This is a workshop I've waited a long time for and I hope to have a lot of participation because of (or in spite of) the subject matter.
As I said in my blog what we will be writing is a pair of "theatrical" pieces (don't let that word scare you) in verse.
This is known as "closet drama". It is drama written to be read only and not performed.

Poetry is divided into three classifications: Lyric, narrative and dramatic.

Lyric poetry is by far the most common and comprises likely eighty percent of all poetry. Narrative poetry is a poem that tells a story through a narrator and characters. In dramatic verse the characters speak for themselves without added narrative.

The first of our two poems will be a monologue (or soliloquy) spoken by a single character.
Only the character's voice may be heard. A soliloquy need not tell a story. It can be reflection on the part of the speaker or perhaps an admonition to the reader. The only requirements is that it be a single voice and poetry.
The second will be a one act play featuring two or more characters. This also need not tell a story, though we hope they shall. It can run the gambit from a two character conversation (as in "Waiting for Godot") to a full on theatrical construct (as in "A Midsummer's Night Dream").
I will talk further on the form as the hordes of masochistic poetics come racing to my side.
I hope to see you here. It should be fun.

Exactly. Your monologue features a single voice in reflection. Would you like to be included in the workshop?
And Carrie... I assumed you would. You are already listed.

Shakespeare's Hamlet (his soliloquy is possibly the most well known blank verse in the English language), A Midsummer's Night Dream (taking note of the rhyme) and my personal favorite Byron's Adam and Eve.
Also, much of Keat's Endymion is Dramatic Verse.
Dante's Divine Comedy is one long monologue and Homer of course is also dramatic verse.

And don't worry, I have a wealth of information to share. You have the requisite skills.

You're right, I think it will be fun.

but I'm not considering limiting length. Should we?

so I will begin early just discussing what Dramatic Verse is. Probably in a few days. I hope everyone is on this thread, but Rula could you count who is actually here and who we need to tell to come here. I want everyone to get updates and that means they have to comment on this thread. I will count too, but I'm bad at math and fear to miss someone.
I will also post a small blog discussing the same.
Welcome to everyone who is already here. Prepare your theatrical side. We will start very soon.

You are included and welcome.

We have a full slate of participants, so I will likely move a little on the quick side, but I'm sure no one will have trouble keeping up.
Also, since we have the maximum and more involved (if anyone else wants in I will welcome them) I will not wait and will begin tomorrow.
Everyone is invited to come in full costume and make up.
A tidbit to give you something to think about-

What we will be writing is commonly referred to as "closet" drama. It is a play or monologue written to be read and not performed. Though both types of dramatic verse we will attempt should be written as though they may be produced on the stage that is not our chief purpose.

Tomorrow then. If anyone has an opening thought on the workshop please feel free to share. I hope to have a rousing discussion on a poetic form I believe most participants seldom use.

although I suppose the bard would disagree. This would be a good time for me to thank Rula in advance for moderating our workshop. We have worked together in the past and not only has she been a dream to work with, but she has pulled my fat out of the fire more times than I can count.
Thank you for being here Rula.
I will be listening to your monologue until the end of space-time.

There are three genres in Western poetry.

They are lyric, narrative and dramatic.

Lyric poetry comprises the majority written in the English language. It is poetry in which the “music” of the language predominates. It is generally a first person poem expressing the emotions and thoughts of an individual even when the individual is not expressly named. Originally lyric poems were sung or chanted. The term “lyric” refers to the ancient poet’s “lyre” in which he/she accompanied the recitation of the poem.

Narrative poetry tells a story. It will most commonly use the third person omniscient as its chief voice, though characters within the story will also speak for themselves. The most ancient of this form is epopee (or epic poetry). Homer, Virgil and Ovid all wrote in the narrative form. The traditional “ballade” is also narrative. Though this form is used sparingly today some modern poets such as Jimmy Santiago Baca, Louis Simpson and Andre Hudgins all use the form.

The last genre, which concerns us, is dramatic poetry. It is poetry written to be performed as a play. The ancient Greeks developed the form as part of Dionysian festivals and performed them with single voices augmented by a chorus. These “plays” were comedic or tragic. Many of the surviving poems of Sophocles were dramatic in nature and for the most part tragic. Aristophanes wrote satirical comedies.
Aristotle differentiated the two categories by saying that “tragedy portrays men and women as better than they are and comedy as worse.”

In the seventeenth century Shakespeare wrote many of his plays in verse. Look to “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “All’s Well That Ends Well” for rhymed verse written chiefly in iambic pentameter. Although verse drama is seldom used today many poets such as T.S. Eliot and William Butler Yeats have written serious plays in verse.

Beyond comedy and tragedy dramatic verse is divided into two categories which will comprise the exercises in the workshop.

