Playwriting

    1. The script must be the original work of one current student OR the collaborative work of no more than two current students from the same Thespian troupe.
    2. The text must contain dialogue, and have a minimum of two characters
    3. The script submitted must be in the form of a non-musical one-act stage-play with a maximum total length of 30 pages (Excluding title, and optional second page).
    4. The script should be produced using the designated elements and their specified pagination, and according to the Florida State Thespian guidelines.
    5. The Florida Thespian Festival has adopted the DRAMATISTS GUILD MODERN STAGE PLAY FORMAT.
    6. All text must be in: Times New Roman, Palatino, or Courier font.
    7. The Board suggests using professional scriptwriting software such as Final Draft,  Script It, Scrivener, Slugline, Trelby, Storyist, or StoryO. Most of these have the Pre-loaded template for Modern stage play as an option in the program.
    8. Scripts must be saved as a PDF file, and emailed to the District Chair or State Director per the given competition deadlines. It is the responsibility of the playwright(s) and Troupe Director to ensure the safe, complete, and timely transmission and receipt of all necessary digital documents. No paper copies of the script will be accepted.
    9. The first page of the script will be the Title page, including information relating to the title, playwright(s), sponsor, troupe number, school name, and completion date, and will be arranged according to the Florida State Thespian guidelines.
    10. The (optional) second page of the script may contain a synopsis, character list and breakdown, floor-plan, or any other information the playwright(s) deem(s) necessary to understanding the script.
    11. All successive pages of the script will contain the actual text of the stage-play and will be arranged according to the Florida State Thespian guidelines.
    12. The script will contain only pages specified by the Florida State Thespian guidelines. It is most important, however, that each script have consistent formatting within itself.
    13. A script that is improperly formatted is in violation of the specified Florida State Thespian guidelines and is subject to disqualification prior to adjudication.
    14. Judges may make comments on the evaluation form and/or during the verbal adjudication.
    15. A festival evaluation (if possible) will include ten (10) minutes of verbal interaction to be used as the judges see fit to expand the learning process of the playwright(s).

STANDARD ELEMENTS FOR STAGE-PLAYS

Type setup

  • Font. Times New Roman, Palatino, or Courier. Size 12.
  • Spaces. Proper typesetting dictates ONE space after periods.

Styles setup:

  • CHARACTER. All Caps. Centered on the page. A single space hard return after.
  • Dialog. Left justified. Left indent to allow for binding (1.5″) and One inch from right margin (1″). 
  • SCENE HEADING  Use all caps, center with no indent.
  • Stage Action.  Action is centered and extends to the right margin. Action that is reliant on dialogue is left indented to left of the Character name.

See the attached PDF for formatting tips and options. Again, the most important thing is that the play itself is consistent with itself.

Dramatists Guild Modern Format for Plays

Play-Formatting-Example (Word)

Play-Formatting-Example

Title Page

Recommended Second Page