write play

How to Write a Play

When writing a play there are a number of things that you need to take into consideration:

Page Formatting

When writing your play it is extremely important that you include the following:

• Scene headings - Each scene heading should be placed on the left hand side margin, underlined and in capital letters
• Stage directions - Stage directions should be placed in the center of the page either in plain text or in italics.
• Character names - Character's names should be on their own line, centered and in capital letters
• Character's lines - Character lines are placed under their names and should be aligned to the left

Playwriting software

It is important to note that there is playwriting software available to do all the of the above for you automatically so it might be a good idea to invest in this software.

White space

It is also a sound idea to leave as much white space as you possibly can because this allows the director, actors and yourself to make changes to the play.

Character descriptions

When writing the character descriptions it is essential that you do not go into too much detail and say as little as possible. The things that you need to mention are the characters names and if absolutely necessary their occupation, any distinguishing physical contribution, hair color or particular clothes that they must wear.

Time

You only need to identify the time of year or date the play is set at if it helps the audience understand the play.

Structure of the play

It is useful to use the following elements listed below to help you write your play:

• Initial incident - This is what starts the play
• Rising action - This is the sequence of events that thickens the plot and develops the characters
• Turning point - This is an event or action which is followed by the inevitable.
• Climax - This should be the highest point of emotions within the audience.
• Falling action - This is the tying up of loose ends within the play
• Resolution - This is the event or action that concludes the play and results in the audience displaying a massive applause.

Character's motivations

It is essential that you study your characters and identify why they carry out the actions they do. What is the reasoning behind their actions and what will they do in order to achieve what they want?

Other things to remember:

• The opening of your play should grab your audience's attention and make them feel that they have walked into the play at the exact right time.
• The play may only have one or two settings because the crew are only able to create so much. So remember this when writing about the settings.
• There are normally financial constraints when making plays so it is important not to include over elaborate aspects in your play
• Do not expect actors to have many costume changes because they will not be physically capable to do so.

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