IB Theatre - Production Proposal (first assessment 2024): Choosing & Exploring a Text

Look for play texts in your IB Theatre classroom or on Drama Online (see link below) - This database has 1,953 play texts!

Read several plays of contrasting types (for example, Classic, Contemporary, Western, non-Western) (before making your choice. If you have not found the play for your proposal,  consult your IB Theatre instructor to get recommendations. 

Ultimately, it's up to each student to choose the play script they will use for the Production Proposal. There is no required list from IB.

When choosing a play...

• You should feel a connection to the script. It should have made an impact on you. If you aren't excited about a play you need to continue your search.
• There should be interesting moments of tension, emotion, atmosphere, or meaning where the meaning(s) of the play are being communicated to the audience (“TEAM”) OR there is the opportunity to make them with moments in the script.
• The script should lend itself to opportunities for scenic and technical design, and potential for interesting visual production ideas.

Just as in producing a play for the stage the the play text must remain unaltered.

You cannot edit, make additions or alterations to the original printed work.

You can communicate your vision for the staging of the selected play text, add additional moments of action on stage, or introduce additional elements of design if this will help them to realize your vision for the staging.

• If you add moments or introduce design elements, they need to be appropriate to the play text and you must clearly identify and justify these additions.
• Your production of the play text does not necessarily have to be set within the original practice or style for which it was originally intended by the playwright.
• You are allowed to set the play in a contrasting practice or style in order to bring out a particular idea or theme appropriate to the work.

If you choose a play script that you have studied or participated in as a produced play - this is called "double-dipping" and is not allowed in the IB Assessment process.

It is the same concept in IB Language and Lit - the text you use for your IO cannot be used for the HL Essay nor can you use it for Paper 2. If you are in doubt about the play script you want to use - always check with your instructor before you begin your work.

Now that you have chosen your play, it's time to start organizing all your thoughts and imaginings into your Production Proposal!

You have your play, now read it. Then read it again, and again. Remember to take notes as you read. Write down the ideas that come into your head as you read. Use Post-it notes to mark important moments. As you begin organizing your thoughts and ideas, keep in mind the structure of your Production Proposal and use the criterion as a road map for your work. See: Task Roadmap and Assessment Criteria.

See the suggestions for exploring your text, or try using the IB graphic organizer Ideas and References.

Begin with mining the text for theatrical meaning. Read it once without making notes. Then record initial thoughts. Then read again, and again, and again - making notes as you go along. One read-through might only focus on character observations; another on themes; another on lighting, and so on. Color-coding your notes or using different colored highlighters will help you. Spend time understanding the play’s contexts: cultural links; theatrical theory links; playwright’s personal links. What were the writer’s intentions then? What personal, national or global events could have influenced the play? All of this will help you,

Explain the themes in the text, and support with reference to it.

Play text

A play text is the text of a dramatic work that has been written for theatrical performance. For this assessment task, the play text must be a published work that has an ISBN (International Standard Book Number). Students are permitted to work with play texts written in any language. Any descriptions of the plot or direct quotations, however, must be translated into the language in which they are being assessed.

Ideas in the play text

In this task, students are required to identify the key ideas presented in the play text. Ideas, which will differ depending on the specific play text chosen, might feasibly include concepts, issues, meanings or themes. This list is neither prescriptive nor exhaustive. Students must mine for these ideas embedded in the play text rather than carry out a detailed analysis of the literary or theatrical devices employed by the playwright. Please note: as the author(s) of the text, the playwright might be one person, more than one person or in some cases a theatre company.