Writing A Script
Writing A Script
FIRST IDEA
There are many ways to start writing a theatre script. It might be;
1. A life experience.
2. A story that you have heard.
3. An idea you want to explore.
4. The image of someone doing or saying something that you want to follow further.
5. An emotion about the world that you want explore.
6. A news paper article.
7. A world or historical event.
It’s always best to write something that you know and have experience in – most of the best plays are
very personal and very close to the author’s heart in some way.
FIRST DRAFT
These should lead you to trying to get a first draft of the work onto the page, where you can see the
story, characters and setting of the work. Try to write freely without censoring yourself during this
draft.
Once you have a first draft, ask some of your fellow students or friends to read the script for you. This
will allow you to see more objectively the story you are telling.
RE-DRAFT
From here you can focus on some more technical and detailed aspects of the script. This stage
requires an enormous amount of self-criticism. Here are some questions and points to help with
this re-drafting process;
STYLE
There are many styles of theatre and each style will approach these questions in a different way.
For example the Naturalism of Arthur Miller or Tennesse Williams or some Australian writers (not
David Williamson); the absurd approach of writer’s like Samuel Beckett or Eugene Ionesco; or the
great socio-political dramas of Brecht. These writers all solve the fundamental questions of writing
a script and what is drama in different ways.
1. Set the scene – details such as time of day, setting, and actions of the characters in the
scene are very important.
2. Format your writing, clear spaces between each character’s speech so it’s easy to read.
3. Give enough information for the reader to imagine what the characters are doing. This might
not need to be explained in stage directions but could come out in the dialogue.
4. Make sure any stage directions are clear.
5. Re-read and revise and edit your writing.
CHECKLIST