Year 10 Drama · Making Drama — Create and Perform · 11m read

Playwriting

Every play started as an empty page. Playwriting combines story, character and theatricality.

Learning objective: Write an original short play with strong characters, conflict and structure.

By the end of this lesson you can:

• I can create dramatic conflict.
• I can write natural dialogue.
• I can structure a play for performance.

A play is pressure building in a volcano. Playwrights put characters with opposing wants in a confined space and turn up the heat. Each scene adds pressure until something must erupt — the climax.

Writing for performance

DRAMATIC STRUCTURE:
• Exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, resolution.

CONFLICT:
• Character vs character, self, society, nature.

DIALOGUE:
• Reveals character and advances action; subtext; avoid explaining everything.

THEATRICALITY:
• Write for the stage: action, space, visual moments, stage directions.

REDRAFTING:
• Table reads and feedback.

| Element | Tip |
|---|---|
| Inciting incident | Arrives early and disrupts normal life |
| Conflict | Two characters want incompatible things |
| Dialogue | People rarely say exactly what they mean |
| Stage directions | Only essential actions; no camera directions |
| Ending | Change — someone wins, loses or learns |

Key ideas at a glance

• Start late, leave early: Enter scenes mid-action.
• Conflict every scene: Something is at stake.
• Write subtext: Let actors find meaning.
• Read aloud: Hear the rhythm.

Worked example (Medium)

Improve: "I am angry because you lied to me about the money."

1. Problem. States emotion directly.
2. Improved. "Where's the money, Sam?" (She holds up the empty tin.)

Answer: Show emotion through action and subtext, not explanation.

Worked example (Hard)

Rewrite an on-the-nose line with subtext: "I'm really upset that you forgot my birthday."

1. Situation. Friend arrives late with no gift.
2. Subtext line. "Oh, you're here. Cake's gone, but there's… some napkins."
3. Effect. Hurt is shown through sarcasm and action.

Answer: Characters hint at feelings rather than stating them.

Common mistakes

• Characters explaining feelings It feels unnatural. Fix: Use subtext and action.
• Characters explaining their feelings Unnatural, no tension. Fix: Show feelings through action and subtext.

Formatting a script

Standard stage-play format:

• CHARACTER NAMES in capitals, centred or left.
• Dialogue beneath.
• *(Stage directions)* in italics and brackets.
• Scene headings: "Scene 2. A bus stop. Night."

Clean formatting makes a script easy for actors and directors to use.

Practice questions

1. The event that starts the main conflict is the:

   1. Climax
   2. Inciting incident
   3. Resolution
   4. Exposition

   (1 marks)

2. Why do table reads help playwrights?

   (2 marks)

3. An inciting incident:

   1. Ends the play
   2. Disrupts normal life and starts the main conflict
   3. Is a costume
   4. Is the interval

   (1 marks)

4. "Start late, leave early" means:

   1. Arrive late to rehearsal
   2. Enter scenes mid-action and leave before they drag
   3. Write at night
   4. Short plays only

   (1 marks)

5. Write a two-line exchange with subtext showing jealousy.

   (2 marks)

Summary

• Dramatic structure and conflict.
• Natural dialogue with subtext.
• Redraft with feedback.
• Conflict, subtext and change drive a play.