How To Write A Play – For Beginners

Interested in playwriting? Discover how to get started and write your first play with this simple beginner’s guide.

To celebrate World Theatre Day, which is on 27 March every year, we’re sharing a beginner’s guide to writing a play.

What Is Playwriting?

If you write a play, you’re known as a playwright. Playwrights write playscripts (the manuscript for a play) for actors to perform live on stage for an audience. If you write a play, you need to create a character-driven story, relying on dialogue and action (because theatre is visual) rather than telling. Simply put, you need dialogue, drama, and action.

How To Write A Play – For Beginners

A playscript is more than just a story. It is an operating manual for directors, designers, and actors.

9 Tips For Beginner Playwrights

1. Go to the theatre and watch plays. Read other plays by famous writers, such as Tom Stoppard, Samuel Beckett, David Mamet, Arthur Miller, and Tennessee Williams. (Or look at our list of contemporary playwrights below.) This will help you understand the basic format and purpose of a play.
2. Start with a ‘major dramatic question‘—what does your protagonist want, and what is keeping them from getting it? This is where your antagonist comes in. This will provide the conflict you need for a story. (All fiction needs conflict to keep the audience invested in the story.) What will they lose if they fail to achieve their story goal?
3. Three-act structures are common for full-length plays, one-act plays are excellent for beginners. A 10-minute play is roughly 10-15 pages; a full-length play is typically 60-100+ pages. Stage plays are divided into acts, and each act is divided into scenes.
4. Map the story arc: Outline the beginning (introduce characters, create conflict), middle (rising action, complications occur), and end (climax, resolve the story). Each act must have its own arc.
5. Begin with an inciting incident. (Don’t start with backstory – especially in a play.) It does not have to be life-threatening or grandiose. A stranger may want to use your phone. A woman realises that she doesn’t like her husband anymore. Someone might be accused of theft.
6. Characters are more important in playwriting than any other types of fiction writing. Plays are character-driven so develop your characters and their motivations carefully. Think about their names. Plot each character’s arc. Use obvious body language to show emotions, because a raised eyebrow can only be seen in the front row.
7. Dialogue is important. The audience wants to see action and hear conflict, so show don’t tell. Your audience will be watching multiple conversations between your characters on stage in real-time. Each character should have a unique voice that reflects their personality and background. Use subtext; often what people don’t say is more important that what they do say.
8. Keep stage production elements like space, props, lighting, and backdrops in mind while planning. Limit your settings to make the play workable.
9. Use Chekhov’s Gun. If a prop or a person does not serve the play, remove them.

Draft Your Play

Plays have a specific, professional format:

1. Title Page: Includes the play’s title (ALL CAPS), author, and contact information.
2. Characters/Cast Page: Lists character names, ages, and descriptions.
3. Act And Scene Headings: Must be centered.
4. Character Names: Must be centered and in ALL CAPS before their lines.
5. Dialogue: Centered beneath the character name.
6. Stage Directions: Italicised, often in brackets, and used to describe movement, setting, or emotion. Apart from actor instructions, include important elements about set design, lighting, or props. Don’t overdo this; allow actors and directors space to interpret the scene. Character’s names in stage directions are capitalised.

Tip: Use tools like Final Draft, Fade In, or free options like Celtx or Studiobinder to handle formatting for you.

Once you’ve revised and proofread your play to be the best it can be, you need to get it performed.

Arrange For A Table Read

A table read is an organised script reading session. Actors or producers read the dialogue, stage directions, transitions, and scene headings of your play out loud. (You can have friends do it for you.) This is the best way to hear if dialogue is natural and to identify pacing issues. Hearing your play will show you the problem areas in the play. Pay attention to conflict, dialogue, and action. Is there enough? Change problems accordingly.

The Last Word

If you are serious about playwriting, here is a list of top contemporary playwrights you might want to read:

1. Annie Baker: She has an intimate, subtle, and naturalistic style. Known for her ‘untheatrical’ theater, she focuses on conversations and awkward silences. Key plays: The Flick, Circle Mirror Transformation.
2. Sarah Ruhl: She writes with a blend of whimsy and deep emotion, often exploring magical realism and unique structures. ‘She writes about fish that walk, dogs that witness family tragedy, a dead man whose cellphone won’t stop ringing, and a woman who turns into an almond.’ Key plays: Eurydice, The Clean House, Dead Man’s Cell Phone.
3. Tracy Letts: His plays are excellent for learning to write tense, high-stakes ensemble scenes with a mix of comedy and tragedy. According to Letts, all his plays feature real-life characters who do not always express themselves poetically. Key plays: August: Osage County, Superior Donuts.
4. Lynn Nottage: Nottage incorporates human elements into politically charged, well-researched stories. She focuses on marginalised communities, the working class, and race relations in America. Key plays: Sweat, Ruined.
5. Martin McDonagh: He is famous for dark, sharp-witted comedies with high-stakes tension, violence, and witty dialogue. His plays often feature an unsentimental view of rural Ireland. Key plays: The Pillowman, The Lieutenant of Inishmore.
6. John Patrick Shanley: He writes often comedic, strong character-driven dramas that have a clear structure and intense dialogue. Key plays: Doubt: A Parable, Danny and the Deep Blue Sea.
7. David Lindsay-Abaire: He writes relatable, compassionate, and frequently dark humorous dramas that explore grief or family dynamics. Key play: Rabbit Hole

Additional reading: 15 Quotes About The Theatre

Top Tip: If you want to be a great visual storyteller, buy our Visual Storytelling Workbook