The first is the monologue (or soliloquy) in which a single voice is heard. It need not tell a story, but can be (and commonly is) the reflections of this voice on any subject. Only one voice can be heard and it is in the first person speaking directly to the reader or to him/herself. The most well known soliloquy in the English language is Hamlet’s which is written in catalectic iambic pentameter as blank verse.

The second is the play where multiple characters speak for themselves and tell a story without narrative. Though many such plays may employ a narrator, this voice must speak in the first person and be a character in the play.

To begin our discussion before starting our first exercise (the monologue) I will ask a question. How does dramatic verse inform the other two genres of poetry?
As we discuss this and other questions for the next few days I invite the participants to begin working on their monologues. It should be a piece of some length, comedic or tragic in nature and may be on virtually any subject. Do not post them yet.

Some of the subjects we will discuss are characterization, dialects, story structure and yes… meter.
I hope this workshop offers an opportunity for poets to explore a genre of poetry not within the realm of their “comfort zone”.

what they think dramatic verse is or is not, then we will post on The Stream.
Ian, I'm going to leave all the comments here on this thread as I don't expect them to become quite as numerous as Stan's.
This workshop will concentrate more on the individual posts of monologue and play and their following critiques than on general conversation I think.
Lovedly, I am gassed that you have joined a workshop and look forward to your contribution.
In the meantime, everyone give me some thoughts on what you understand concerning dramatic verse and we will begin posting in a few days.

needs to read my answer to Ian. Don't confuse something being "dramatic" (an adjective) with "Dramatic" poetry as a genre (a noun). The bottom line is that Dramatic poetry means that the character speaks for him/herself without the addition of a third person narration. Thus we write a soliloquy (a monologue) spoken by a single voice (no narration) and a one act play in which the characters tell the story (with allowance for succinct stage directions which we will talk about later.
All "Closet Drama" means is that the play is written without the intent of being performed. However, for it to be successful we must write it as though it would be performed.
So again, "dramatic" is an emotional work. "Dramatic" is a poetic genre.

there is no difference between Closet Drama and Performance Drama. The first is simply not "intended" to be performed (like what we will write), the second is "intended" to be performed.
As to "dramatic".
As an adjective, dramatic means that something is overtly emotional.
As a noun, dramatic is describing a particular type of poetry.
Like I said, don't over think this.
I will post my example of a monologue later today after another proofread. In it I hope everyone will take note that there is only one voice speaking. There is no narration, no other characters are quoted. There is but one voice speaking in the first person.

The voice that we as poets generally use is our own. Read one of our poems and we hear ourselves talking. Dramatic Verse offers the poet an opportunity to create and utilize a voice other than his/her own.
A personality. A personality with a different sounding voice, with different mores and taboos. A personality with a perspective that may very well be at odds with the poet.
If the monologue or the play does not use personalities that are different the poet might as well simply write with his/her own voice.
In my monologue I present a personality whose circumstance is something I could never relate to. It is out of the realm of my understanding. I take a bit of care to not say something "out of character" and I create a voice that is not mine.
This is one of the points of creating dramatic verse. A different voice from a very different perspective. Perhaps even something alien (as in my monologue).
Some of the ways we can achieve this is through "tricks of the trade" such as dialect (the voice speaks differently than we ever would) and perspective (perhaps even the antithesis of the poet's ideals).
Using a different voice liberates us to use subjects we would not normally broach.
A soldier praising abuse in war, a mother willingly abandoning her children and why she would or a half breed Angel despising his lot in life.
When writing your monologue use a different, though singular voice and be sure it is a voice we hear and not simply the poet.

post them to The Stream for everyone. Be sure to include in the title "Dramatic Verse Workshop".
It should be a work of moderate length and take care to write for us in verse. Dramatics allows easily for us to slip into prose. Our task is to write poetry with a single voice in the first person.

Nothing more than that. A play written as a poem. The monologue also.
Which brings me to characterization. For this to work the voice needs to be distinct from the poet's. In other words the "character" needs to be unique enough that we can picture them in our minds.
If we only speak with the poetic voice we usually do, we are wasting the form.
Everyone, in your monologues, attempt to create a very distinctive voice. A "character" and not merely good poetry.
Although it is very hard to do so, try experimenting with a dialect. Give the character an "accent" by writing the words phonetically. A little bit of "y'all" goes a long way to pointing out our character's nationality and thereby their personality.
I anxiously await everyone's posts. Please make sure you visit each monologue (and later the plays) and offer your "critique". Do not merely comment. Ask yourself, did they create a distinct personality to be their voice? Did they write poetry or did they allow themselves to slip into prose? Does the rhythm of the poem flow like poetry or stumble like ordinary speech? Did they restrict themselves to only one voice? Is the subject matter relevant to the character or did the character simply speak for the poet?
That last is hard. As poets we all have a specific voice that will profess our beliefs and attitudes about everything. Is the character speaking something that is relevant to him/her alone or could you put the words into anyone's mouth and have it work? We want to be character specific. Our character is saying something only they would say regardless of the poet's beliefs and attitudes.

