r/playwriting

I've been working on my first ever full length play for about a year now. Last week I got the chance to do a table read with actors and it ended up taking us about 3 hrs and 20 minutes to get through it. If performed as is, this play will likely be close to 4 hours which I know is unreasonable. The actors really loved the story and everyone thought the script was really fantastic so I'm torn. I know there's some fat I can trim but I don't think I'll ever be able to get this story down to a 2 hour play. Am I screwed? What should I do?

Hello,

Would anyone be interested in coming to a playwright meetup in Brooklyn? I write experimental shows that are often accompanied by music and have put up work at off-off-Broadway venues around town. I see the meetup as a time to share work, do a few writing exercises, and hang with others. Let me know, any genre welcome...

A few years ago, I had an idea for a Plants vs. Zombies musical. I never ended up finishing it because life and other projects got in the way. But since I don't have as much stuff going on, and I've had time to improve my skills as a writer, I think I'm in a good place to revive the project and hopefully write it in its entirety

I still like the overall plot I originally wrote, though I'll definitely go through and adjust it. The show has two acts with a time jump in between. The first act shows the events before and during the zombie takeover of Neighborville, with a pretty dark and serious tone. The second act follows the events of PvZ1 and leans more into the wackiness and absurdity PvZ is known for. This is my take on a PvZ story and, in my opinion, the series should have leaned into more serious territory as opposed to the overly silly bs we ended up with. I've found that, for me at least, PvZ works best when it's not afraid to get dark

I've added the shows outline below, and if anyone has suggestions on how to improve or add onto this idea, I'd be happy to hear them. Keep in mind I originally came up with this around 5 or 6 years ago and for some reason I didn't feel the need to actually write the plot points down, so this outline is just from memory. If it feels a bit rough, that's probably why

OUTLINE:
Act 1:

• Dave leads a tour group and introduces them to the town of Neighborville. He highlights the town's interesting residents and culture during the opening number, but is hesitant to tell the group what he does outside of being a tour guide
• After the tour, Dave returns to his home, where we learn that he's a struggling scientist who feels ashamed to present his work in botany. He's trying to create a serum that could make intelligent/sentient plants. We also meet his niece, Patrice, her friend, Nate, and Dave's friend from college, Edgar. Edgar is quite different from Dave, being more outgoing and willing to take risks
• We see Edgar in his lab with his assistant, whom he has nicknamed Tugboat, preparing to test a brain augmentation machine. Edgar, yearning to be the most intelligent and successful scientist in the world, tests it on himself, which ends up killing him. However, not only does the brain augmentation work, but it grows his brain so much that he becomes "too smart to die," transforming him into Dr. Zomboss. Despite this, he still desires more brainpower and eats Tugboat's brain, turning Tugboat into the first browncoat zombie
• Zomboss sends Tugboat to go find more brains, which begins the takeover of Neighborville. One zombie becomes two, then four, then many. People, understandably, panic and hastily scramble to come up with solutions to the emerging apocalypse. Some flee, while others, like Nate, opt for a guns-blazing war approach
• Dave and Patrice realize that in order to defeat the zombies, they'll need an seemingly infinite supply of resources, as they'll eventually run out of guns and bombs. And the only thing they could really produce infinitely, and promptly, is plants. So, Dave and Patrice begin to work on Dave's serum that could make plants sentient. Nate, however, thinks this idea is ridiculous, crazy even, and leaves them to work on it
• We follow the progress of the serum's development. Progress is slow, but there is potential. We see signs that plants might be able to feel and think. Unfortunately, the time it's taking to develop the serum is coming at the cost of many lives
• Dave and Patrice believe they have created the perfect formula, and are about to test it when Nate bursts into their makeshift lab in a sweat. A horde of zombies is nearby, and he's desperate to fend them off. Nate, in a blind panic, grabs the serum and throws it at the zombies, destroying any hope of creating a plant army. In a fit of betrayal and anger, Patrice shoves him into a horde of zombies, resulting in his death. With no more resources and no time left to develop more of the serum, Patrice accepts her fate and joins the horde
• Everyone in Neighborville is now dead except for Dave. After witnessing the deaths of everyone he knows and loves, including his own niece, Dave completely breaks down, vowing to somehow end the apocalypse once and for all
• Patrice's corpse reanimates as a zombie, but before she can attack Dave, a green ball flies out and hits her, scaring her off. Dave then sees that his experiment was a success after all

