ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the problem of fitting the complex welter of events in a given historical narrative into a more streamlined dramatic arc. In a contemporary Aristotelian framework, this involves structuring key plot points including an introduction, inciting incident, crisis, climax and resolution/conclusion into the narrative. The chapter explores examples of that plot framework in The Kentucky Cycle and Julius Caesar and also the issues that arise in creating a more streamlined narrative such as the ethical responsibility the playwright faces when excluding characters or events from a larger historical narrative or the decision whether to use minor characters or additional subplots to add dimension to the narrative; In All the Way, Robert Schenkkan structured the key plot points around Lyndon Johnson’s actions thus excluding focus on other characters in the legislative process. But he also developed a detailed subplot involving Martin Luther King and the challenges he faced to provide a more inclusive view of the civil rights movement in the 1960s. Other dramaturgical examples include the use of unconventional or non-traditional plot structures in Roe by Lisa Loomer and Apollo by Nancy Keystone.
