Heading off to write your very first play? Wondering what you need to do to write one? Read this article to find out how to write a play.
William Shakespeare, Samuel Beckett, Tennessee Williams, and Henrik Ibsen. These are some of the famous names that come up when we hear the word ‘plays’ or ‘drama.’ These dramatists mastered the art of playwriting and made a name for themselves.
To write a play one needs to be creative and aware of these literary tycoons. How did their work influence the world and why are they still remembered? When studying their works, you will find a pattern that made their work famous and likable.
Writing a play requires creativity and innovative ideas. A play should stand out and capture the audience’s attention. It is widely known for creating and showcasing art on stage. Many people enjoy this form of art because it tells a story and keeps the audience entertained. Every play is made up of some recurrent elements. It has a plot, characters, and dialogues among other things.
You do not need to be an expert to write a play. However, there are certain tips, tricks, and rules that you need to follow to write an awe-inspiring play. If you have a great story in mind and want it to be performed on stage, this is the article that will guide you. Keep on reading this article to find out how to write a play.
What is a play?
A play is a written script that is intended to be performed on stage in front of an audience. It is widely characterized as a literary work. Another very common name for a play is drama. A play is performed and studied for its dialogue, characters, gestures, and setting. Proper actors and stage directions are provided to make the play more believable and relevant.
A play’s foundation is set by a script that contains the storyline, and the character, and carries the plot forth. It asks for great creativity and imagination as well as the skills to jot it down on paper. A play is known for its beauty as it is a live performance and links the characters with the audience.
Typically, a play has a moral lesson that is conveyed to the viewers. However, it can also be used to entertain people. Primarily, there are two types of plays: drama (which also includes tragedy) and comedy. A drama play is more emotional while comedy contains light banter, leaving the audience happy.
Plays are written for stage performances, radio settings, and even television. However, it is usually associated with and first came to light as on-stage live performances. It is usually divided into acts and scenes to give a clear and concise overview of what is happening, where it is happening, and how. Acts and scenes are like parts, chapters, or sequels in a novel.
The person who writes a play is known as a playwright. It can be anyone and you do not need a specific degree or forum to write it. All you need is a great idea and a love for theater.
A brief history of plays
Greeks are the pioneers of plays and/or drama. Plays in this time were a competition and every playwright was expected to write long scripts. Many of these plays were focused on tragedy, many of which, however, did not survive. One of the first playwrights to ever exist was Aeschylus. Another is Sophocles who wrote the famous tragic play, Oedipus Rex.
Greeks introduced and promoted the basic structure of plays. Many follow this structure to this day. However, with time as the concept of plays spread over the globe, people took different routes. Biblical plays, morality, and mystery plays became a huge part of England and other European countries. Shakespeare brought a new type of genre in the Renaissance period, tragi-comedy, and started writing plays that soon became the benchmark for all plays to come.
Plays took many forms and shapes as time moved forth. Realistic plays, and drama, surrounding familial, personal, societal, and cultural issues arose. The Theater of the Absurd was born out of the necessity to showcase individuals undergoing an existential crisis. The example lies in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot.
Now, plays have become an amalgam of all such concepts. No specific genre or theme is followed. Plays have changed drastically over the past centuries and they will continue to employ different shapes and forms that provide entertainment and moral lessons.
What is playwriting?
Authors or individuals who write plays are called y playwrights. They provide the play with a story, plot, and character, and are in charge of taking care of all the nitty-gritty details surrounding plays. A playwright should be creative and readily available to make any changes that would assist the plot.
Anyone can become a playwright. It is just a matter of opening your mind to endless possibilities. Creativity is key when it comes to playwriting. A playwright is a creator and the one who best knows the ins and outs of the story. You cannot expect yourself to write a groundbreaking play on the first try. As a playwright, you should be able to fix any mistakes or plot holes.
A playwright is a person who creates this form of literary art with the intention of it being performed on stage. They want it to be natural and use live performances to entertain instead of making use of CGIs etc. They need creativity, imagination, and innovative ideas to make their play exciting. As a playwright, you need to know the basic elements that make a play.
Different from screenwriting
Many people confuse playwriting with screenwriting. While they both have a script, a plot, and a structure that convey a story, there are many differences between the two. As the names suggest, a playwright is intended for a ‘play’ and screenwriting scripts are made to be played and viewed on the ‘screen’.
