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Action

Exercise 1    Describe an Action

Write a description of an action taking place. Describe only those things that can be seen. Use no dialogue, although you may use other sounds. The scene should take place in one location, but don’t worry about stage terminology. Minimum length: 1–2 pages.

Drama is the imitation of an action. Unfortunately, most of us experience plays by reading them rather than by seeing them. It seems hard to believe, but countless individuals have never seen a live play performed. Even for those of us who have seen scores of plays, we’ve undoubtedly read more than we’ve seen.

When we read a play, we see characters’ names and the lines they speak. Very little of what the characters ...

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