Act 2:

• We open several years in the future. Dave has become Crazy Dave and is in his signature outfit. He introduces himself to his "neighbor" (the audience), explaining the situation and what he's been doing about it. He's created many more plants that he uses to defend himself from the zombies, and the zombies have become more intelligent with time. The two sides have basically become their own societies. Despite the circumstances, Dave acts like all is hunky-dory and denies his own misery
• Nightfall. We see zombie Nate with a brigade of Football Zombies as they prepare to invade Crazy Dave's residence. His anger as an army commander is palpable. As a means to hype up the brigade, they sing the All-Star fight song as they charge into battle. At the end of the number, a Doom-shroom appears and blows them all up
• We transition to the zombies' main base, where we see Zomboss instructing a dolphin rider that he must, well, ride a dolphin. However, this dolphin rider has had an outspoken hatred for dolphins and now needs to bargain with the dolphin and convince it to work with him. He sings a ballad about how he was wrong and asks the dolphin to forgive him, which it does. He triumphantly rides the dolphin into battle, but is later killed
• Nightfall again. A thick fog rolls in, and Dave enters holding a Plantern. He sings a number about how the fog is mysterious and sometimes overwhelming, and how people can easily get lost. After this number, it begins to rain and thunder, and Dave hopes that we can survive the night. After exiting, the stage flashes occasionally, showing stills of plants and zombies fighting in the night
• The zombies are now invading the roof. Dave pulls out the big guns and still manages to fend off the onslaught, but finds himself making slips about what happened before the takeover
• Zomboss enacts his Hail Mary and arrives in the Zombot. The climactic battle ensues, and Zomboss finally gets to have his own musical number. He is eventually defeated, and Dave prepares to stab him in the brain with a flagpole before Zomboss begs for mercy. Zomboss concedes, accepting defeat and stating that Dave wins and there's no more eating brains for him and his army. We then end with, what else, Zombies on Your Lawn. Dave walks out with a taco, eats it, and exclaims about how delicious it was

My play has a sort of plot that just keeps going after it starts. My first scene opens with the main character addressing the audience directly, followed by a supporting character saying they’re ready to start the show. I just don’t know how to connect that to the start of the plot. Any tips from writers?

My partner is a playwright working on their first full-length straight play that's a gothic western. Reddit took down their original post, we think because they have never posted before, so I am asking for them now. They grew up in an atheist household, so they don't have the experience of a character that they're writing, and would love to get input from folks with lived experience. The character is a young girl who is a lesbian, but has set within herself some really harsh guidelines to follow her Christian identity. There is a scene they're working on where the character is alone in her church at night, praying to God, questioning why she has the feelings she does. They have some ideas on how to write this, as they are a lesbian, but they don't have the experience of being a young gay Christian to make this scene seem completely authentic. If anyone has this experience (lesbian or otherwise), they would love to get your thoughts and hear your story.

From my partner: I apologize if any of this doesn't make sense or if this comes across the wrong way. I truly just want to make this scene as authentic and accurate as possible. I don't want to misrepresent this experience since I know it is common among young gay Christians. Thank you for any help!

Hello, folks! Hope this post finds you well.

I am a longtime aspiring screenwriter and poet, amongst other things. For about 6 years now I’ve had a particular story idea which has gone through several revisions and downright overhauls since its initial inception.

After my fourth or fifth abandoned attempt to write this idea as a screenplay, a moment of clarity finally came to me about the true nature of my story, and so I decided for the first time to try executing it as a stage play instead. To my surprise, I found that this medium was perhaps the truest way for me to tell this story, and in a matter of just two weeks I have finally managed to complete a draft!

I’ve been quite eager to get some eyes on my story, so if by chance the premise may happen to interest you I invite you to take a look and see if it piques any further intrigue! I have not settled on a title yet but I will leave you with a short logline. For anyone who might take the time to read this, thank you so much and I look forward to any comments/critiques!

