The theme of a play is the underlying meaning – what it’s about.
For example, your play might contain two characters who are trying to buy a house.
So, they set out looking for a suitable place to live, struggle to find somewhere, but finally pack their boxes, and move: that’s what happens – not what it’s about. Maybe, what it’s really about is the struggle of a generation of home renters.
A theme is a central question or comment about life or the world. It could be explicitly discussed or explained in the dialogue or implicitly woven into the action.
So, before we look for characters or worry about what is going to happen in our play, a useful starting point is to find a theme – something you want to say about the world.
And that’s what you’re going to find in Lesson 1 – Theme.
By the end of this session, you’ll have a theme and a Problem of the World, which will help you discover characters in Lesson 2.
Ready? Hit play and start writing!
Tasklist for Lesson 1
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Decide upon a theme
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Background for your theme
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Working title
