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What follows is an example guide to "professional" stage play script formatting. These topics are an explanation of the standard stage play format put together for The Chameleon Theatre Circle by Rick Raasch. See the Example
Pages for visual examples of the format.
You can view this
guide in a different format too.
Topics discussed include (click on title to jump to topic):
There are three reasons why playwrights use this format:
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1) In this format, it is easy for a producer/script reader to estimate
how long the running time of the script will be. The accepted format
lays out the script at roughly one minute per page.
2) This standard format is optimized to make all the separate elements
of the script easy to read and comprehend (character names, dialogue,
stage directions, page numbering, etc.).
3) This standard format immediately tells a producer/script reader
that the playwright knows something about submitting plays. "How
good could the play be if the playwright doesn't even know the basics
of formatting?" they will ask. Unfair, yes... but the way your
script looks is the first impression you make.
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EXAMPLE PAGES
The following topics are explained visually through three supporting documents.
You can view the documents in PDF versions (quicker dowload, no altering
capabilities) or you can view the documents in MS WORD version (longer
download time, you may alter the text). Use the PDFs to read, use the
Word docs as templates.
THE VERY BASICS
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Use 8.5" x 11" white paper typed or printed on one side
only, using black ink.
Standard copier paper is acceptable.
Font: Courier 12 point. No exceptions. (You'll quickly discover
that standard play formatting is stubbornly rooted in the days of
the typewriter.)
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THE TITLE PAGE
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Top Margin: 3.5 inches
Left Margin 4 inches
Right Margin: 1 inch
Bottom Margin: 1 inch
The play's title is printed in ALL CAPS (4 inches from the left
side of the page, 3.5 inches from the left.)
Two spaces below the title is an underscore line, which runs the
exact spacing length of the title. (Like the title, the underscore
line begins 4 inches from the left side of the page.)
Two spaces below the underscore line is a description line such
as "A Play in Two Acts". Note the capitalization here.
Two spaces below the description line is the word "by"
-- not capitalized.
Two spaces below the byline is the playwright's name.
If the play's copyright has been registered, put this information
in the lower left hand corner of the page, at the left margin. (NOTE:
You can imply your play's copyright by writng "copyright"
and the year with your name in this same area. No need to register
until play is completely finished and you want to make it 'official'.)
Put your contact information (minus your name--that's already on
the page) in the lower right hand corner of the page.
The title page is not numbered.
See the title page example to see how this
all comes together.
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DRAMATIS PERSONAE PAGE
(The "cast of characters" page)
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The Dramatis Personae page comes directly after the title page.
This page is not numbered.
Top Margin: 1 inch
Left Margin: 1.5 inches
Right Margin: 1 inch
Bottom margin: 1 inch
One the top of the page, the words "Cast of Characters"
(note capitalization) are centered and underlined.
Two spaces below the "Cast of Characters" line, you'll
enter the first name in your list of the character names. The character
names line up on the left margin, are underlined and followed by
a colon.
To the right of each character's name, at a tab setting of your
choice, comes a brief description of the character. Two spaces below
the character description comes the name of the next character,
in the left margin, underlined and followed by a colon... etc.
See the example of the Dramatis Personae page if you're confused.
If there's enough room, put the Scene and Time descriptions for
the play somewhere below the character list (your choice). Center
the word "Scene" -- capitalized-- and underline it, and
two spaces below it write the scene or place where your play takes
place at the left margin. (Such as "A college dormitory overlooking
a parking lot.")
Two spaces below this, center the word "Time" -- capitalized--
and underline it. Two spaces below it write the scene or place where
your play takes place at the left margin. (Such as "The present.")
If there is no room for a description of Scene and Time on the
Dramatis Personae page, put it on a separate page following this
one.
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MAIN TEXT PAGES
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Top Margin: 1 inch
Left Margin: 1.5 inches
Right Margin: 1 inch
Bottom margin: 1 inch
There are seven basic formatting elements that make up the text
pages of a properly formatted playscript. These are Page Numbering,
Act/Scene designations, the Setting description, Blackout/Curtain/End
designations, Character Names, Dialogue, and Stage Directions. Let's
take these element by element.
