Another Newbie Question...Backstory in a Play

KTC · Mar 25, 2009

These are fun, eh! Gives you a chance to laugh at the new guy crazy enough to try this out.

I looked at my scene one this morning through the lens of novelist and thought, "Is this too much backstory?" I'm guessing that's the wrong lens to examine a play with? I need to get the information out that brought my main character to where he is in this scene, so I see it as a necessary evil that a bit of backstory is explored in the dialogue of scene 1. Does this make sense to the playwrights here?

A quick runthrough on the play I'm writing...

Main character is a washed up once-great NHL goalie (He was great but only for 2 years). His glory days were 20 years before the opening scene. We see him struggling with depression, severe chronic pain, etc. Just down and out. To be brief, the opening scene has his son-in-law helping to get him up and to his bed. They have a little dialogue about his glory days just to set the scene for who he is and what he's gone through...so this is basically all backstory. But I see it as pertinent to the present story...without it, he's just a drunk loser. He reminisces about highs in his career and the son-in-law pumps him up with a couple stories of how he idolized him as a kid. Would there be a problem with this type of backstory in the context of a play? I'm just trying to make the transition from novel writing and I don't think the same rules apply, but I may be totally wrong in my estimations? Thanks in advance for your advice.

Mandy-Jane · Mar 25, 2009

This is interesting because I asked a very similar question here only recently.

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=134507

I hope this helps you. I agree with you that some backstory is a necessary evil. I think the trick lies in figuring out how much to put in and how to make it relate to the main story of the play.

Other than that, I have absolutely no advice. I'm still workin' on mine too.

Good luck!

KTC · Mar 25, 2009

Oops! I guess I should have investigated first to see if it was already asked and answered. Thanks! (-;

KTC · Mar 25, 2009

Man...that answers it perfectly. Thanks for the link.

lexxi · Mar 25, 2009

KTC said:
Main character is a washed up once-great NHL goalie (He was great but only for 2 years). His glory days were 20 years before the opening scene. We see him struggling with depression, severe chronic pain, etc. Just down and out. To be brief, the opening scene has his son-in-law helping to get him up and to his bed. They have a little dialogue about his glory days just to set the scene for who he is and what he's gone through...so this is basically all backstory. But I see it as pertinent to the present story...without it, he's just a drunk loser. He reminisces about highs in his career and the son-in-law pumps him up with a couple stories of how he idolized him as a kid. Would there be a problem with this type of backstory in the context of a play?

Of course you have to work in information from the past that is relevant to the present action.

The question is whether you can work it in in a way that feels organic or whether you include a scene that is obviously there only for the purpose of providing exposition.

Does anything happen in this scene other than the son-in-law helping the main character to bed and the two of them reminiscing? If not, then there's no real action in the scene.

Does the S-i-L want something from the MC or vice versa right now? E.g., information, acceptance, advice, blessing on or help with some action he intends to take, etc.? As he works to achieve that goal, with some resistance from the other character who may have a different goal during the interaction, they can refer to incidents from the past that are relevant to their present purposes.

And all the better if the characters' goals in this scene are tied to their goals in the main plot of the whole play. But a little mini-plot for just this scene would still be better than plotless reminiscing.

KTC · Mar 25, 2009

Thanks for your thoughts, Lex. I don't know if this complicates things or not, but I used the term s-i-l for simplicity sake. He is not actually married to the daughter yet. They live with the ex-goalie and his wife...but they are not yet married. The s-i-l is trying to get hold of the memorabilia the goalie possesses, but is outwardly his most caring supporter. The goalie's son, in another scene, is aggressively opposed to everything about the goalie. His father sickens him. The resolve is in the father/son relationship and the s-i-l being discovered for who he really is.

I think this is what it is about. I don't outline anything I write so I'm playing this by ear. The backstory I tell in scene 1 fills in who the goalie is/was...so that scene 2 can happen...but there is also more going on in scene 1 than just the backstory.

Thanks for the feedback. I am toying with a sub-plot as well, but I won't get into it yet until I figure out if it'll work.

Stijn Hommes · Mar 28, 2009

Sounds reasonable to have it included - just don't go overboard about the details. We don't need to know it was 20 years ago and we also don't need every detail about how he turned out the way he did. One or two particular touching or relevant anecdotes from those days might be good to include.

I'm wondering whether this is really your first scene. It sounds like establishing the real intentions of the SiL first would give this scene a lot more tension and an entirely different feel for the audience. If I were you, I'd experiment with where to put the scene.

Doug B · Mar 29, 2009

I was told a long time ago to introduce the back story slowly and only as it is needed.

Back story is hard with just two characters - for the most part they already know the back story - so it is hard to talk about it realistically. For a husband to ask his wife "Do you remember the senior prom where xxx and yyy happened then you and I did zzz and aaa?" doesn't work. He'd just say "Remember our Senior Prom?" - She already knows the rest of it.

Also be careful using the "butler on the phone" method. So many old plays (pre 1960) had the butler or maid telling someone on the phone all the back story. That doesn't work today.

Having taught play writing and edited many plays, one of the biggest errors is starting the play too early. You want to start it as close to the Point Of Attack as possible. All we really need to know before the point of attack is the status quo that will be changed forever buy the POA. Backstory can be introduced slowly as needed.

Doug

Another Newbie Question...Backstory in a Play

KTC

Stand in the Place Where You Live

Mandy-Jane

venturing ever further into the unknown

KTC

Stand in the Place Where You Live

KTC

Stand in the Place Where You Live

lexxi

bold enough for both those XXs

KTC

Stand in the Place Where You Live

Stijn Hommes

Know what you write...

Doug B