8/12/2019 Playwriting Formatting Guidelines

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Senior Stories

Lesson #3

Developing and Performing Short Original Plays

F!"M#$$I%G G&I'()I%(SThese guidelines are designed for Microsoft Word or a similar word processing

program.

*o+er PageYour play should have standard one-inch margins.

The cover page should only contain: Title and Subtitle, centered, approximately half-way down the page.

Standard FormatThe text of the play should be in standard play format, which looks professional, makesreading easy, and provides our readers with an estimation of run-time. f you are usingscreenwriting software, please note that its default settings are not necessarily standard

play format.

asics !ll text should be single-spaced, in a readable font, such as "# point Times$ew %oman. &hen separating characters' lines or longer stage directions, doublespace. Song lyrics should be in !(( )!*S, with one indent. +$ote that one indent is "#spaces in Times $ew %oman or spaces in )ourier $ew. &e prefer continuouspagination +not resetting at the start of an act or scene. The title page should never benumbered. *age one should be the first page of the play. deally, the !cts and Sceneswill also be included in the pagination. or example, if there is text for !ct , Scene "on page " of your script, it would read as follows:

/ " / "

*ast and Setting!fter your cover page, there should be a brief cast of characters, aswell as time and place notes. )haracter names, ages, genders, and any short butimportant physical characteristics belong here. f doubling is possible, it should bementioned here, as well.

#cts and Scenes 0ach new act and1or scene should be started on a new page and becenter 2ustified. The act should be written in !(( )!*S and roman numerals, while thescenes should be in capital and small letters, a double space below and underscored,as follows:

!)T Scene 3

You should include a description of the setting and activity at the beginning of eachscene. These can be simply designated by the terms 4Setting5 and 4!t %ise.5 !n act orscene should be noted, with 46lackout,5 4)urtain,5 etc. The end of the play should alsobe noted.

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Senior Stories

Lesson #3

Developing and Performing Short Original Plays

'ialogue and 'irection &hen a character is speaking, his or her name should beeither centered or set 7.5 from the (eft 0dge of the *aper in !(( )!*S. f continuing acharacter's speech from a previous page, insert +)ont. after the name on the same

line. !ny other brief direction +one-word can also go on this line in parentheses. (ongerdirections belong on the following line in parentheses, three indents in.

89$ +laughingText would go here. 0mphasis may be indicated by italics or underlining.

!"

89$+Tosses keys across room while laughing

f you have longer directions, move to the next line and use three indents.

+8!$0 walks across room to pick up keys. She shakes some dustfrom them and unlocks the door.

Then continue dialogue after one space. $ote that characters' names in directions arein !(( )!*S. Stage directions may either go to the right bound of the page or stop atthree indents from the right. They should always begin three indents from the left.

Simultaneous dialogue should be placed side-by-side, spaced to start and end at thesame place on the page. Trailing off should be indicated with ellipsis +; whereas beingcut off should be indicated with a dash.

#n e-ample of a properly formatted co+er page and a play in standard playformatting is included belo.

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Senior Stories

Lesson #3

Developing and Performing Short Original Plays

$I$)(Sub-Title

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Senior Stories

Lesson #3

Developing and Performing Short Original Plays

)ast of )haracters

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Senior Stories

Lesson #3

Developing and Performing Short Original Plays

/ " / "!)T Scene "

Setting: This is where you describe what is present on the stage, such as furniture,doors, shape of the space, etc.

!t %ise: This is where you describe the action taking place when the lights arebrought up on the stage, such as: 8ohn is discovered sitting in a chair.8ane is looking out the window.

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8/12/2019 Playwriting Formatting Guidelines

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Senior Stories

Lesson #3

Developing and Performing Short Original Plays

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