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15 pages/β‰ˆ4125 words
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Chicago
Subject:
History
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English (U.S.)
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Playwriting on historical topic History Research Paper

Other (Not Listed) Instructions:

Write a 10-minute play (and research discussion) that presents, as accurately as you think possible, some moment in U.S. history. On the one hand, this is a chance to be creative and try to marshal all the tools we've seen playwright-historians using all semester: conflict, romance, real historical figures, historically accurate situations, authenticated dialogue, emotional exploration, etc. This is an opportunity to play with all of those elements in what might be a new kind of writing for you, and I hope it will be fun!
On the other hand, fiction is not the goal: this play requires you to do a bit of historical research. I'd like you to use two primary sources and two academic articles or book chapters as the foundation for your play. That means, for instance, if you wanted to write about the significance of Lincoln delivering the Gettysburg Address, you might rely on the speech itself and a newspaper article written that day about, as well as articles by two historians discussing the significance of that moment. Those sources should provide the foundation for your play: they may tell you which characters are in your play, and even what words they speak. You can find the articles through JSTOR, Project Muse, or other databases in the Hunter Library website, and the same is true for primary sources.
Your play should be 8-10 pages long -- which isn't very long! So this isn't a play about the breadth of someone's life. Rather, you need to focus in on a crucial moment or turning point in some larger history: the moments leading up to Lincoln's speech or the political jockeying on display at his funeral, for instance.
Importantly, your grade won't rest so much on whether you write a beautifully crafted play -- although it doesn't hurt! But much more, I'll be focused on how your play connects to the historical research you've done. Because of that, you should follow the example of the Living Newspaper and footnote your script. You should also conclude your play with a 1 - 2 page discussion (a la Robert Sherwood) of how your research informs your play.
Your play idea and your research for it need to be approved by Prof. H. by December 1.
The play and the research discussion are due December 12 at 9 am.

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Conspiracy of the JFK assassination
Name
Institution
Date
The White House Conspiracy: JFK assassination
One night in 1963. Events in Oswald's Apartment
The room is filled with dirt and dust. Two mouse cages sit on the floor. There are eight people in the room: Oswald, Jack, Steve, McManaman, and ten tired and fatigued Cubans. Jack is seated in a corner, cleaning up a .22 rifle with a scope on it. He looks shabbily dressed, his hair unkempt and unshaven. A record player is playing a speech by Fidel Castro in Spanish.
Oswald: Mac, say hello to Jack.
McManaman: Howdy, Jack?
Jack: [angry face. To Oswald] what the hell is he doing here?
McManaman: Damn you, man. [The two guys engage in a tussle. Oswald successfully separates them. Jack does not want an outsider in their gang.]
Oswald: [To Mc] Jack's not in a beautiful mood. He's alright, though. We are having a little meeting over here. Do you hear the guy talking about the player? That is Fidel Castro. The Son-of-a-dog president of Cuba. And he is going to die real soon.
Cubans: [Together in Spanish] Muerte la Fidel! Muerte la puta!
Steve: You all irritating. Stop it! What are all these 'muchachos' doing here anyway? I can't bear the noise!
Oswald: Don't be such an insensitive dude.
Steve: Just get all these riff-raffs outta here already!
Oswald: Okay, it's okay.
Later on, that evening, only Jack, Steve, McManaman, Oswald, and three Cubans are left. Jack pulls out his gun. He is drunk and seems obsessed with Castro and Kennedy.
Oswald:[Waving a gun] Kennedy has really messed us up all this time. He's taken all our armor, ten thousand rounds, one thousand kilos of gunpowder, and c-4s. If we want a free Cuba, we must do away with Castro.
Cuban: That donkey Kennedy won't let us. How can we eliminate him?
Steve: [Carrying a tumbler on his hand, walks with a slight limb.] It's a real problem. Castro is a real problem to eliminate.
Oswald: That's easy. I have heard about rockets in an umbrella. I know about a few poisons. We stick it to his food, and off he dies without a trace.
Cuban: Why don't we deal with the main problem first? That piece of meat Kennedy. He is even bootlicking Khrushchev. I can't even call him President Kennedy. [The Cubans get drunk and leave one after the other. Oswald has had a couple more drinks. He can barely stand upright]
Oswald: For Kennedy, we should take a knife and stub his 'stines and kill him. I mean it. If I get a week's notice, I'll kill! Right in the freaking White House. [Jack listens carefully]
McManaman: C'mon Oswald. You never gonna get that guy.
Oswald: No? Mark my words. You'll see it on the news. And it will be blamed on Castro. Then the whole nation will invade Cuba. We only have to get Kennedy in the open. [Steve laughs and tries to change the subject.]
Steve: Oswald always with the witty scheme. Let's have some more champagne.
McManaman: What about the Secret Service? We can use the cops…
Oswald: [Lit up] If that is planned right, we can succeed. I actually know someone who even touched Eisenhower. We only need three snipers in three different locations. An office building with a high-powered shooter rifle. The aim is to triangulate the crossfire. One diversi...
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