Concentrate on making it "personal". Create a character to speak for you. Don't let it be the poet, but someone else.

Please post them on The Stream, so everyone can critique them. Make it "personal". A voice other than the poet's and I trust I will see many examples very soon.

Not that I can say anything quickly...
Please keep in mind that the one act play need not be on the same subject as the soliloquy. It certainly can if you desire it, but it need not be.
Please look in on our submissions. We have some very good contributions (read examples) already. Go and critique.

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patient.

Some of our contributors have expressed a difficulty in creating and sustaining a voice in their monologue.

" The writer's voice is the individual writing style of an author, a combination of their common usage of syntax, diction, punctuation, character development, dialogue, etc., within a given body of text (or across several works). Voice can be thought of in terms of the uniqueness of a vocal voice machine. As a trumpet has a different voice than a tuba or a violin has a different voice than a viola, so the words of one author have a different sound than the words of another. One author may have a voice that is light and fast paced while another may have a dark voice.

In creative writing, students are often encouraged to experiment with different literary styles and techniques in order to help them better develop their "voice". This aspect varies with the individual author, but having this asset is considered positive and beneficial to both the writer and his or her audience."
Wikipedia

In our monologues we are speaking with a single voice preferably not that of the poet. In poetry the voice is the character speaking whether it is a narrator or a specific character.
For example in Keat's "When I Have Fears..."

"When I have fears that I may cease to be
before my pen has gleaned my teeming brain,
before high piled books in charact'ry
hold like rich garners the full ripened grain..."

Here the voice is that of the poet.
In much poetry there will be heard multiple voices such as a narrator describing the action of one or more characters who are also speaking.
When we write our play we will be speaking in two or more voices that are generally not going to be that of the poet. Personalities that speak for themselves.
To find a voice one must first find a "character", then allow the character to speak.
In Rula's poem the voice is that of a distraught mother in a war torn nation.
In Stan's that voice is Death.

No, the play should be a single unit with two or more characters (two or more voices) each distinct from the other. I will post my example today to give a general idea on how to format the piece. This is a play in verse so the characters must interact.

Don't stop submitting soliloquys and their revisions, but it's time to move on.
I am posting my example of a play in verse. Consider it an example in format, but by no means carved in granite. This is a creative endeavor and you must offer us your take on a dramatic play written in verse.
However, please take note that their are two distinct voices and I titled each comment with the name of the character speaking.
There can be no narration unless the narrator is a character in the play. In other words, no third person omniscient voice is allowed. All voices speak in the first person for themselves and carry the story along in that manner.
On story, it need not tell a tale, but can be (as the soliloquy) the reflections of two or more characters on any subject.
The only extra phrases allowed are simple stage directions. Even though this is "closet" drama (meaning drama or comedy not written to be performed) it must read as though intended for the stage.
As example I write a few quick notes as to the location of the play and some movements of the characters I deem important.
Do not feel hurried. We have lots of time, but start putting your one act plays together. If you have a finished product feel free to post it.
As always everyone please be sure to critique everyone's submissions. This is a collaborative workshop.

in a reasonable amount of time, please tell me here on the main thread. I'm scatterbrained, but I don't want to miss ANYTHING.
Please direct me to your submission if I seem to have overlooked it.
Also, everyone please make time to look in on each other's submissions. We have a lot of growth in what most feel is an odd direction for their poetry and that is as I intended. Dramatic Verse will not be everyone's cup of tea, but I feel the experience can add depth to each poet's traditional form of writing. Please don't miss anyone's attempt to write "out of the box".

with bells and danglies.

However, I won't be closing the shop right away as I have a number of poets who are on a roll and I want to encourage that (Carrie?) and I would like to see Barbara clean up her typos. That is the only thing lacking in what is a tour de force for her.
If anyone has another attempt at a soliloquy or play I would love to look at them and I believe everyone else would as well.
At the very least I trust this has given our participants an opportunity to explore what appears to be a very new form for most.
I want to thank everyone for their input. I have learned a great deal and, after all, that's the only reason we do these workshops... so I can learn. I believe the term now is... LOL.

I'll leave things open for a little while for any late submissions. I never want to discourage anyone from producing if I can't help it, so it will have to be pretty obvious everyone is finished before I call it. Probably in three or four days.

I thank everyone's participation in what proved to be an interesting foray into a form I don't think many of the participants have ever explored. Though it is not a format commonly used today and I expect very few of you to use it in the future (Carrie notwithstanding) I am a firm believer that every experiment in verse enhances what we do write.
If anyone has further questions, about dramatic verse or anything at all, I invite you to PM me and we'll have a conversation.
Let me use this opportunity to welcome our newest mentor, China Blue. If anyone is looking for help with their poetry and feel this now official mentor can suggest some new directions, then PM her and ask. She is waiting to help. We will have her on the Mentor Board as soon as Andrew can figure out a technical glitch.
Welcome Chrys.

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