Playwriting usually has a stage, is a live performance, and has limited settings. Playwriting is intended to be performed on a stage and not in front of a camera. It is a performance that cannot be replayed on TV but is viewed in person. Screenwriting, on the other hand, needs to be performed before a camera, has many CGIs and special effects, and can be re-watched whenever, wherever. You can just open Netflix and search for the movie you want to watch.
Characteristics of a play
A play is defined by many defining characteristics. Each play contains a narrative arc that is not to be confused with the plot. A plot is made up of many different events, acts, and scenes that drive the play’s story. A narrative arc is different. It contains all the details that point to the plot’s progress. A typical narrative arc contains a beginning, a middle, and an end.
We will be using Tenessee Williams famous play “A Streetcar Named Desire” as an example to explain these characteristics. Beware of spoilers! Here are the five basic characteristics of a play:
Exposition
An exposition is the introduction of the play. It contains all the important details and ideas behind the story and the character. The main character, their current situation, and their relationship with the antagonist or side characters are all illustrated in the exposition.
The chorus, prologue, internal monologues or flashbacks, and memories are all examples of expositions in a play. It is what leads the play to carry a pace.
Example from “A Streetcar Named Desire”: Stella and Stanley’s relationship, their lifestyle, and the character of Blanche is introduced. The audience is informed about the main characters and gains insight into their personalities.
Rising action
Rising action in a play contains the events that lead to the climax of the plot. Here certain conflicts are highlighted and keep the audience on their toes. The rising action comes after the exposition and before the climax.
Without a defined rising action, you cannot reach a riveting climax. Because it leads to and explains components of the climax, it is longer and contains all details that aid the story.
Example from “A Streetcar Named Desire”: The moment from Blanche’s stay with Stella and Stanley, the stories of her past, her meeting, and her date with Mitch till Stella has a boy.
Climax
The climax of a play is the star of the show. It is from this point forth that the end of the play is determined. It is the turning point that determines the fate of the character/characters. You need to keep a keen eye to understand what the climax is and what impact it has.
Example from “A Streetcar Named Desire”: When Stella is in the hospital and Stanley visits Blanche, a fight erupts between them, and when Stanley, as suggested, takes advantage of Blanche.
Falling action
This part of the play is when the story moves away from the climax and is reaching towards its end. Here, the playwright may mellow down the plot after a bunch of conflicts occurs.
Example from “A Streetcar Named Desire”: After Blanche suffers at the hands of Stanley, her emotional state and her consistent downfall suggest a falling action. It ultimately leads to the end of the play and her character’s decline.
Resolution/Denouement
Lastly, we have a resolution which is also known by its fancy French name, Denouement. This part of the play ties up loose ends, provides an end, and wraps up the whole plot. It is the end of the play and creates a lasting impact on the audience.
Example from “A Streetcar Named Desire”: When Blanche is sent to a mental asylum, the audience is made to believe that she has been wronged. Although the end is tragic, it gives a slight hint of what will happen to Blanche and where she is headed.
Elements of a play
Every play can have a different genre or central theme. But certain elements are present in all plays. These elements give it the momentum they deserve and clarify the plot for the audience.
Let’s explore each one of them one by one.
Plot
The plot is the story. Without a plot, there can be no story, and without a story, there can be no play. A plot consists of events and actions that carry the story forward. As discussed before, a plot is made up of an exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
Stage direction
Stage direction is never spoken out on stage. Rather it is written down. Stage directions, however, are important to keep the plot of the play intact. The character’s actions, entrances, and exits are all stated in stage directions. In a play, stage directions are vital to ensure that all the lighting and scenes fit into the screen. When writing a play, make sure your stage direction doesn’t cause two characters to bump into each other!
Act and scene
Like a novel is made up of and is divided into chapters and parts, a play is divided into acts and scenes. Plays contain acts and these acts contain subdivisions called scenes. The playwright decides how many acts and scenes there should be in the play.
A one-act play may contain numerous scenes. For more than one act, plays usually have an intermission. The moment the first act ends, the audience is given a break, and then they resume with act 2. An act contains scenes where one topic is either talked about or elaborated on.
Setting
Where is the action taking place? Is it set in a specific country or city? In a cafe or home or the restroom, perhaps? The setting is very important in a play. It gives the audience an overall idea of where the event is taking place and what significance it has on the overall story.
