How to Write a Playwright Script
A playwright is someone who writes stage plays. Play writing is the act of writing a play. Writing a play is similar to writing a screenplay, but with noticeable differences in format and content, depending on the size of the production. Plays, like movie scripts, tend to adhere to a standard format and are often written with scriptwriting software. With a little knowledge of the medium, you can turn your creative story into a script for stage that might one day be produced.
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Instructions
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Format your stageplays according to industry standards. A stageplay consists of action, dialogue, and stage direction. Theater is less rigid than the movie industry regarding script format, but many of the screenwriting programs on the market have templates for the most used play formats, allowing you to focus on the story while the software handles formatting automatically. The basic elements are act headings, character cues (who speaks), dialogue (what the character says) and stage direction (what characters do). Write stage direction in present tense. A title page and a cast page (listing character names) should be placed at the beginning of the play, with the title centered and underlined.
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Write strong dialogue. Typically stageplays are less action oriented than movies. In many plays, dialogue is the key element. Use dialogue to reveal information to the audience.
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Keep your storyline linear. There's no room for flashbacks in a stageplay. The action should be in the moment.
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Write a stageplay to limited locations. Changing scenes is a dramatic break in the story. The fewer scene changes your play requires, the more effective your storytelling will be.
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Keep your production budget in mind. Plays are often written for specific types of theaters. If you're writing a play for a small community theater with a limited budget, you will want to limit the number of characters and stage props necessary to execute your script. If you have a contract to write a Broadway play, you'll have more freedom with the scope of your story.
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Tips & Warnings
Use a screenwriting program like Final Draft or Movie Magic to handle the formatting of your play. You also can use Celtx, which is free script software that includes stage production templates (see Resources).
References
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