 Your school couldn’t find a play that would work for your drama club this year, so you wrote a script for them. The performances went off without a hitch, and you received a standing ovation from the audience. Now what? You could shove the script with all of your handwritten notes in a drawer and say, “Someday I’ll get to this, clean it up and try to get it published.” Or, you could take the time now to get it ready for submission, while all of those little things that came up during rehearsal are still fresh in your mind. As an editor, one of the hardest parts of reading play submissions is reviewing the “incomplete” script—that is, a script with few or vague stage directions. When writing and staging a play that you plan to submit for publication, make sure what you create onstage makes it into the actual script so that your expertise can be recreated by future directors. Of course, a play script is not meant to be read as a novel would, and too much detail could bog it down. However, the right amount of stage directions conveys action to the reader and brings the play to life, making it more enjoyable to read and easier to envision for editors and directors alike. As you’re writing or polishing up your script, keep in mind Pioneer Drama Service as a possible publisher for your work. We look for family-friendly, large-cast comedies with ensemble casts (where everyone has a chance to shine, not just a few lines), more female roles than male, simple set requirements (with few set changes or area staging), few technical requirements, lots of stage action (write it in!) and sub-plots, and content appealing to a 6th-grade level and up. |
