Rhythm of a play

Jane Bodie suggested plays are closer to song and poetry than novels and I think I agree. There's more rhythm and word play.

Different writers have tried to express the rhythm of their play writing. I've come across Suzan Lori-Parks (writer of Top Dog Underdog - great play, worth reading for aspiring writers and others) who has a possibly useful way of describing rhythm. (I've seen Debbie Tucker Green use the form too.)

I'm using it in the play I am writing. I show an example here. This and '/' are quite useful markers for playwrights today - I think.

Author's note:

Active silences. Denoted by repetitions of characters names with no dialogue.

Chung

Flora

Chung

Flora

No action is necessary but the characters are active. Directors should fill this moment as they best see fit.

(Rest.) = Take a pause, a breather, an amount of time; make a transition. It can be smaller than an active silence. It will often denote a transition.

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