Green's+Radio+Play

So, we hear that you want to do radio plays. And today, Go Green!, in coordination with Dawn Productions, will show you exactly how. Remember that radio has no cameras, just sound ,so to keep the listener interested a large amount of effort must be put into the making of a radio program. To create the radio play, keep in mind these four key elements:
 * Plot Structure
 * Characterization Techniques
 * Writing Powerful Dialogue
 * Writing for Audio Theatre

1. Plot Structure
The plot of a radio play should have six parts: Exposition, Initiating action, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement.

Here’s what they mean (We'll use examples from the epic of Gilgamesh to make it easier to understand):

__**Exposition**__: This is where you introduce the listener to the characters, setting, and general situation. It should tell the audience the particular location and time.


 * When it occurs in Gilgamesh**: In the beginning of the myth, the audience is introduced to the city of Uruk and the arrogant Gilgamesh.

__**Initiating Action**__: An event that brings the two opposing forces (good guy and bad guy) into struggle for the first time. This struggle is known as a conflict. External conflicts involve something or someone outside the character. Internal conflict is a struggle within the character.


 * Gilgamesh**: The temptress brings Enkidu to Uruk to fight Gilgamesh for the first time. They fight and then become good friends.

__**Rising Action**__: Events that lead up to the main conflict.


 * Gilgamesh**: Enkidu misses his days of roaming the land so Gilgamesh encourages to join him on an adventure to kill the monster Humbaba in the cedar forest in order to get rid of all evil in the land.

__**Climax**__: This is the point of engaging part of the play. The listener will be most interested. This occurs right before the conflict is resolved.


 * Gilgamesh**: Gilgamesh is having difficulty fighting Humbaba so he reaches out to the sun god Shamash.

__**Falling Action**__: The conflict is resolved and either the good guy or the bad guy wins forever.


 * Gilgamesh**: Gilgamesh kills Humbaba.

__**Denouement**__: What happens to the characters after the conflict takes place is clearly established.
 * Gilgamesh**: Gilgamesh and Enkidu return home and Ishtar asks Gilgamesh if he will marry her.

Credit: Mrs. Holmgren's Plot packet

2. Characterization Techniques
In film or television, actors can make use of body language, expression, physical appearance, scenery, as well as many other methods. These, however, are more challenging to convey over the radio, where your only tool is SOUND.

In radio theater, characters can make or break the play. The first thing a good plot needs is an interesting and original main character (or characters). To captivate the audience, the protagonist (or antagonist) must have a distinct quality or a specific habit that sets them apart from the others, especially if you have many supporting characters. In this way, the audience can identify whom they should listen for as the plot moves forward. A dynamic character would be best: one who changes with the plot or because of it.

Radio theater is based solely on hearing, so most of the characterization will be indirect. The narrator will not clearly inform the audience of the character’s physical appearance. This personal information will be slowly gathered as the audience listens to how the main character interacts with others, and also how he or she responds to changes in the plot.

Although radio theater is solely based on listening, it is always possible to comment on the characters physical appearance. Think about what they look like, what they wear, and what objects they may have with them. Think about how your character would speak; maybe with an accent or with many grammatical mistakes. How would your character act around others; your character may be shy, loud, quiet, bossy, or timid.

Finally, a character’s personality must be of interest to the audience, especially the main character’s. In order to be believable, he or she must have flaws of some sort to engage the audience. A perfect character will be boring, uninteresting, and the audience will quickly lose interest. You must remember that every character has a motivation, or a reason why he or she acts in a certain way. Rarely do characters do something “just because.” Think about everything that happens to your character, and consider why they made the choices that they did.



3. Writing Powerful Dialogue
Another important component of a radio play is dialogue. It adds to story, especially in radio plays. Dialogue is the link between the characters and the plot. Now then, what does dialogue do?

Dialogue plays an important role in radio theatre because it ties everything together. Both the emotion conveyed and the language used makes the distinction between a “good” radio play, and a “decent” radio play. Longstanding, successful dramas from the -40's and -50's and one of the most famous radio dramas of all time, Orson Welles’s //War of the Worlds//, owe their achievement to their unique use of dialogue. Dialogue serves as the keystone, bringing the plot together in a cohesive and interesting way. The War of the Worlds takes a different approach from most radio plays. Instead of utilizing the standard approach of background music, narration, and dialogue, War of the Worlds starts out with a series of news bulletins and announcements, creating a realistic background for the drama.

