What is a Play Script?
Play Script
Here you'll learn all about play scripts in drama. We explain their key features and how
drama scripts are taught to children in schools.
What is a play script?
A play or drama script is the story that has been written for actors to perform, with the
term 'play' relating to a theatrical performance.
People who write them are called Playwrights, and sometimes the physical scripts
might be called manuscripts, while some historical scripts are called folios due to their
format.
They are essential so that everyone involved in a theatre production can learn the story
and do their role in sync, both onstage and behind the scenes.
Children will learn about them during drama lessons at primary level and study drama
in more depth at secondary school. Plays produced specifically for schools are
generally called Theatre in Education.
Play scripts can be written in all genres including:
comedy
drama
tragedy
thriller
romance
musical
political
physical
They are written differently to stories and novels in that they focus more specifically on
dialogue and stage direction so that actors know how to make the characters behave
on stage. Each production can interpret play scripts in their own way, making changes
to highlight their chosen themes.
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Features of play scripts
Character list
Like TV shows and movies, a play usually features a variety of characters interacting
with each other throughout the scenes. Because of this, most scripts begin with a
character list that introduces all the different characters.
Some scripts feature a description of these characters next to their name so that the
actors know a bit about them before they play them on stage and for casting the roles.
Once plays have been cast, some scripts will include the name of the actor alongside
their character.
Acts, Scenes and Settings
Play scripts are split into different acts.
These are sections of the play that detail different parts of the story.
For example, Act One may contain introductions of the plot and characters, Act Two
might set up a problem for characters to overcome, and Act Three might feature the
climax of the performance.
While there is no limit to the number of acts in a play, most scripts use either a three-
act or five-act structure. Some plays only use one act. All these variations have certain
conventions for how the plot unfolds during each act.
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Within these acts are different scenes. These are like book chapters that split up the
action. A new scene usually means a new setting, which is the location in which the
scene takes place, or sometimes when time has passed in the same location.
When a new scene begins, the playwright will usually write a setting description to help
actors imagine their environment, and so that the technical and creative team can
interpret the setting through direction, costume, scenery and the design of special
effects.
Dialogue
The words spoken by characters in drama scripts are known as dialogue.
Whereas these are written inside speech-marks in books, in scripts they are written
after the character name and separated by a colon. This makes it easier for actors to
follow the lines they need to say when performing the script.
Stage Directions
Stage directions tell actors what to do or how to act while reading a particular piece of
dialogue. These can be instructions on how to walk, speak or stand, or just suggestions
on mood.
These are included in the dialogue using brackets. They can relate to any character and
not just the one who is speaking.
Stage directions are not said aloud during a performance, although they often are
during a rehearsal reading. They are always written in the present tense.
Narrators
Some scripts include a character called a narrator. These are characters which explain
what is going on in the story for the benefit of the audience.
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They do not have to be a character in the story who interacts with the other characters,
but their lines are written in the same way. Productions aimed at a family audience
often use a narrator to help interpret events, as in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor
Dreamcoat or Blood Brothers.
How to write a play script?
Teach your children to write a script for drama, perform and produce a show with our
helpful resources.
A useful tip to remember when writing a play script is "show, don't tell". This means it's
better to show something rather than writes lots of dialogue to explain it. A good
example of this would be if someone is scared, have their hands shake to visually
express this.
You could show your children this instructive video from our partner, the BBC.
We have a helpful drama script template you could use with your kids to let them write
their own script. Don't forget any important elements with our play script checklist and
features of play scripts poster. Or just grab everything you need in our play script
activity pack.
Have a look at these drama improvisation challenge cards to let your kids practise
performing using given dialogue. Remember when writing a play script to:
Include a character list
Include a props and costume list
Used stage directions where helpful
Written scene descriptions for new scenes
Formatted dialogue correctly
Make a scene list (like a contents page)
The dialogue can be written the way that speech sounds, while the rest should have
correct grammar and punctuation.
How are play scripts used in schools?
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Drama One-Line Improvisation
Challenge Cards
In English primary schools, children will learn about play scripts as part of the English
and drama national curriculum. Children in nursery and reception often enjoy role-
playing and dressing up, which is a good introduction to drama.
In KS1 drama lessons, students will usually read scripts about stories they know.
This allows them to experiment with things like character, costume and playing familiar
parts.
In KS2 drama, children can move on to performing scripts in groups.
They are introduced to more complicated methods like improvisation, based off a
particular story, scene or image.
From there they can begin to write and perform their own scripts around stories they
have been studying.
Reading and writing play scripts allows students to visualise and understand different
stories and narratives, and is a great way of getting them excited about the performing
arts and storytelling.
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