Mrs. Hobbs

WRITING A PLAY

1. State the Title of your short play2. Written by: (all Authors’ names must be

included)3. Class title that the play was written for:

Mrs. Hobbs’ Language Arts Class

1. COVER PAGE/TITLE PAGE

Cast: Always, always tell the reader/director/actor how many people are in the cast and their gender and ages. So in the beginning of your script you will have a 'character list' stating the

character's name, who they are in the story, and their age and physical appearance.

CAST OF CHARACTERSMontgomery...an unknown artist, late twenties, living in Greenwich Village.

Detective Roarke…a homicide detective, forties, with the NYPD.

Samantha (Voice (Off.)… the woman that Montgomery is obsessed with. Beautiful, she is in her

late twenties.

Voices (Off.): Voices from the street. Senior citizens.

Craig…Samantha’s ex-boyfriend, twenties

2. CAST PAGE

Scene One  

At Rise: A loft studio in Greenwich Village. Late afternoon. While there are many paintings it is apparent that one subject has been painted again and again. Large windows overlook the street.

 (MONTY is painting at HIS easel. HE is a little paint smeared. HE hears voices from the street.)

 VOICE (Off.) Hey, beautiful! You’re home early.

 (Brush in one hand, palette in the other, MONTY crosses to the windows and peers into the street below. The

lilting laughter of a young woman is heard.) 

SAMANTHA. (Voice Off.) (joking) Hey, Mr. Murray. Your wife know you’re trying to pick up women in the street? VOICE (Off.) No…..and don’t you tell on me. My old woman would give me what for….bothering a young lady like you.

SAMANTHA. (Voice Off.) Your secret is safe with me…for a price. VOICE (Off.) (teasing) Oh yeah, what’s that?

SAMANTHA. (Voice Off.) Some fresh bagels from your bakery. VOICE (Off.) You got a deal…I’ll bring them home with me tomorrow.

SAMANTHA. (Voice Off.) Thanks, Mr. Murray! I’ll look forward to them. Bye, now. VOICE (Off.) Bye, beautiful. See you later.

 (MONTY’s shoulders slump and HE sighs as SAMANTHA disappears into the building. HE crosses back to his

easel.)

MONTY. (to himself aloud) Jeez…how can that old guy be so easy with her. (shaking his head) Monty, you’re pathetic. You can’t even say ‘hello’ to her in the street. What the hell’s the matter with you?

3. FORMAT FOR PLAY

1. Include scene number2. Setting of scene3. Stage direction information so actors know placement when curtain rises

*All stage directions need to be placed in parenthesis

*If character is moving, you must use actual stage direction cues—ex: (Jenny moves stage right and picks up the pitcher and pours the lemonade into two glasses that are sitting on table)

*If there is movement or action by character or an event on stage, you must include in stage directions.

4. Dialogue for characters must be included. State characters name with the words the character is to speak– don’t forget stage direction if the actor is to act or move a certain way. You will not need to use quotations for dialogue in play writing.

FOLLOW FORMAT

Most published plays have stage directions written within the text. Oftentimes, those directions are in abbreviated form. Here's what they mean:

C: Center D: Downstage

DR: Downstage Right DRC: Downstage Right Center

DC: Downstage Center DLC: Downstage Left Center

DL: Downstage Left R: Right

RC: Right Center L: Left

Left Center: U: Upstage

UR: Upstage Right URC: Upstage Right Center

UC: Upstage Center ULC: Upstage Left Center

UL: Upstage Left

STAGE DIRECTIONS

STAGE DIRECTIONS

You will be producing a play based off of “Black Ships Before Troy.”Your play must have at least 2 characters and no more than 4.Length must meet MININUM requirements (2 people= 2 pages, 3 people= 3 pages, 4 people= 4 pages) AND time MINIMUM requirements for acting time (2=1 minute and 30 seconds, 3=2 minutes, 4=2 minutes and 30 seconds). PAGES refer to actual play and does not include title page or cast pageYou must include:1) Title/Cover Page2) Cast Page3) Scenes with dialogue and stage direction4) The play must have a dramatic value or comedic value5) The play should tell the story or a section of the novel that conveys understanding

of the material that was read.6) Creativity is always welcome7) CUPS will be graded

CREATE YOUR PLAY