Find yourself a Shakespearean Sonnet. A sonnet you dig. A sonnet that really turns you on. Take a good look at it. Read it several times. Write down your thoughts. Why did you choose it? What was it about this sonnet? What wow-ed you?
Read it again. Now I want you to think about visuals. What visuals does this sonnet evoke? What do you see? Maybe you see this or maybe this--whatever comes to mind. Weird or lovely. Both. Go with it.
Now I want you to organize what you see. Put all the visuals in some kind of order. Think about the setting. The environment. Think about what you want on stage.
Read sonnet again. Why again? Because maybe something new will jump out at you.
Now tell me WHO do you see? Write a brief description of this person (man in top hat). Bring in one more person. Just one. Tell me about that new person. Describe he or she.
Read sonnet again. I know, right, you're beginning to get annoyed. Good. Write a scene between these two characters. A silent scene. No talking. Think about silence and how they move. Think about activity. What does one character like to do? How about the other? Move them around. But no speaking!
Read the sonnet again. You want to kill me now. Good. Use that anger. Circle five words in the sonnet that you like or that you're intrigued by or maybe you don't know what the word is and you like it. Circle it.
X out a word you hate. You hate this word. You wish it weren't in the sonnet. X it out.
Start a dialogue using one line (or favorite word) from sonnet. Now have the other character respond using the X'd out word.
Write a dialogue with these two characters. One character wants ______ from the other; the other will not give _______ to he or she.
This exercise should get things moving. If you don't like sonnets, try using a fable or a fairy tale.
Good luck, and have fun.
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