Language Arts Playwriting Terms & Definitions

Front 1

Monolgue

Back 1

An uninterrupted speech given by one character in a play.

Front 2

Dialogue

Back 2

The words characters say to each other in a play. Dialogue reveals what the characters’ personalities are like, their desires, and what they are thinking.

Front 3

Stage Direction

Back 3

Tell the actors where to stand on stage, where and how to move, what facial expressions they should have when delivering their lines, and the tone of voice they should use to deliver their lines.

Remember that dialogue complements stage directions, so you also want to have the characters talk about their actions and why they are going to act in this way.

Front 4

Setting

Back 4

Where and when your scene takes place.

Front 5

At Rise

Back 5

What the characters are doing when the stage lights go on and the curtain goes up.

Front 6

Characters

Back 6

The players in your scene. You should have one central (main) character and he or she must have a problem.
All characters must be “real” people with ages, backgrounds, personality traits, desires, etc.

Front 7

Event

Back 7

What happens that makes this day different from any other day?
(This is also known as the “Passover Question.”)
What’s going on that’s out of the ordinary? What is the incident that leads to your central character’s emergency?

Front 8

Emergency

Back 8

What’s going on that makes a character take action (or makes a character want to take action).

Front 9

Taking Action

Back 9

When a character takes steps to get what he or she wants because of the emergency; these steps will cause a change

Front 10

Conflict

Back 10

The problem or struggle your central character faces. What’s stopping him or her from getting what he or she wants?

Front 11

Resolution

Back 11

How everything ends; the final result.

Front 12

Message

Back 12

The theme – what your play is about, the “big idea.”