Write a play

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Playwriting Exercise

Write a script for a one-act play (or screenplay). Your script should be a complete story—with

a beginning, middle, and end—that takes place inside of 5 minutes. It takes actors

approximately one minute to perform a page; therefore, your finished script must be 5 pages

long (within ½ page under or over).

As our goal is tell a complete story, you are advised to keep things relatively simple, with

approx. 1-3 characters and a simple setting (ie a living room, a café with table and chairs, etc).

Your story can be fiction, non-fiction, or some combination thereof. Start with a conflict between

interesting characters, and let their conversation develop from there. In such a short story, you

won’t be able to cover a character’s entire biography, so focus in on a small part of the story that

would help you exemplify something larger. (Ie one fight that shows us a lot of about the main

characters’ relationship). You may also wish to consider the use of elements such as lighting,

props, and stage presentation to enhance your story, though this is not required.

Structure your play approximately as follows:

Page 1: Set up the world we’re in, introduce central character(s), and show the audience what

they want/need in the journey of the story (Love? Acceptance? Lunch?)

Page 2: Illuminate the central conflict—the dramatic question, or central concern of the play—

which will be answered by play’s end.

Page 3-4: Complicated the story once or twice (don’t make it too easy for your characters!)

Page 5: Resolve the conflict (even if the ending is unhappy or uncertain).

(Adapted from Creative Writing: Four Genres in Brief by David Starkey)

Assignment lengths:

 SFD: 2-3 pages (3 page MAX, double-spaced)

o Submitted for feedback; graded for completion and creativity (+10)

 Small workshop draft: 2-4 revised pages (4 pages MAX, double-spaced)

o Used in class during small workshop (+5 participation points).

 2nd draft: 4-6 revised pages (6 pages MAX, double-spaced)

o Submitted for feedback and a grade (+30).

Formatting Scripts:

Play script (for stage): Begin with the following info:

 A brief description of the setting and any props that characters will use. (You may wish

to mention time/place if they’re not obvious from the play).

 List characters’ names, along with any essential characteristics for casting.

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The rest of your script should be dialogue between the characters and actions. Format as

follows:

 CHARACTER NAMES are in all caps and either centered or left aligned.

 Do not use quotation marks around dialogue.

 Start a new line whenever the speaker changes (if the same character keeps speaking,

then keep writing across the page, like a regular document).

 Actions in a play script should be enclosed in brackets.

PLAY SCRIPT: “The Cheese”

Setting: A living room, sofa and coffee table.

Characters: Kevin, Randy (young men, early 20s)

RANDY: I told you to bring the cheese!

KEVIN: …What, man? What did you say?

RANDY: The cheese! Do you even listen to me? [gets up as if to leave]

KEVIN: Hold on a minute. What cheese?

Screenplay script (for short film): Skip the set-up paragraph, though you may begin with a

brief description of the scene as needed. Like a play script, your screenplay script will be

dialogue between the characters and actions. Format as follows:

 CHARACTER NAMES are in all caps for dialogue (always) and in actions (first time

character is introduced).

 Do not use quotation marks around dialogue.

 Dialogue should be tabbed in two spaces, to separate it clearly from actions. Start a new

line whenever the speaker changes (if the same character keeps speaking, then keep

writing across the page, like a regular document).

 Actions in a screenplay are on separate line from dialogue and may include more info

that play actions, including characters’ thoughts or emotions, scene descriptions, etc.

SCREENPLAY: “The Cheese”

INT: Living room, daytime.

RANDY is agitated. He paces the room, sighing.

RANDY: I told you to bring the cheese!

KEVIN looks surprised. He doesn’t answer immediately.

KEVIN: …What, man? What did you say?

RANDY: The cheese! Do you even listen to me?

KEVIN: Hold on a minute. What cheese?