LOGLINE:

A once-great boxer who blew his shot must come to terms with his past when his brother returns home from a seven-year sentence.

57 pages (Word) - Two acts, five scenes

So about a month ago, I finished the second draft of the script I’ve been working on for going on a year at this point. I took a month’s break from writing it because I felt I was going super hard on it and organized a table reading for this weekend so that I can hear the script out loud for myself.

I know the second draft isn’t perfect. It’s much better than the first draft, but I’m still unsure about a couple things with it in its current state. My goal is that once I hear the script in it’s entirety out loud, I will be better able to identify the uneasiness I have with certain beats and/or dialogue and iron all of this out.

I plan to have a post-read discussion after it is over and I want to ask good questions that will help me get an idea of how certain things went over with people. I don’t wanna ask questions like “Was it good? Was it bad?”, but instead ask questions that really helps me understand how and if people are connecting with this on a thematic level, what their takeaways are, etc. I was looking to see what would be some good questions to ask in a post-reading discussion? Also just any general advice to calm the anxiety I’m kind of having going into this? I’ve worked pretty hard on this and it’s a pretty vulnerable story for me and I know that certain elements of it can be fine tuned, but I do not want to be discouraged. Thank you for any and all advice!

I have been working on this series of short plays, all set at the IAD on the shores of Lake Geneva.

The IAD has lots of guest lecturers from the past, Caesar, Stalin, Robbespierre, to name a few. And it has a permanent resident, Napoleon Bonaparte who, over time, forms kind of a bond with one of the students.

A few plays feature excursions of the institute. One, perhaps the most important one for me, to Gaza City.

You can read all the plays here: The Institute for the Advancement of Dictatorships

The Gaza play is here: The Lesson of Impunity

It's immediate aftermath where the first student is put on trial (with Vishinsky as a guest judge) here: The Fragment

Needless to say, I would be very grateful for feedback.

I submitted my full-length play to a local community theatre and it was accepted for their slot that’s reserved for original works. The production is in a little less than a year.

What advice do you have for me at this point? I plan to do some more readings/development on my own over the next 6 months. I may end up directing it (I have a little experience in that but not much) but I haven’t discussed the specifics yet. Any advice you can share on the development process or on directing an original work?

What questions should I ask when I speak to them on the phone about specifics?

Hey all you crazy playwrights!

I've been reading the book "Playwrighting" by Sam Smiley, and I'm getting a lot out of it.

However, I don't fully understand something that seems crucial to Smiley's conception of drama: how Plot, Character, Thought, Diction, Melody, and Spectacle function on a continuum of form and matter (see attached image with graphic).

My question is: what constitutes "form" and "matter," and what differentiates the two, in drama?

From the graphic it seems that Smiley considers all the elements of drama: Plot, Character, Thought, Diction, Melody, and Spectacle as functions of both form and matter, and that "reading down the list each element acts as form to those below it, and reading upward each element provides material to the itemes above." This makes sense, and then Smiley goes into detail about each element (i.e. "Plot, etc...), but he never fully defines form vs. matter.

If anyone has read this book, or else just knows this stuff about playwrighting, help a brother out! Thanks!

https://preview.redd.it/wtnzaj4zv41h1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=54cfddd5378c1650234ec1889b16cfeda9ee4629

How do playwrights feel about working with a dramaturg one-on-one for script development? And if you've ever used a dramaturg you really like, do you mind sharing their name?

TLDR; I am in the early stages of writing my first full length stage play, and I keep swinging between hating it and thinking it’s pretty neat. Curious how other people deal with this.

At times I feel genuinely excited about the concept and the possibilities in it. I can see scenes forming, I can see the thematic thread I am trying to follow, and it feels like something worth developing. Then other times I look at it and it feels vague, overly ambitious, or like something only I find interesting because I am close to it. In those moments I start doubting whether the core idea actually holds together or whether I am forcing meaning into something that is not really there.

The frustrating part is that both of those perspectives feel equally real depending on the day. It is not a steady sense of confidence or a steady sense of doubt, it is a constant oscillation between the two.