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PAGE NUMBERING
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Title page and Dramatis Personae pages are not numbered. The first
page of the play is the page on which the first scene begins.
Page numbers appear in the upper right hand corner of the page.
(Use your "header" command in your word processor.)
For a one act play, use Arabic numerals: 1, 2, 3, etc.
If the play contains more than one act, indicate the act number
with a Roman numeral, followed by a dash, then the Arabic page number.
This is better explained by example: for instance, these are how
the first three pages in a play with more than one act (and without
scene designations) would appear. I-1, I-2, 1-3, etc. If the acts
in the play were also broken into separate scenes, an Arabic scene
number would appear between the Roman numeral act number and Arabic
page number. So Act Two, Scene Four, Page 85 would look like this:
II-4-85
Page numbers are consecutive all the way through your script. In
other words, you don't start over again with Arabic page numeral
1 at the beginning of a new act. If the first act ends on page I-7-55,
the second act will begin with Act Two, Scene Eight, Page 56. (II-8-56)
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ACT AND SCENE DESIGNATIONS
Each new act and each new scene within an act start at the top margin
of a new page. They are indented 4 inches from the left edge of the
page. The act designation is typed in all caps, and is underscored.
Double-spaced below this comes the scene designation, if your play
is subdivided into scenes: this, too, is indented 4 inches from the
left edge of the page. It is also underscored, but it is NOT in caps. See the example pages.
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SETTING DESCRIPTIONS
Double-spaced below the ACT I and Scene 1 designations
on the first page is the Setting Descriptions. It's best to just look
at the example pages for this. The (all caps) word SETTING is at the
left margin, followed by a colon. On the same line, 4 inches from
the left edge of the page, a description of the set appears. Note
that SETTING only refers to the way the stage setting appears. Double
spaced below the SETTING description is the AT RISE description. The
AT RISE is formatted the same as SETTING. The (all caps) words AT
RISE are at the left margin, followed by a colon. On the same line,
4 inches from the left edge of the page, there is a description of
the situation or activity that is taking place as the play begins.
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CHARACTER NAMES
Character names appear in all caps, indented 4 inches from the left
edge of the page. Once the character name is typed, there is never
a double space that follows... the next line after a character name
is never blank. The next line after a character name is either dialogue
or a brief stage direction if needed. See the
example pages.
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DIALOGUE
It's interesting to note that the dialogue is the only element of
a playscript that will run all the way from the left margin to the
right margin. See the example pages. Don't right-justify the dialogue
text. In fact, don't right-justify any element of your formatted script.
Don't hyphenate words that are not spelled with a hyphen... move that
word down to the next line.
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STAGE DIRECTIONS
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All stage directions appear in parentheses, 2.75 inches from the
left edge of the page. Each line of stage directions on the page
should not extend past approximately 2.5 inches before wrapping
to the next line.
Character names are always capitalized in stage directions.
Here's the golden rule about stage directions. If they take place
within a character's dialogue, they are single spaced below the
dialogue. Then the dialogue resumes, single spaced below the internal
stage direction. If a stage direction takes place between one character's
dialogue and another character's, then the stage direction is double
spaced in it's own separate area between the dialogue of the two
characters. See the example pages for the
formatting difference between "internal to a speech" stage
directions and "external" stage directions.
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CURTAIN/BLACKOUT/END DESIGNATIONS
When a scene ends, the Blackout or Curtain designation is double
spaced below the end of the scene, indented 4 inches from the left
edge of the page. It is typed in all caps and appears in parentheses:
(BLACKOUT), or (CURTAIN). Then, double space below this designation
and use the same style to write (END OF SCENE) or (END OF ACT). See
the example pages.
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SIMULTANEOUS DIALOGUE
When two characters speak at once, both character names and their
dialogue are written on the same line. There's no hard rule about
indentation here . . . the length of the speech(es) will determine
how you format it. See the example pages.
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