Blogging about Dialogging

(2am in the morning, Hanna sits facing the patrol Computer in a Security uniform, drinking a mug of Emergen-C. She opens the internet, sneezes, and runs to get a tissue, then returns.)

Hanna: Okay, I'm going to do this before I feel so tiered I'm going to die.
Computer: Error: Address blackboard.ups.edu not responding. In people talk: I hate you.
Hanna: You have got to be fucking kidding me. I need to get this done!!!!! I guess all I can do is wait and see if it is working again in a bit. Damn, I need a cigarette.

(1/2 an hour later)

Hanna: Please work, please work, please work. (takes a deep breath)
Computer: Blackboard Leaning System, login. In people talk: I guess I was being a bit harsh
Hanna: Yeah you were.
Computer: But I still hate you, so I am going to turn all your readings upside down and make the rotate button take forever.
Hanna: Hahaha, I can still print out the readings.
Computer: Not of I freeze first. Now I'm nothing but an hour glass.
Hanna: Nooooooo! Dude, I'm too tiered for this.
Computer: Muahahaha
Hanna: Oh yeah? Well watch this!
Computer: Are you sure you want to log off?
Hanna: Don't play nice with me!
Computer: Logging off.
Hanna: Now this time you better work.
Computer: Logging on.
Hanna: Now on to talking about dialogue. FINALLY!


I love dialogue way more than monologues. Like way more. Pretty much because I feel human interaction is what keeps theater interesting. Yes stories are good, but they are better if they unravel before our eyes.

The scene from Below the Waist was one of those scripts that I laughed out loud reading. I think that says a lot about a play, if it evokes a verbal response upon reading it, because that means when it is acted in front of an audience, the audience will probably respond on even a greater scale. I really liked the contradictions put in place by the Doctor in this scene. In dialogues often nothing is what the audience or the characters expect, and this captures attention. In many of the reading, one or more characters knows something that another does not, and so the power of information is key as it creates a conflict internally and externally in the scene.

In the scene from Boy Gets the Girl, the key thing I took away was a shared experience between characters. While conflict occurs more often than not in dialogue, it is important to note that characters, while different, are sharing this common experience. This scene also brought out the concept of a character's relationship to the surrounding atmosphere, and the solving of a mystery resulting in an unexpected realization.

I really liked the scene from Closer. The concept of having to scenes switching rapidly is a fascinating concept. There is a strong theme of love and the pain that comes with it, and it is clearly a dramatic piece. It therefore is interesting to note that while comedy is filled with contradictions that make a person laugh at loud, drama can use contradictions to make something inspire and compel. When Dan says to Alice he loves Anna because she doesn't need him at the beginning, and then later on, Anna tells Larry she's in love with Dan because she needs him, that is a contradiction that, for lack of a better term, "tugs on heart strings." There is also an interesting unraveling of a story that plays with the audience's knowledge of the situation, as Dan reveals to Alice that he is leaving her almost immediately, while Anna does not tell Larry until the scene is nearing the end. So, the audience knows the chance that Dan is taking, and wonders if Anna will do the same.

In the scene from Hamlet, Hamlet portrays his madness by revealing things that both he and the audience already know. I have always loved the debate as to whether Hamlet is really mad, whether he is faking, or whether he starts by faking and then eventually it becomes a reality; and this scene encapsulates this debate. Also, something we have not yet seen is the use of asides, and the concept of where dialogue is directed (to inform the audience or the character or both.)

The scene from Importance of Being Earnest is the scene I chose. I like it for it's portrayal of passive aggression, bordering physical aggression. There is struggle within the characters as they try not to cross that line. This is most evident in the Sugar and Cake bit. I like the openness of the physical possibilities here given to the director to determine if the line from passive aggression to aggression is ever crossed. Also, I like how the audience knows the misunderstanding between the characters that is causing the conflict, and knows that really there is no need for this enmity the characters feel towards one another.

The scene from The Beauty of Queen Leanne, gives a sample of dialogue in a dialect. While we saw monologuing in a dialect in the New Orleans Monologues, this shows that when writing dialogue one needs to be aware of conversational patterns of the dialect. This scene also demonstrated a conflict build, an arc in the scene, which is something that can easily be lost in monologues. I feel like every interaction has an arc that needs to be drawn upon in order for the scene to reveal the story of the play.

The scene from Much Ado About Nothing shows the importance of character subtext when writing dialogue. While a character might act like they hate another, they might secretly be in love with them, and this needs to be conveyed through subtleties that the audience will pick up and the other character will not. This scene also shows what happens when the truth is revealed, when a character puts themselves on the line. It also shows a character's use of tactics, and of wanting concrete reassurance of this truth from a character, when Beatrice asks Benedick to swear he will kill Claudio.

The scene from The Philadelphia is another creation of atmosphere, but more than that, it is an introduction to a concept the audience is not familiar with. It uses the common threads of the scenes I have described up to now to solve the mystery of this odd atmosphere. This is done by having one character analyze the other's problem, and fully understand the issue, while the character with the problem, like the audience, remains in the dark until informed.

In the scene from Plaza Suite, the conflict between a character's motives for his/herself and for the other characters in the scene is demonstrated. Norma, while Roy is trying to get her to focus on helping their daughter, cannot help but become self involved by petty and over-dramatized issues (such as ripped stockings.) From this, I think it is important to realize it is human nature to think of ones self first, and this needs to be taken into account when writing a dialogue. There is no such thing as a completely selfless character. This scene is also an example of the use of drastic measures in comedy and when a character is motivated enough to cross that line.

The scene from Street Car Named Desire starts with the breaking of an awkward silence. It is clear that Stella and Stanley don't want to talk, and Blanche can sense this but forces conversation anyways. It is then revealed that Stella and Stanly know something they do not want Blanche to know, and so there is a shared subtext between the two about trying to hide it. This scene also uses the concept of conflicting personalities, and poses the question: when do you stop pretending? It is important to consider a character's level of tolerance for the other characters in the scene.

And that is my 2 cents about dialogue.