I am trying to push through that phase instead of making decisions too early based on whichever mood I happen to be in. I know early writing can feel unstable like this, but I am curious how other writers handle this specific kind of back and forth when developing a new work. Is this normal? Does it ever settle into something more consistent as the structure becomes clearer, or is this just part of the process you learn to ignore and keep working through? Any perspective or words of encouragement from people who have dealt with this would be appreciated. TIA

I wrote a possible play.

I have no clue about formatting or anything. Or how to really do this.

Its a Southern piece.

Small video store closes down in a small Southern town, mills are closed, lots of Southern Realism.

The last 4 tapes returned are the scenes.

Deals with change, how nothing stays the same and lose.

I already know a spot I could put it on.

But clueless where to go next with it

Example:

VICTIM: What is this? Vengeance? Sending a message?
CAPTOR: ...
VICTIM: Some kind of opening salvo?

Hate when people do this? Find it effective? Do it yourself?

Hey, I'm on draft 5 of my stageplay and would love to swap scripts with someone, who also wants honest but kind feedback. I'll read yours, you read mine.

I'm 28 (UK based), an amateur writer, and an occasional drag performer. My play has a "camp meets chaos" energy to it.

It's a comedy-mystery with LGBTQ+ characters, secrets, and a little bit of emotional bite under the jokes.

I want to make sure it lands, there is a feel of mystery to it, and it reads as comedically as intended.

A4 Pages (including character sheet): 67

Words: 8913

If it's something you're interested in- let's get it going.

(We can agree deadlines and preferred formatting- to hold each other, and ourselves accountable)

Body type casting is a touchy issue, but I have a problem scene in my play where it is coming to the front because the characters are describing themselves. This is necessary to the play because the topic is domestic violence and body shaming is one of the tactics used by the abusive male antagonist.

The characters are comparing themselves to each other. They are both young - 14 & 15 - and insecure to some degree. A sad irony of the scene is the attributes they dislike the most in themselves they envy in the other.

The scene establishes the following - one is taller than the other. The shorter one refers to herself as 'pudgy' and doesn't like her height. The taller calls herself a beanpole and outright says she wishes she had a real butt like the shorter one. I intend to leave it at that because part of my point is the characters are being unfair to themselves. Each one is beautiful in their own way.

Any ideas on how to approach this, or am I just being a little neurotic?

EDIT:

I've added a scene note to the scene in question. Since it is realtively small, here it is:

>Lisa
> No, you’re prettier. Stand up. Come over here. > >Takes her over to the mirror. The lines that follow from here until LISA pulls the barrette out of PAMELA’s hair are a placeholder. Change them to suit the actresses actually cast. Retain the sad irony that the attributes Lisa and Pamela are most insecure about are those the other loves the most about them. > >Perfect height. > >Pamela
>I don’t like being short. > >Lisa
>You’re petite, not short. Guys like that. > >Pamela
>I’m pudgy. > >Lisa
>So you have an ass. I’d love to have that ass. Guys love that – not bean poles like me.  > >Gently pulls the barrette out of Pam’s hair that’s holding it up and out of the way. It falls nearly to the floor.

Hello fellow playwrights!

I am currently on summer vacation from school, and I'm looking to gain some experience and make some money, so I wanted to offer some dramaturgical services here for anyone who might be interested. As for what those services are:

• I'll read your play twice
• After the first reading, I'll give general thoughts on the play
• After the second (close) reading, I'll write out grammar and formatting notes, as well as some content notes

Before discussing prices, why might someone want me to read their play? Well, I won the SPARC New Voices competition in 2024 and got to work with Alyssa Haddad-Chin in a workshop. I was also a semi-finalist for The Blank Theatre's Young Playwrights Festival in 2025. One of my full-length plays was slated for production with a community theatre (scrapped for unrelated reasons), I've written a handful of well-received comedy sketches, and I've self-produced a short play in my community to a strong positive reception. I've been doing this work for three years now, and in that time I've been a table reader for some playwright friends and done some dramaturgy for some folks on this subreddit.

With that being said, I know that I'm not a professional, so my prices will be cheap:

• Short Play (<20 pages): $5
• One-Act (20-45 pages): $8
• Full-Length (45+ pages): $15

Hopefully my experience and my low prices will be enough to convince some of you that this could be a useful service for you.