Guide to writing a theater script

Guide to writing a theater script
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Guide to writing a theater script

If you like the world of theater and you are amazed by the classics that are usually performed on stage, think that there are also current works that even we ourselves can write. You just need some imagination, desire and this step guide to know how to write a script for the theater.

The scripts for the theater differ a lot from how they are the movie scripts, and although in both cases we have to detail a lot of what elements are part of the scene, and what the dialogues are, in the case of the theater we will also have to take into account that the viewer always sees everything in a general plan and, furthermore, all the characters on stage. From here, you must take these steps into account in order to start writing your theater script. How To Write A Play? All The Tips And Tricks

How to write a theater script

  1. Think the story: Any script starts from an idea and a story. You must wait for the inspiration to come to you, and from here begin to develop the plot of your play, and pass it on to your script.
  2. Write the plot: When you write the plot it will not be the script yet, but the beginning of its development. You must also leave the door open for changes and above all so that you can introduce new elements into your story.
  3. Write a rundown: Here we begin to structure our theater script. You must then choose if the text is in two, three acts, or in a single act, whether or not it has a prologue and epilogue, how many scenes you want to do and what is its chronology. In addition to each scene, we can already assign a title.
  4. Write a detailed rundown: Once you have written your rundown, now you must make a detailed summary of what should happen in each scene. It will also be the opportunity to write dialogue excerpts that you may later change again.
  5. Write the dialogues: We have reached one of the most important points in writing a theater script. Maybe the idea of ​​​​doing the dialogues scares you a bit, but you will see that after all the work done so far, you will have practically written them in your head. You just have to be careful to respect a few rules: A theatrical (or cinematographic) text is spoken, not written. So everything you write should be read aloud so that you can immediately see if it sounds good and believable given the context it is in, and therefore representative of what you want to express.
  6. On the other hand, do not explain things:  Despite what one may think, the public is much less stupid and much more intuitive than we can imagine, so abandon this fear. This does not mean that it has to be cryptic, but it does mean that you must think that the text must be a pretext for the representation.
  7. Be careful with the duration: The duration is a fundamental factor for a text that intends to be represented on a stage. It is not that the text must necessarily be short, but rather that it must last just and necessary so that you can express what you want. In addition, you will also have to pay attention to the duration of the individual components as if the text is single-act oriented to not exceed 100 minutes. If it’s in two acts, you should make the first act longer than the second (for example, 50 min-30 min). If it is in three or more acts, it means that the acts are shorter (this will give the impression that your text has a pressing rhythm).
  8. Consider the orchestration: When you write a text with several characters in a theater scene, there is always the risk of forgetting someone. For example, if you have introduced three characters on the stage and two of them have a dialogue of a certain length, you must take into account that you will have a third that will remain silent throughout. It’s not that it can’t be done, it can be an option. However, if you make this decision, you must do so consciously. There is also the risk of a character appearing too often or quite the opposite. The same speech as before: if you choose it, good, if it happens by mistake, bad and you need to correct it. You will see that by orchestrating the lines well, your text will have an impressive rhythm and will keep the audience glued even if it is not purely comic text.
  9. The consequences of the fact: This is a fundamental point for anyone who wants to make a good script. Any text, cinematographic or theatrical, that has reasons for existing and that intends to last over time, should never narrate an event, but rather the consequences of an event. This fact must occur before the narrative time or practically at the beginning. You will see that it is enough to read the infinite theatrical literature at your disposal to realize what we are telling you, for example, when in Macbeth, the fact is that the Witches that the protagonist meets after the battle announce that he will become king . . It happens at the beginning and everything starts from there.
  10. The twist key:Obviously, in all stories, there is a turning point. The narrative leads to a point that seems to have no way out, hence the idea (ie the cornerstone), then the implementation and the conclusions. The problem is that this cornerstone must not come too soon or too late. If it comes too soon, the end of the show will seem far away to the audience, the play will seem long, albeit short, and therefore boring. If you arrive too late, the show will seem unfinished, the ending will seem rushed (and therefore pretentious). The key is to have and appear more or less after the middle of the text. In this way, if you have a play with two acts, the turn should take place near the end of the first half. If it’s in three acts, around the second half of the second act, leaving the third party to count the consequences. And so on.

With these guidelines and steps, you will be able to start writing your theater script, although the most important thing is that the story you have to tell is the main thing and what you give the most value to. To make your script more engaging, you can add impressive sentences, see more on wordinsentence.com.

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