How to Write A Script for Theater Plays
Some of the most famous and influential playwrights struggled with their craft. Eugene O'Neill's first works were stilted melodramas, but they broke ground by centering on the lives of individuals--prostitutes, lonely sailors, drunks and derelicts--who previously were considered taboo subjects for the stage. Lorraine Hansberry, who penned the classic "A Raisin in the Sun," worked as a waitress and cashier to make ends meet while writing in her spare time. While completing a full-length play might may seem daunting, if you have the creativity, drive and commitment, you can create a work that's worthy of the stage.
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Instructions
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Choose a genre. Decide whether you want to write a drama, comedy, musical, tragicomedy, experimental or absurdist performance, or children's play. Determine where your skills and interests are strongest as a writer, and pick one genre or combine two or three.
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Define the goal(s) of your play. Perhaps you want to highlight a social problem such as racism or homophobia. Maybe you want to entertain people and make them laugh. Theater has the ability to teach, challenge people and give them a night they'll never forget. By jotting down your goals, you'll help focus your play and give yourself inspiration as you write.
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Create your characters. Make a list of their unique qualities and characteristics. It's well-accepted wisdom that writers should write what they know. If you have a hard time developing a cast of characters, draw on people you know to flesh out your protagonists. For example, maybe your mother is stubborn but sweet and your brother is a recovering kleptomaniac and a neat freak. Combine qualities of people in your life to create distinctive characters.
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Outline your plot. If you're writing a one-act play (typically 20 to 30 minutes in length), your outline can be fairly short. Full-length plays (usually 90 to 120 minutes) will require more detail. Create a plot that provides your characters with obstacles that prevent them from getting what they want. Make the challenges they face believable and surmountable---even if your characters are ultimately unable to surmount them.
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Write your play. Center character names on the page and format them in capital letters. Write each character's lines of dialogue beneath his or her name. Include parentheses around stage directions. For example: "NIKKI, smiling sweetly, breaks the eggs into the pan." Count on one minute of stage time for each page you write.
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Tips & Warnings
Join a writer's group---or even better, a playwriting group---to get feedback on your play.
After you've written your play, enlist actors and stage a reading to get a feel for how your play sounds when read aloud. Then tweak your characters, plot and dialogue as necessary.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit theater image by Luisafer from Fotolia.com
