Script Analysis Course

Lesson 1 • Annotating and Marking a Script

Apply systematic annotation methods to a physical or digital script. Consistent marking systems accelerate later structural and character analysis.

Lesson 2 • First Reads and Initial Responses

Develop a disciplined first-read protocol that captures instinctive responses before analysis begins. Raw impressions become data for deeper interpretation.

Lesson 3 • What Is a Dramatic Text

Distinguish scripts from other literary forms by examining their performative intent. This grounding defines the analytical lens used throughout the course.

Lesson 1 • Contemporary and Non-Linear Structures

Analyse episodic, fragmented, and non-linear dramatic forms that resist classical mapping. Students adapt their analytical tools to unconventional architectures.

Lesson 2 • Structural Mapping as a Tool

Produce visual structural maps, timelines, and beat charts for a full script. These documents become practical production-planning resources.

Lesson 3 • Classical Structural Models

Examine Aristotelian and Freytag frameworks as foundational structural maps. Understanding these models reveals how later playwrights accept or subvert them.

Lesson 1 • Ensemble and Relational Dynamics

Analyse the web of relationships among all characters as a system. Relational mapping reveals power structures and thematic tensions invisible in solo analysis.

Lesson 2 • Objectives, Obstacles, and Stakes

Translate character psychology into actable dramatic terms using objective-obstacle-stakes frameworks. These tools bridge analysis and rehearsal room practice.

Lesson 3 • Backstory and Given Circumstances

Reconstruct the world before the play begins using textual clues and dramaturgical inference. Backstory shapes every choice a character makes onstage.

Lesson 4 • Character as Dramatic Function

Understand characters as structural agents before examining them as psychological beings. This sequence prevents premature psychological projection.

Lesson 1 • Rhetoric and Persuasion in Scripts

Identify classical rhetorical devices—ethos, pathos, logos—as tools characters deploy. Rhetorical analysis reveals the mechanics of persuasion within dramatic conflict.

Lesson 2 • Dialogue as Action

Reframe dialogue as a form of doing rather than saying, using speech-act theory. This shift transforms how students read every line of a script.

Lesson 3 • Verse, Prose, and Hybrid Forms

Identify and interpret the dramatic significance of verse and prose choices within a script. Formal shifts signal character status, emotional state, and thematic weight.

Lesson 1 • The Play's Argument and Worldview

Analyse how a play's structure and resolution constitute an argument about human experience. Understanding authorial worldview informs every production decision.

Lesson 2 • Identifying Central Themes

Distinguish theme from subject matter and extract the play's operative questions. Precise theme identification prevents vague or generic interpretive statements.

Lesson 3 • Context and Authorial Intent

Situate a script within its historical, biographical, and cultural context without reducing it to biography. Context enriches without replacing textual evidence.

Lesson 1 • The Production Casebook

Compile a professional dramaturgical casebook that supports a full production. The casebook synthesises research, analysis, and visual materials into a usable resource.

Lesson 2 • Audience Engagement and Education

Design lobby displays, programme notes, and pre-show talks that deepen audience understanding. Public-facing dramaturgy extends the play's meaning beyond the stage.

Lesson 3 • Research Methods for Dramaturgs

Build rigorous research protocols using archival, scholarly, and field sources. Research informs production decisions without overwhelming creative collaborators.

Lesson 4 • Collaborating with Directors and Designers

Navigate the dramaturg's collaborative relationship with directors, designers, and actors. Effective collaboration requires clear communication and appropriate professional boundaries.

Lesson 1 • Editing and Cutting a Script

Apply principled methods for cutting, condensing, or adapting a script for production. Every editorial decision must be defensible through dramaturgical reasoning.

Lesson 2 • Production Analysis Document

Write a comprehensive production analysis that synthesises all prior analytical work. This document guides directorial vision and serves as a reference throughout rehearsals.

Lesson 3 • Script Formatting Standards

Apply industry-standard formatting conventions for stage plays and screenplays. Correct formatting signals professionalism and prevents rehearsal-room confusion.

Lesson 4 • Building the Prompt Book

Assemble a complete prompt book that serves as the production's master document. The prompt book integrates blocking, cues, and analysis into one authoritative reference.

Lesson 1 • Analysing Difficult and Resistant Texts

Develop strategies for texts that resist conventional analysis—fragmented, postdramatic, or highly experimental works. Analytical flexibility is a professional competency.

Lesson 2 • Evaluating and Selecting New Scripts

Apply analytical skills to script evaluation for literary management, commissioning, and development. Professional readers must assess potential, not just current quality.

Lesson 3 • Comparative Script Analysis

Analyse multiple scripts in relation to each other to identify genre conventions, influences, and departures. Comparative work sharpens critical precision and contextual awareness.

Lesson 4 • Developing a Personal Methodology

Synthesise course tools into a coherent, personal analytical approach that can be articulated and defended. A defined methodology distinguishes professional analysts from casual readers.