Features of a Play script.

Character ListAt the beginning of the play script there will be a list of all the

characters that will appear in it. This helps to know how many actors will be needed to put on the play. A short description may also be

included. This is helpful as it tells people what the characters are like before they read the play.

Scene number, title and setting.Just like a book is split into chapters, a play script is split into

scenes. A new scene usually means a new setting.

Just after the scene number and title is a short description of the setting. This tells you what the stage should look like.

Speaker name, colon and dialogue.

The name of the speaker goes on the left in a play script. It is always followed by a colon.

After the colon are the words the character says. We call this dialogue. We do not need to use inverted commas to show speech in a play script.

Stage directions

The words in brackets are stage directions. They tell the actor what their character should be doing.Actors do not say the stage directions.

Sometimes stage directions can tell an actor how to say their lines.

Stage directions and NarratorsSome plays have a narrator, to help set the scene and move the story on, but a lot of plays don’t.

Stage directions can be given to any character. Not just the ones speaking.They are always written in the present tense.