HOW TO WRITE A PLAY SCRIPT

(https://www.nfi.edu/writing-a-play-script/)

Before you get started, it’s important to understand the proper formatting of a play and what story
elements you need to include. Follow these steps to write a play script:

GET INSPIRATION

The first step is to read and watch as many plays as possible. During your research, take note of what
other playwrights do well. If you notice dialogue you especially enjoy or useful stage directions, consider
emulating them in your own play script. Reading a play first and then seeing a live performance of that
play is a great way to see what a script can turn into.

CHOOSE A THEME

Picking a theme for your play can help you write a play that audiences can connect to and understand.
Consider the following when deciding on what kind of story you’re telling:

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

The plot of your play is the events that take place and lead the entire story. You need to decide if you
want your play plot-driven, meaning the story pushes characters from scene to scene, or character-
focused, where characters’ actions direct the story. You may choose a combination of the two. Either
way, many playwrights create a plot that leads to character growth.

When creating your plot, consider these key components:

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 conflict with each other. Having
a conflict 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 film
and television.

Time: When is your play taking place? You need to figure 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 conflict 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 conflict may
deepen until you reach the climax of the play. This is the tensest moment, typically when characters fully
address conflicts.

Resolution: After the climax happens, the tension of your play lessens. During the resolution, your
characters may overcome their conflicts 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

Plays are made up of acts. Within each act are multiple scenes. When writing your play, you need to
decide which kind of structure you want. As a new playwright, you may want to begin with a simple
structure, such as a one-act play. These are the most common play structures:

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 first 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

Before writing the entire play from scratch, create a general outline of your play. Include the following in
your outline:
Acts

Scenes

When characters appear

Narrative arc

General stage actions

WRITE USING THE OUTLINE

Once you have a solid outline, you can start writing your play script. Filling in the outline with your
actual script is a smart way to stay organized. You want to start giving your script depth and move it
along with the following components:

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

After writing your first draft, it’s time to read through the entire play script and start making
adjustments. For instance, if your dialogue feels a bit flat, you need to rewrite it in a way that sounds
more natural. Consider how people talk in real life, and try to make your characters feel human and
emotional. Things such as interruptions and tangents can make it sound more realistic.

Have someone else read through your play to see if it makes sense to them. Ask them to note anything
that is a bit confusing or needs more development. Since the story is in your head, you may not realize
that it’s not as straightforward on paper.

PLAY SCRIPT EXAMPLE

Follow these formatting rules when writing a play script:

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.

Here is a brief example of a play script:

Act One

Scene One

Midwestern high school. Teacher’s office. Right after school lets out.

SAM, an eccentric history teacher, sits at her desk. She sorts through a stack of papers and struggles to
find what she is looking for.

SAM

Talking to herself.

Why is my life such a mess?

GEORGE, a put-together looking man, enters.

GEORGE

Because you’re Sam.

GEORGE chuckles as SAM rolls her eyes.