Character
Characters in a play are vital. They carry the story forward and make sense of the whole plot. A plot can only be carried out with characters. Even if it is just mere narration, a character plays his or her part in narrating the story.
Dialogue
No play is complete without dialogue. They are what inform the audience of what is happening between the characters. Even inner monologues are dialogues. These sorts of dialogues express the characters’ feelings and emotions. Dialogues also occur between characters and through these conversations, we understand the relationship, the conflict, and the feelings the characters have for one another.
Types of plays
There are many different types of plays and each type has an important role. We will explore the main types.
Musical
As the name suggests, this type of play contains a musical element. Here, a character sings the dialogue and captures the attention of the audience with flamboyant movements. They are swift and move across the stage very smoothly. Musicals ask for dialogues that are rhythmic and tell a story in the form of a song.
Farce
Farce is a sort of play that contains a humorous element. But it is different from comedy. A comedy intends to entertain the audience. Farce does so too but all the while it also creates a moral lesson for the audience. It is a sort of light-hearted banter between the characters where they find themselves in canny situations. An example of a farce is Christopher Marlowe’s “Dr. Faustus.”
Tragedy
We all know what tragedy is. It is every Greek playwright’s hope and dream. A tragic play tells the story of a character and his ultimate downfall. They face situations over which they have no control. The main character has a fatal flaw or what the Greeks call hamartia. This fatal flaw leads to their ultimate end, whether it is their death or their downfall from a high status.
A classic tragedy play is Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex. Oedipus’ hamartia is his inquisitiveness and his tragic end was his self-banishment and his gouging his eyes out.
Tragic-comedy
Tragi-comedy is a type of play that would offend the great Aristotle and his book on them, “Poetics”. It is a combination of tragedy and comedy. It narrates a tragic tale but also has a comedic element to keep the audience entertained. Shakespeare is famously known for writing tragic-comedy plays.
How to write a play format?
Whether it is comedy, drama, tragedy, or even farce, each play follows a specific format. The purpose of this format is to determine how long or short the play would be. A play’s format is different from others because it differentiates between elements within the text as well.
There is a specific format in which a play is written. Some basic format tips are to use Courier size 12 font. Now onto specifics. Let us look at what those are:
Title page
Or the name of your play. Either way, it is what attracts the audience. Your play’s title should be exciting and riveting.
Your top margin should be 3.5 inches and the left margin is supposed to be 4 inches. The right and bottom margins, both, are 1 inch. The title of your play should be capitalized and have a small description beneath it. For example, it can say, “A One Act Play”, and is written in the same format stated.
After the description, write down ‘by’, and after one space, add your full name. Make sure to add double spaces between each entry. Do not number your title page and make sure it does not contain any other information.
Cast of characters
Like the title page, the cast of characters is not numbered. The top, right, and bottom margins should be 1 inch. The left margin needs to be 1.5 inches. The page starts with the heading “Cast of Characters” in the same format. It is underlined and centered.
Beneath, following the margins, you will add your first character’s name and a small description or feature that makes them important. Such as their gender, age, and role (father, brother, sister, etc.)
Main text page
This is the page where you start writing your story for your play. Following the same margin format as the cast of characters, you need to take care of several points when you start writing.
Page numbers
Remember to add numbers to your pages with Arabic numerals. Roman numerals should only be used to number acts and scenes.
Acts and scene
When starting to write an act, make sure it is capitalized, underlined, and not centralized. With every act, add the scene number as well following the same format. If there is only one act in the entire play, then just add the scene number.
Setting
The setting of the situation is also highlighted. It is in Courier font size 12 and written in italics within parentheses.
Characters and dialogue
The characters and their dialogues should be written on the same page as the act, scene, and setting. The character name needs to be capitalized and centralized. On the following line, in the left margin, the dialogue should be written in a sentence case.
Stage directions
Any movement, gestures, or actions that are important in the scene or art should be written down as well. They are to be written in italics and within parentheses.
End of scene
Lastly, when ending the scene or act, you need to write in caps, centralized, in the parenthesis (END OF SCENE/ACT). If the play is reaching its end, then following the same format, you need to write (CURTAIN).
Make sure to always start a new act and scene on a new page.
How to write a play?
