximum of 2 1/2 bonus points. I will be grading each part on how clearly you express your ideas, how well you support those ideas, and how appropriate your observations are to the play.

You must submit this analysis as 1 document via Canvas – I will not accept e-mailed submissions. The written portions should be typed, double-spaced, with standard margins (no more than 1 inch on each side), in a standard font (e.g. 12 pt. Times New Roman or 11 pt. Arial), with page numbers. However, if you would prefer to submit this as a recorded presentation – with slides – I am open to that. But you MUST contact me in advance to get approval.