When writing, consider the following points:
 * Remember not to overuse dialogue. Although it may serve as the foundation of the play, repetition or meaningless speech may also take away from the feel or impact of it. Cut down on the words because concise sentences with more meaning create a richer play rather than long, droning paragraphs.
 * Each character must speak in a different way. Remember to vary vocabulary and use different styles to match their personality. Not only does it add variation to the tones of certain personalities, it also makes the production more interesting.
 * When writing dialogue, relax and write as if normally speaking. Do not write as if for an essay or book, as that may put your audience to sleep.
 * Timing also plays an important role. Try to take into account the realistic view of the play. Remember that there are times that a character may stop and think. Consider that pause. Most likely, the character would not say very much so try to shorten your sentences. Do not overload a phrase with information.
 * Try to avoid offensive language or slang. It weakens the work and also distracts people from the important parts of the story.
 * Cut dialogue up; try to avoid bombastic monologues.
 * Even if dialogue may progress the story, no character is simply narrating the action. For example, rather than telling the audience that a character hit another character, act it out, such as, "Ow!" or "What was that for?

Strong dialogue should not be reading, but rather, speaking. For example:

Weak dialogue sounds bland or unrealistic: I am sad; my dog died and I feel like crying. Although rare in dogs, cancer took him. As you can tell, it sounds structured and emotionless.

Stronger dialogue involves passion: How could this happen? He had more time... What's life worth? Although shorter, indirect action of sadness reveals more than a narrative.

Simply keep those tips in mind. Now you know what to do to write for a radio play. Finally, how do you do it?

4. Writing for Audio Theater[[image:write.jpg align="right"]]
Radio drama uses a fairly flexible design for creating a script, but a few elements are crucial. When writing a radio drama, think of a script for a play. Before each character's lines, be sure to include the name of the speaker, and between each speaker there should be a space. For example. //ZEUS: I love throwing lightning bolts!// //HERA: You really should stop throwing them at the mortals.// When writing sound effects, one should use a separate line and parentheses. FX translates to Sound Effects. Ex. //Poseidon: What a beautiful ocean! FX: (Waves Crashing)//

Like sound effects, music sets location and mood. Horror scenes call for spooky music, where as an adventure scene may utilize dramatic music. Three different kinds of music cues exist, bed, sting, and bridge. Labeling these is very important for the people who will be editing it. [|Http://ruyasonic.com/wrt_cues.htm] contains the best description of it. Not all scenes call for dramatic music, though, and sometimes a dramatic pause creates just as much emotion as music. Just like a real script, one must always mark where dramatic pauses are, where to speak loud, where to speak softly, etc. Some actors mark which words to put emphasis on. All these elements are crucial for creating a script which anyone can understand.
 * //BRIDGE: Music played between scenes with no dialogue over it. Also called "Act In" or "Act Out" music. In radio it is the equivalent of the curtain falling or rising on a scene.//
 * //BED: Music that plays under dialogue, either as brief intro before fading or under the entirety of a speech for dramatic use.//
 * //A SOURCE BED cue has music being heard by the characters while they talk. Say, music playing in the background on a car radio while the characters are driving, or an orchestra playing while the characters are whispering at the ballet.//
 * //STING: Music that arises suddenly to emphasize a line of dialogue. This was a cliché used in soap operas where a character would get to a certain word in a line and the organist would hold one long note emphasizing the speech. It's still used in film and TV, but with a bit more subtlety. Now, it often leaps out of a music bed as a single sustained note or chord.//

Also necessary for easy reading is the "//scenes"//. Scenes divide the script up into sections for easy reference. Each scene should divide key parts of the play. One easy way to divide the scenes into different stages of plot developement. Ex. **__Scene 7: Climax, Gilgamesh Fights Humbaba.__** Without scenes, it is very difficult to find important parts of the play.

An optional part of radio dramas is the narrator. The writer may use a narrator to clarify parts of the drama, or just, as the name suggests, to narrate the play. The narrator should not become a vice though, and should not tell the whole play. A narrator can be helpful, but use him or her as more of an introduction to what is going on in the scene, rather than a summary of what is happening. Ex. //Narrator: And so Mike was worried Mike: What's going to happen to me? Narrator: And Mike cried out in fear Mike: Ahhhhhh!// If the narrator repeats exactly what is happening, the entire play feels repetitive.

But remember writing can only be so good, and much of a radio play is how the speaker uses the words on the paper. For example, if the actor wishes to show fury, the best way to portray it is to speak with an angry tone, not to say, "I am angry!" Directions on how to act can be placed in a script to help the actor, and though you're not on camera acting is a crucial part of radio plays.

Now for a summary of our points in an easy-to-understand video format.

media type="google" key="-724253776452958818&hl=en" width="400" height="326"

Thank you for your time and patience. We hope you found this useful, and good luck with your projects!

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