Stageplay formatting question

GigiZ · Sep 2, 2008

Hello, everyone.

A rather boring, formatting question, to get your mind off more important things:

How does one format stage-directions in a monologue?
I am preparing a final draft of my solo-play to submit and I'm a bit torn about how to make it an easy read.

Starting new paragraphs with new beats seems like a good idea. No?
Also, I put directions in italics and in parentheses, when they're in the middle of a paragraph?
Do I do the same when starting a new paragraph?

Sounds like a trivial decision but hey, that's what they said about VP nominee picks a week ago.

alleycat · Sep 2, 2008

First, what software program are you using to write your play? There are some good, freeware programs that will save you some headaches if you're not already using one of them.

GigiZ · Sep 2, 2008

I am using Microsoft Word although I also own final draft, which I've only used for screenwriting though.

ComicBent · Oct 19, 2008

Yes, individual beats need to be set apart as separate paragraphs.

Simple character description/action like "makes a fist and waves it" can be a parenthetical within the paragraph. More involved action can be a parenthetical (with a blank line before and after) or it can be indented just past where the Character Name is. Italicizing is pretty much optional, though I think it is probably not very common.

Code:

                      CANDIDATE
And I tell you, in my administration there will be a chicken
in every pot and a car in every garage. Criminals will be
           (makes fist, waves it)
in jail, where they belong!

                              The CANDIDATE steps to the side and
                              gets a drink of water.

                      CANDIDATE (cont'd)
So go out and vote for me!

You have a lot of flexibility in formatting stage plays.

GigiZ · Oct 19, 2008

ComicBent said:
Yes, individual beats need to be set apart as separate paragraphs.

Simple character description/action like "makes a fist and waves it" can be a parenthetical within the paragraph. More involved action can be a parenthetical (with a blank line before and after) or it can be indented just past where the Character Name is. Italicizing is pretty much optional, though I think it is probably not very common.

Code:

CANDIDATE And I tell you, in my administration there will be a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage. Criminals will be (makes fist, waves it) in jail, where they belong! The CANDIDATE steps to the side and gets a drink of water. CANDIDATE (cont'd) So go out and vote for me!

You have a lot of flexibility in formatting stage plays.

Thanks ComicBent

This actually looks exactly like screenplay dialogue. My play is a solo play and there's no need for traditional character-to-character dialogue formatting so my question was in regards to stage directions at the beginning of a scene.

For example, -not from my play, just off the top of my head!- at the start of a new scene:

"Lights up. She is washing dishes and humming a song. She suddenly drops a plate. It breaks. Mary pulls back."
Oh, my God, my favorite plate! etc etc

Should the stage directions -in quotes- be put in paragraphs and/or in italics? Should there be blank space between the directions and the start of the monologue?
Your suggestion that there is freedom in making these decisions helps though, thanks!

ComicBent · Oct 19, 2008

This is an "AT RISE" situation. You can format it as an opening paragraph. The thing about stage plays is that the format is not as rigid and cut-and-dried as with screenplay scripts. Scene openings, in particular, have no set form.

Something like this should be acceptable to anybody:

Code:

SETTING:    Kitchen.

AT RISE:    Marge puts away the ironing board. She leans against 
the kitchen counter and hums a tune before beginning to talk.

                       MARGE
         (giving a long sigh)
A man told me once that my life would make a good story. I never
thought it was all that interesting.

I don't think I would use italics.

You ought to put some space between the SETTING and AT RISE paragraphs and the following character/dialogue.

Even though it is a monologue, I think I would still have the character's name at the top, as in other plays. Put a blank line between paragraphs when the "beat" changes.

That's how I would handle it.

GigiZ · Oct 21, 2008

ComicBent said:
This is an "AT RISE" situation. You can format it as an opening paragraph. The thing about stage plays is that the format is not as rigid and cut-and-dried as with screenplay scripts. Scene openings, in particular, have no set form.

Something like this should be acceptable to anybody:

Code:

SETTING: Kitchen. AT RISE: Marge puts away the ironing board. She leans against the kitchen counter and hums a tune before beginning to talk. MARGE (giving a long sigh) A man told me once that my life would make a good story. I never thought it was all that interesting.

I don't think I would use italics.

You ought to put some space between the SETTING and AT RISE paragraphs and the following character/dialogue.

Even though it is a monologue, I think I would still have the character's name at the top, as in other plays. Put a blank line between paragraphs when the "beat" changes.

That's how I would handle it.

Thanks for this

Makes total sense.
A question: I have scene changes with black outs/light-changes throughout the play. Do I treat those like the opening scene? Right now, I put Lights Up in parenthetics italics followed by stage directions. Do you suggest I put Lights Up instead of At Rise as above?
Also, would you repeat the character name at the beginning of each new beat change? I don't think it's necessary but ...
Thanks again.

ComicBent · Oct 21, 2008

As long as you separate your scenes, it probably does not matter. Here is how I might do it:

Code:

SETTING:    Kitchen.

AT RISE:    Marge puts away the ironing board. She leans against 
the kitchen counter and hums a tune before beginning to talk.

                       MARGE
         (giving a long sigh)
A man told me once that my life would make a good story. I never
thought it was all that interesting.

                                 FADE TO BLACK.

- - - - - (NEW PAGE FOR NEW SCENE) - - - - -

                       [U]Scene 2[/U]

                                 LIGHTS COME UP.

                                 MARGE is still at the ironing board
                                 but with even more clothes to iron.

                       MARGE
A man works from sun to sun, but a woman's work is never done.

                                 QUICK BLACKOUT.

Again, you have lots of flexibility with stage plays. You could use an AT RISE (flush left or indented), but you don't have to. By the way, you can use AT RISE even if there is no curtain; it can also be used for when the lights come up. (I am quoting Mollie Ann Meserve here, who wrote one of the most widely used formatting manuals.) You can put the AT RISE flush left, as I did above, or you can incorporate it into an action paragraph. The action paragraphs can be parentheticals (with a blank line before and after) or they can be nonparenthetical and indented as above.

GigiZ · Oct 22, 2008

Thank you again, Comic Bent.

Stageplay formatting question

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