How to set out a play script
A script is a piece of writing in the form of drama. Drama is different from prose forms
of writing like novels and short stories because it is intended to be performed, either on
stage, radio, television or film. This means that it has to sound effective when it is read
out loud. It also means that it has to be written in a special form. This document will deal
with writing a script for the stage.
A script consists of 

dialogue - what the characters say, and
Stage directions - instructions to the actors and director.
Here is an example of an extract from a play script. Look at it carefully and note the
special layout.
The Bully
Scene: A school playground
Characters: JIM, a first year-pupil
EDDIE, a second-year pupil
(JIM is looking through his bag. EDDIE comes up and pushes him.)
JIM: (angrily) What do you think you're doing?
EDDIE: Oh,sorry, did I hurt you? I was just wondering what you had in that bag.
JIM: What's it to do with you?
EDDIE: I forgot my dinner money today. And I'm hungry.
(EDDIE grabs JIM's lunch and runs off.)
JIM: Hey you, come back!
(Enter the JANITOR.)
JANITOR: What's wrong, son?
Notice the following features of the layout of a play script -



Title
Scene: say where and when the scene is set
Characters: say which characters are in the scene at the start. You should give
any information that we need to know about them but keep this brief. This might
be their age, occupation or relationship with another character.
For example Jean, aged 24
Elizabeth, aged 55, mother of Jean
Bill, a plumber
Any characters that come into a scene after the start of it should be introduced by 'Enter'.
Use 'Exit' if the character leaves.
The name of the character who is speaking should be written at the left-hand side of the
page (in the margin). It is a good idea to print it in capitals. Then write a colon:
Stage directions should be written in brackets.
Characters, plot and dialogue
It's not just the layout of a script that's important. You need to think about characters, plot
and dialogue.
Characters
In a short script, it's best to limit the number of main characters. Too many characters can
be confusing and doesn't give you time to let the characters develop. Stick to less than
four.
Your characters should come to life. This is achieved through dialogue.
Plot
Usually a play has a conflict, crisis or problem at its centre which needs to be resolved.
The characters have to face up to this problem and this is what causes the interest of the
play.
The problem at the heart of the play does not need to be particularly unusual or exciting
in it. You could write a short script centered round an every day conflict.
The success of the plot depends on how well it is handled.
You also need to think about how easy it will be to stage the plot convincingly on stage.
Plots which involve spaceships landing, for example, could lead to serious difficulties!
Dialogue
Good dialogue is central to convincing drama. To make it sound realistic you need to
read it out loud to hear what it sounds like. You also need to think about your characters
to know how they would speak. Ask yourself 

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
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where does this character come from?
what age is s/he?
what kind of person is s/he?
what mood is s/he in?
who is s/he talking to?
For example 


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someone from Sindh will probably speak differently from someone from
Peshawar
a teacher will probably speak differently from a pupil, even though they come
from the same area
your granny probably uses some words which are different from yours
an angry person is going to speak differently from someone who is calm.
Humor
Humor is going to be the sole factor representing the Comsats Performing Arts Society
(CPAS). It is important to make the audience feel light. Any social message must be
given with an element of humor.