The Cocktail Party of Needs
Jennifer Buentello
I adapted this game from Dr. Philip Zwerling, who had originally adapted it from Dr. Judith Olauson, his acting teacher at the University of California–Santa Barbara. The Cocktail Party of Needs is an interdisciplinary exercise that incorporates principles of acting and theater. It can help students understand abstract concepts such as developing believable conflict or creating subtext within dialogue through an interactive game as opposed to a traditional, handwritten exercise.
In teaching introductory creative writing classes, I have met plenty of students who initially approach writing as a chore because they believe it to be either tedious or formulaic. Many non-English majors who enter creative writing classes expect stories to be rigidly structured in the same way one would expect an academic paper or traditional lab report to be. Those who approach creative writing from this mindset have a tendency to develop work with unbelievable characters, superficial conflicts, and rigid dialogue that contains little to no subtext. Teaching students such abstract concepts can be incredibly difficult, but I have found that adopting certain principles from the performing arts can help students break out of this structured mindset through interactive exercises that foster active learning. Although not every student approaches writing with dread, many can learn to become more comfortable with abstract writing concepts if they are given a hands-on exercise that requires them to act and become their own character in a cocktail party.
The Cocktail Party of Needs familiarizes students with several major concepts, such as character development, conflict, dialogue, and character needs and objectives. It can be used to open discussion about writing techniques and elements found within playwriting, creative nonfiction, or fiction. Although this game can be introduced at any time during the semester, it works especially well once students have already been introduced to major principles of writing. It can also be paired with other lessons regarding subtext in dialogue, developing minor and major conflicts, or character creation and development.
Before the game begins, I often refresh students on the different types of conflicts that can exist within a narrative, whether internal or external. Throughout this game, students will face several types of conflicts based on the objective they draw from a container, and they must convey their desires and needs through creative dialogue and conversation. The Cocktail Party of Needs touches on various principles of writing; however, it primarily teaches students that believable character development stems from how characters are shaped by their objectives, needs, and desires. Because of this, students have to find ways to meet their objectives and resolve their conflicts through nuanced conversation.
The cocktail party begins with a list of objectives, one of which will be rand