My Site-Specific Play

My play takes place in the small area behind the theater. I chose that spot because I liked how it seemed hidden from the rest of the room. Usually, most of the drama happens on the stage, so I decided it would be cool for the drama to happen in the opposite place of the theater. Even though I wasn’t completely sure what I wanted my play to about, I knew I wanted mine to be a drama that involved gossip and mean girls, common themes in movies about high school. The only thing is, I’m having a little trouble revising my play. I feel like it’s really uninteresting and won’t keep the audience members on the edge of their seats. The climax is unexciting and the ending is boring. Over the summer, I saw this short play (written by a high school student) about a wife trying to get her husband to move his recently deceased brother’s things out of the house, and during the scene she was working on getting him to bring out the last box. Towards the end, when she finally convinced him to do it and they began to lift the box up, it broke and all the brother’s things fell on the floor (which resulted in the husband getting extremely upset). I remember, as an audience member, how brilliant that moment was because it shocked me so much and completely changed the play. I think my play lacks that kind of climax and shock. I wish I could find some way to have a moment that completely surprises the audience like that play had. I also feel like my play has not point or lesson (does a play always need a lesson learned?) and it just ends. Since I’m writing about teenagers in high school, I also feel like the characters in my play are a little too stereotypical. There’s the mean girl, the unpopular girl, and the boy who really doesn’t do much except keep the conversation rolling. It seems too typical, so I think I should work on that. Like Montana, I’m excited to revise my piece and make it better, but I know it will definitely be a challenge.