Activated Script Analysis

Activated Script Analysis engages theatre students in traditional formative script analysis through a fusion of devised theatre and various modes of creative expression, dispelling the notion of script analysis as an isolated pen-to-paper task and reimagining it as a captivating and collaborative process.

This book uses diverse, contemporary plays to model the script analysis process for each of four Theatrical Elements: Given Circumstances; Character; Setting; and Structure. By considering each of these elements, readers can uncover patterns and themes within a dramatic text. Woven throughout the study of each theatrical element are "Connections": Personal Connections, which encourage readers to explore a theatrical element within their own lives, as though their lives were a script; Play Connections, which make abstract ideas presented in script analysis concrete through theatre-based play; Professional Connections, which examine how a theatre professional might analyze a script within their own work; and Performative Connections, which provide the opportunity for students to explore a theatrical element through performance using devised theatre strategies. At the end of each chapter, readers are given the opportunity to analyze a text through the lens of a Theatrical Element and to express their findings through a variety of digital, written, visual, and performance-based modes of expression.

Activated Script Analysis is designed for undergraduate theatre students and educators, to be used as the primary text in Script Analysis coursework or as a supplemental text in Acting or Directing courses.

The book includes access to downloadable templates and example videos, available at www.routledge.com/9781032125398.

Elizabeth Brendel Horn (she/her/hers) is an Associate Professor of Theatre at the University of Central Florida, where she teaches courses in Script Analysis and Theatre for Young Audiences. She is a director, applied theatre artist, and playwright.