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How to make a play better

You know that it would be considered outside assistance for you (the coach) to direct or even help direct the team’s skit. Try this exercise to help the team think through the stagecraft aspects of their solution.

  • Talk about any plays or movies that the team members have seen and ask them what they thought made them great.

  • Reverse the exercise and ask about what makes a bad play. Think about a play or movie they didn’t like and have the team determine why using the letters in HISS.

H= Can’t Hear 

I= Incoherent – The play doesn’t make sense or it assumes the audience will understand things that you have not explained to them

S= Story. The play should have a beginning, middle, and end like every good story.

S= Silly. Humor is good, but silly is rarely fun for an audience to watch.

Save the answers for the team to use while they are writing their script and to evaluate their own performance in preparation for the tournament.

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