Writing a play script takes a lot of effort and practice, but it is worth it when you see your vision come to
life on stage. Check out Nashville Film Institute’s other blogs to learn about writing a script for film or
television.
 HOW TO WRITE A PLAY SCRIPT
Before you get started, it’s important to understand the proper formatting of a play
and what story elements you need to include. Follow these steps to write a play script:
GET INSPIRATION
The first step is to read and watch as many plays as possible. During your research,
take note of what other playwrights do well. If you notice dialogue you especially
enjoy or useful stage directions, consider emulating them in your own play script.
Reading a play first and then seeing a live performance of that play is a great way to
see what a script can turn into.
CHOOSE A THEME
Picking a theme for your play can help you write a play that audiences can connect to
and understand. Consider the following when deciding on what kind of story you’re
telling:
 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
The plot of your play is the events that take place and lead the entire story. You need
to decide if you want your play plot-driven, meaning the story pushes characters from
scene to scene, or character-focused, where characters’ actions direct the story. You
may choose a combination of the two. Either way, many playwrights create a plot that
leads to character growth.
When creating your plot, consider these key components:
 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 conflict with each other. Having a
conflict 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 film and
television.
 Time: When is your play taking place? You need to figure 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.
o 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 conflict in your play, this may
be the time to present it.
o Rising action: Toward the middle of your play, more obstacles or challenges
unfold. The conflict may deepen until you reach the climax of the play. This is the
tensest moment, typically when characters fully address conflicts.
o Resolution: After the climax happens, the tension of your play lessens. During
the resolution, your characters may overcome their conflicts 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
Plays are made up of acts. Within each act are multiple scenes. When writing your
play, you need to decide which kind of structure you want. As a new playwright, you
may want to begin with a simple structure, such as a one-act play. These are the most
common play structures:
 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 first
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
Before writing the entire play from scratch, create a general outline of your play.
Include the following in your outline:
 Acts
 Scenes
 When characters appear
 Narrative arc
 General stage actions
WRITE USING THE OUTLINE
 Once you have a solid outline, you can start writing your play script. Filling in the
outline with your actual script is a smart way to stay organized. You want to start
giving your script depth and move it along with the following components:
 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
After writing your first draft, it’s time to read through the entire play script and start
making adjustments. For instance, if your dialogue feels a bit flat, you need to rewrite
it in a way that sounds more natural. Consider how people talk in real life, and try to
make your characters feel human and emotional. Things such as interruptions and
tangents can make it sound more realistic.
Have someone else read through your play to see if it makes sense to them. Ask them
to note anything that is a bit confusing or needs more development. Since the story is
in your head, you may not realize that it’s not as straightforward on paper.
PLAY SCRIPT EXAMPLE
Follow these formatting rules when writing a play script:
 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.
Here is a brief example of a play script:
Act One
Scene One
Midwestern high school. Teacher’s office. Right after school lets out.
SAM, an eccentric history teacher, sits at her desk. She sorts through a stack of
papers and struggles to find what she is looking for.
SAM
Talking to herself.
Why is my life such a mess?
GEORGE, a put-together looking man, enters.
GEORGE
Because you’re Sam.
GEORGE chuckles as SAM rolls her eyes.
Writing a play script takes a lot of effort and practice, but it is worth it when you see
your vision come to life on stage. Check out Nashville Film Institute’s other blogs to
learn about writing a script for film or television.
Metropolis Man

by D. M. Larson

Cast of Characters (1 female and 2 males)

LO: A woman in search of something.

KENT: A local citizen of Metropolis.

SIMON: A local store owner.

free play script romantic comedy

METROPOLIS MAN SCENE 1

Lo is standing by a Superman statue and/or Superman mural looking around at the surrounding town.
Actors and even dogs in Superman costumes can walk through the scene to start the show if extras are
available. She has a camera and takes random pictures from weird angles. Kent is about the only
person not wearing something related to Superman and has been watching Lo. When she sits at a
bench near the statue, she appears sad and stressed. Kent moves in.

Kent: Can I help you? You look a bit lost.

Lo: Is this Metropolis?

Kent: The one and only.

Lois: I imagined something much bigger.

Kent: Everyone does.

Lois: Looks more like Smallville.

Kent: Superman fan?

Lo: Not really.

Kent: That is a first. I bet you are the first person to visit this town who isn't a fan.

Lo: No other reason to come here?

Kent: Nope.

Lo: So is Superman really from here?

Kent: So they say... Never met him.. Well maybe I have.. Met a lot of guys dressed like him... But none of
them raced bullets or trains. And nobody flew here. We don't have an airport.

Lo: Huh? Oh... Joke. (Does a courtesy laugh but it's not convincing)

Kent: My name's Kent by the way.

Lo: Kent? As in Clark Kent?

Kent: If you are a male and born in this town, there is a good chance you're named Clark or Kent.

Lo: Oh dear... That has to be weird in school.

Kent: Kal is gaining in popularity though.

Lo: Kal?

Kent: For Kal-El... Superman's real name.

Lo: Is it required in this town to know all Superman facts or are you just a nerd?

Kent: You can't help know this stuff here.. It's everywhere... Menu items, street names, constant puns in
the newspaper...

Lo: Annoying?
Kent: Not really... It's kind of nice to have something that makes our town unique. Something special to
call our own... DC comics even made it official on January 21, 1972. (he notices she isn't really listening
and smiles) Boring you?

Lo: Kind of.

Kent: Can I ask your name?

Lo: People call me Lo.

Kent: Lo? Short for Lois?

Lo: Nope... That would too weird... although better than my real name... Lola.

Kent: It's a nice name.

Lo: If you say so.

Kent: So you're ok then? Need directions or anything?

Lo: This is where is I going.

Kent: But you're not a fan?

Lo: You bug all the tourists like this?

Kent: That's what we do in Metropolis... Bug tourists... Have to make sure that you're not some villain in
disguise out to get Superman... (Lo looks away annoyed) Still not funny... I can take a hint... Have a good
visit. (he slowly goes hoping she will stop him)

Lo: Sorry... I didn't mean to be a pain.

(Kent returns happily)

Kent: You've been traveling... That makes people tired. I understand.

