Standard Playwriting Format

Please follow these standard formatting rules:

• Act and Scene headings are centered.
• Character’s names are centered and capitalized.
• Stage directions are indented one tab and italicized.
• Character’s names in stage directions are capitalized.
• Parenthetical stage directions are used for small actions.

Act One

Scene 1

Writopia Lab, New York City. Day.

DAN, a tall Writopia instructor, sits on the couch. He munches on a bunch of potato chips, crumbs fall on his lap. He brushes them off into the crevasses of the couch. REBECCA enters the room with her coat on.

REBECCA

Dan?

DAN

What?

REBECCA

Did you just brush off your crumbs in the couch?

DAN

shrugging

No.

REBECCA

You’re lying. And now I have to sweep them up.

DAN gets up and walks up to REBECCA.

DAN

Don’t worry about it. I’ll do it.

REBECCA and DAN freeze, staring at one another as the lights on them dim down. Lights come up from behind the couch, where a large chip crumb named NORMAN breaks out into song.

NORMAN THE CRUMB

Dan won’t sweep me up, he will forget about me. I’m so lucky — here at Writopia with instructors like Dan!

Blackout.