Now that we know what a play is, its type, and the basic format, we can start to write our play. Here are some of the things you need to check off before you start writing.
Brainstorm ideas
This is the answer to the question: how do you start writing a play?
Before you start, make sure you have a story and plot in mind. A good story and plot are the foundation of a good play. Your story should capture the attention of the audience. A creative and riveting plot always has elements of surprise. Make sure your plot is interactive and keeps the audience hooked.
Do not add weak plots, characters, or other links. The plot should be smooth and coherent throughout the play. You can also add subplots. Subplots are little snippets in between larger plots that attract and keep the attention of the audience. You may have a lot of ideas when you sit down to pen your play and that is good! It means your creativity is at work! The main job is to keep brainstorming for ideas. Remember the playwrights mentioned above? Search them and their work, and see what makes their writing and plays stand out. If not them, you can search for more recent playwrights and assess their work.
Remember, you cannot write a play without inspiration and creativity. So channel that onto a piece of paper and let it all spill.
Choose your characters
Your plot is nothing without your characters. You should have a character that is real and seems approachable. The audience should be able to understand the character. A plot without a character is like pizza without cheese. Make sure that you introduce your character properly. Their age, gender, role, and what significance they have in the play.
Do not make your character unrealistic and assign him or her characteristics that the audience may not understand. Typically, a play has a protagonist, antagonist, and side characters. In some cases, a play also has a chorus and a narrator. Either way, characters are important because they bring out the true essence of your play and carry its plot forward.
Outline and structure your play
Now it is time for the outline. Outlines are very important to structure your play. They may seem boring but without them, you cannot start because they provide coherency and make the playwriting process easier. All sorts of text have a beginning, middle, and end which is exactly what you need in a play too.
Your play should have a defined start, middle, and end. Following the basic characteristics of the play, you can easily think of a plot that can fit into the category and make it interesting. Other than that, you need to write your play in the form of acts and scenes.
Acts and scenes coherently divide your play into segments. An act is followed by an intermission and should end in a way that gives the audience a breather. In a one-act play, you can add as many scenes as you want and it doesn’t require an intermission.
Stage direction
Stage directions are crucial to understanding when writing a play. You do not want characters running into the props or each other. Stage directions suggest where the characters are to be situated during the play when is their entrance and exit, and what gestures are expected.
Stage directions also state the lighting, the music, and the environment of the play during a specific scene or act. It is crucial to understand and mention these directions because only then will you see the result you want.
Write the play
Now it is time to write. Do not worry about the format. You need to start writing the dialogues, and the stage directions, and use your writing skills to materialize your play. The format and edits can be taken care of after you have written the play.
Although a beginning, middle, and end are important in the play, when you are writing it, you can start anywhere. If you have a very amazing climax in mind, write it down first. You can build the story around it. You can even choose to write the ending first. The main goal is to write, that is it.
When writing your dialogues, make sure they sound like a normal conversation. Do not overuse posh terms. No one speaks like that. Instead, treat it like a conversation between you and your friend or you and your mother. Use the rule of three to make it more rhythmic and interesting.
Format your play
Now is the time to format. After you have written the play, you can start formatting it according to the rules stated above. This format is important because it is specific to playwriting and makes the whole reenacting process easier to understand.
Re-read, revise, and proofread
After writing and formatting your play, you should start re-reading and revising. Proofread the content to remove any grammatical or spelling errors. If there is a sentence that doesn’t make sense, strike it out.
When revising the play’s content, do not forget to look for any weak plots or loopholes, anything that confuses the audience. These plots can sabotage your play and make it seem weak. It may seem time-consuming but if you are not willing to perfect your play, then be ready to deal with the criticism that comes with it.
Table read
Lastly, give it a table read. Ask others to read it, perform it, or act it out. When applied, you can feel what the play is like when performed. If any bits seem off or do not go with the overall flow of the play, rewrite and perfect. Strike it out if you feel the need to do so.
Conclusion
Writing a play is not that difficult. You do not need a degree or be an expert to write a creative, interactive play. All you need is an idea. Once you use your imagination and start writing, no one can stop you. There are some basic tips and tricks that you need to know when you start your journey, but if you are looking for the answer, how to write a play? The answer is here. Just sit down and write down your thoughts. A stage awaits you to perform your creation, all you need to do is believe and write.