Lo: I feel like an idiot.

Kent: Why? A lot of people think Metropolis should be bigger... In fact our founding fathers thought our
town would be a city one day being situated on a major river near the junction of four states...

Lo: Enough history okay?

Kent: Sorry... got it... Back to you... Where were we?

Lo: Idiot.

Kent: That's right. I'm listening.

Lo: Thanks.

Kent: Anytime... So why you feeling bad?

Lo: I came here because of a dream.

Kent: Really?

Lo: I had this dream about Metropolis... It was more like a city but this statue... It's exactly the same.

Kent: You ever see pictures?

Lo: Never.

Kent: Wild... So why come see it?

Lo: Because of something that happened in my dream... Something that happened at this statue that
was pretty wonderful. Something I'd really like more than anything.

Kent: What?

Lo: It will sound dumb.

Kent: Go ahead. You can tell me.

Lo: I fell in love.

Kent: Really? Under a Superman statue?

Lo: Under this statue.

Kent: You get a good look at the guy?

Lo: He had on a superman shirt.

Kent: Plenty of those around here.. I have one... Didn't wear it today though... I can go put it on.

Lo: Slow down there, Flash... I don't think you're the guy.

Kent: Oh...

Lo: It can't be the first guy I run in to... That's too lucky... Sorry to hurt your feelings but I don't feel it.
The chemistry. The dream had a whole lot of chemistry. And an explosion. (she gets lost in thought)

Kent: No worries. Maybe I can help. Tell me more about the dream. Maybe I know the guy.

Lo: Not much more that I remember. Oh wait. He had on glasses too.

Kent: Glasses and Superman shirt. Anything else?

Lo: The other thing about the dream that was really odd was that I felt the urge to cash in my life savings
too... Something told me I'd need it for this trip.

Kent: Your entire life savings. Is there... in your purse?

Lo: Everything I have is right here.

(They are quiet a minute. Kent is looking at her and she looks away shyly. Suddenly Kent grabs the purse
and runs. Lo jumps up in shock)

Lo (cont.): Hey! Wait a minute! Wh... what?! No! This isn't right! I come to your stupid town and the
first thing that happens is that I'm mugged? First guy I meet and he's a con man. Kent the con man. Ah!
Why am I so stupid? Don't talk to strangers. (Yells at statue) Isn't that what you teach this kids,
Superman? Well, I blew it. Blabbed to some random dude and he mugs me. Why did I follow a dream?
I am an idiot. A stupid, dumb bubblehead.

(she plops down on a bench)

I'm always a victim. There's not enough heroes in this world. Not enough Supermans. Sure, there's
bunches of you parading around in costumes, but there's not many real men of steel. Not any willing to
take a bullet for me.

(she jumps up again)

And you know what?! My life savings was 50 bucks! How's that for irony? And my credit cards are
maxed out! Ha! Jokes on you!

(plops down on bench again)

I just want my lucky key chain back.

(Simon, a guy in glasses and a zip up jacket, enters with her purse)

Simon: Is this your purse?

(Lo is so stunned she doesn't know what to say)

Simon: I didn't mean to go through your purse but I needed to find an ID or something. I found your
driver's license. It looks a bit like you... but you're... you're prettier in person.

Lo: Thank you!

(she runs up and hugs him)

Simon: Tough day?

(she lets go of him and nods)

Lo: Very... how did you find it?

Simon: I tripped the guy who was running away with it.

Lo: You did?

Simon: Kind of an accident. I'm a bit of a klutz. But I wouldn't give it back once I got it. I've known Kent
for a long time and when you see him at a purse, you know he's not headed to a superhero cross-
dressing competition.

(Lo laughs)
Simon (cont.): You have a nice laugh.

Lo: I hate my laugh. I snort.

Simon: It's cute.

Lo: So, you from around here?

Simon: Kind of. I work at the SuperMuseum. I wasn't born here but I lived here for a while. I stumbled
on this little town and fell in love with it. I kept coming back until I didn't leave again.

Lo: Something just kind of drew you here.

Simon: Give me Metropolis over Chicago any day.

Lo: Chicago sucks.

Simon: And blows.

(They laugh)

Simon (cont.): Want me to show you around?

Lo: Sure. I'd like that.

(She takes his arm)

Simon: We'll do the walking tour. I left my cape at home.

Lo: You wouldn't happen to have on a Superman t-shirt would you?

(He unzips his jacket and shows her)

Simon: I do. Why?

Lo: No reason.

(She has a big smile, takes his arm again and they exit happily ever after)