Playwright Discovery Award Teacher's Guide - The John F. Kennedy ...

ACT IV: PRESENTATION
Sharing Your Work with Others
When writing a play, playwrights follow special formats. Below are descriptions of the various
formats, and on page 57 is an example of a professional dramatic manuscript.
The Title Page
The title of the play should be centered on the page. The playwright’s name, school, teacher’s name,
city, and state, should be placed in the lower right corner.
Cast of Characters Page
This page includes all characters and indicates any double casting that may be required. Characters
are described by age and relationship to other characters on this page as well. Directors and producers
use this information to help them when casting. Pay attention to the margins and formatting.
Cast of Characters:
Alexa: 15
Matt: 15
Suzie: 12
Peter: 13
Lead member of band, and new to town
Alexa’s stand partner, and a popular kid
A friend of Peter’s, and Alexa’s sister
Suzie’s friend
The Play Itself
Page numbers are in the upper right corner; character names are centered and in all caps; major scenic
settings and stage directions are indented toward the right margin; minor directions are in parentheses
and appear within the dialogue; there are two spaces between lines of dialogue; the common font is
Arial and the font size is 12.
Celebration
When a reading concludes or the curtain draws to a close, everyone—cast, director, dramaturg, writer,
and audience—should stop and applaud the work. Everyone has worked hard to express themselves
or help others realize their artistic vision on stage. This is difficult work. To find the words to articulate
what’s wanted and then to present them with artistry and integrity takes patience and great effort, and
isn’t easy. So applaud your fellow collaborators! Or applaud in sign language and wave both hands in
the air! Stand up if the work or effort was extraordinary! Shout Bravo if you think applause does not
express how much you enjoyed the work. Celebrate the accomplishments, for everyone deserves to
know how great they did. •
56 ACT IV: PRESENTATION