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PLAYWRITING

Click here for a printable copy of the playwriting guidelines and sample pages for each part of the script.  You will need to have Adobe Acrobat on your computer to read the file.

1. The script must be the work of one or two students.  If a collaborative effort, both must attend the adjudication.

2. The text must contain dialogue and have two characters ONLY.

3. Playing time must be a minimum of (3) TEXT pages and a maximum of (5) TEXT pages.

4. Four copies of the script must be submitted by the festival deadline

5. Both the district and state level will provide the playwright with two males and two females (of high school age) who will serve as readers for the playwriting piece.  After the reading, the remaining minutes will be spent with verbal adjudication.  The readers will rotate, and evaluation will not be based or altered by the staged reading.

6. Scripts must be typed or word-processed according to the Florida State Thespian guidelines. All printed text must be in the Courier font.
7. The script will be printed on white 20 lb. paper.
8. The first page of the script will be the TITLE PAGE, including information relating to the title, playwright(s), sponsor, troupe number, school address, and completion date, and will be arranged according to the Florida State Thespian guidelines.
9. The second page of the script will be the SYNOPSIS PAGE, including information relating to the title, playwright(s), character breakdown (male/ female), and a forty to sixty word summary of the play, and will be arranged according to the Florida State Thespian guidelines.
10. The third page of the script will be the CHARACTER PAGE, including an alphabetized list of the characters, and will be arranged according to the Florida State Thespian guidelines.
11. The fourth and successive pages of the script will be the TEXT PAGES, and will include only the actual stageplay 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.
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 in the margins of the script, on the evaluation form and/or during the verbal adjudication.

15. The student may not submit a play that has been previously adjudicated by Florida State Junior Thespians.  The play must be the original work of the playwright(s).

16. All scripts submitted WILL NOT be returned.

17. The event will begin with a reading of the play to be followed by a discussion.  The total time given for the event is 12 minutes.

The following topics will be considered by the adjudicators while reading your play

Character:

1. Are goals established?

2. Is the goal pursued in a manner consistent with the character’s personality and limitations?

3. Can an audience empathize with the protagonist?

4.  Are the supporting characters vital to the development and resolution of the plot?

Dialogue:

1. Is each character’s diction (choice of words) consistent with the given circumstances?

2. Is all dialogue necessary to the development of the plot and each character?

Plot:

1. Does the author provide all exposition necessary to understanding the characters and their situations (who, what, when, where why)?

2. Once the initial incident in introduced, does the rising action follow a logical sequence of events to an appropriate climax and resolution?

Stageability:

Will this work easily translate to the stage given the limitations of a stage play?

© Florida State Thespian Society, Michael J. Higgins, State Director.