How to Write a Play (Format), Lecture notes of English

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WRITING A

PLAY

(FORMAT)

WHAT IS A PLAY

A play is a form of literature written by

a playwright, usually consisting

of dialogue or singing between characters,

intended for theatrical performance rather

than just reading.

GENRES OF PLAY

TYPES OF COMEDY

FARCE. The characters of farce are typically

fantastic or absurd and usually far more

ridiculous than those in other forms of

comedy. At the same time, farcical plots are

often full of wild coincidences and seemingly

endless twists and complications. Elaborate

comic intrigues involving deception, disguise,

and mistaken identity are the rule.

GENRES OF PLAY

TYPES OF COMEDY

ROMANTIC COMEDY. Perhaps the most popular

of all comic forms. In this genre the primary

distinguishing feature is a love plot in which two

sympathetic and well-matched lovers are united

or reconciled. In a typical romantic comedy the

two lovers tend to be young, likeable, and

apparently meant for each other, yet they are

kept apart by some complicating circumstance

until surmounting all obstacles.

GENRES OF PLAY

TRAGEDY

• In essence, tragedy is the mirror image

or negative of comedy. For instead of

depicting the rise in circumstances of a

dejected or outcast underdog, tragedy

shows us the downfall of a once

prominent and powerful hero.

GENRES OF PLAY

TYPES OF TRAGEDY

• ARISTOTELIAN TRAGEDY. A true tragedy

should evoke pity and fear on the part of

the audience. The tragic hero must be

essentially admirable and good. In a true

tragedy, the hero's demise must come as

a result of some personal error or decision.

THEATER STAGES

• Proscenium
• Thrust
• In the Round
• Black Box
• Touring

STORY STRUCTURE

• The first act is the protasis ,

or exposition.

• The second act is the epitasis ,

or complication.

• The final act is the

catastrophe , or resolution.

STORY DEVELEOPMENT

Make sure there is a good reason, an "event," for

your play.

Write dialogue that illuminates your characters

and advances the plot at the same time.

Make each character speak in a distinctive voice.

Do not have a character tell us something she can

show us instead.

Give each character a "moment," something that

justifies the character's existence in your play and

that makes him attractive for an actor to play.

TITLE PAGE

• Vertically centered on the page,

type the play's title in all Caps,

centered directly below type

your name in mixed case.

CAST PAGE

• Use the standard page margin,

without page number. Capitalizing

the character names helps set

them apart - you may even wish to

write them in bold. If the character

description wraps onto a second

line, use a .5" hanging indent.

CAST PAGE

MUSICAL NUMBER PAGE

AT RISE DESCRIPTION ELEMENT

• Typically, the At Rise and

Setting Description are left

indented at approximately 3.25"

(a little more than half across

the page,) running to the right

margin.