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Writing A Play Script: Everything You Need To

Know

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How to write a play - .ve golden rules

Share

Watch on

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Get Inspiration

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Choose A Theme

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Genre: This is the style, tone, and subject matter of your play, whether that be serious
and somber or funny and insightful (see examples of movie genres here)

Character growth: This is how your characters develop over the course of your play.

Key takeaways: These are morals or lessons that the audience learns by the end of the
play.

Create A Plot

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Characters: Decide who the main character of your play is. Make an effort to develop
them into a believable person. You may also want to add supporting characters that
support or challenge them. If you want a traditional hero story, you need to create a
protagonist and an antagonist. Consider the relationships between all of your characters,
especially ones that have a conDict with each other. Having a conDict creates more
tension in your play and keeps the audience interested in the fate of your main character.

Settings: Where is your play taking place? How does this add to the story? Determine
how the setting impacts each scene or character and contextualizes themes. Limiting the
number of different settings keeps your play grounded and improves its producibility.
Consider how your crew could quickly transform one setting into another. Creating new
settings is more complex for the stage than it is for Klm and television.

Time: When is your play taking place? You need to Kgure out a way to convey this to the
audience, whether that be through narration, costume, or dialogue.

Story: The story of your play focuses on the characters’ reactions and emotions
surrounding events of the plot.

Narrative arc: Many plays follow a structure of exposition, rising action, and resolution.

Exposition: Early on in your play, you need to establish the who, what, where,
when, and why of your plot. If you have a central conDict in your play, this may be the
time to present it.

Rising action: Toward the middle of your play, more obstacles or challenges
unfold. The conDict may deepen until you reach the climax of the play. This is the
tensest moment, typically when characters fully address conDicts.

Resolution: After the climax happens, the tension of your play lessens. During the
resolution, your characters may overcome their conDicts or learn to live with them.
Even if your ending is tragic, you may want to include a key takeaway or lesson.

Pick A Structure

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One-act play: The play runs all the way through without an intermission. You still need a
narrative arc, but you may have fewer settings and scenes.

Two-act play: Most contemporary plays use the two-act structure. A two-act play
consists of two parts with an intermission in between. They allow for more complex sets
since your crew can set up a new scene during the intermission. Audiences appreciate an
intermission so they can stretch, use the restroom, and discuss the Krst act with one
another.

Three-act play: This is the most complex play structure to write. If you decide on a
three-act play, you may need an intermission between each act. These types of plays tend
to be longer due to the extra intermissions and length of the acts. In many three-act plays,
act one is typically the exposition, act two is the rising action, and act three is the
resolution.

Make An Outline

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Acts

Scenes

When characters appear

Narrative arc

General stage actions

Write Using The Outline

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Dialogue: This is one of the main components that guide your play. Consider what
dialogue each character has and how this develops who they are.

Actions: Within the script, you need to note what each character is doing. Make it clear
so the actors have a better understanding of what they need to do.

Technical elements: This includes things like costume changes, props, lighting, and
settings.

Edit And Rewrite

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Center act and scene headings.

Center and capitalize your characters’ names before each line of dialogue.

Capitalize your characters’ names in action lines.

Indent and italicize stage directions.

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