Imagine acting out a play and the audience can’t see what you are doing? How do you help them to understand what is happening if they can’t see you?

Hi! My name is Danielle and I have enjoyed writing plays for my children and our homeschool friends and would love to share how to write a play, so you or your child can write one too.

We Often Allow Others to Create the Image for Us

When we watch a show rather than read a book, we allow others to create the image for us instead of us using our own imaginations. You are looking at the characters and scenery someone else has created. 

I remember one time we read a book series, then happened to find a movie on TV based on the first book. We were horrified to see how the animal characters were portrayed. Our imaginations took us to a different place than what the creator of the movie imagined. We were never able to read the books again once we had their images in our heads.

If we read a book, we are using our imagination to picture how the characters would sound, what they look like and what they are doing.

What if the Audience Can't See What is Happening?

How fun would it be to write a play and consider what would need to be said if the audience wasn't able to see the actors. What sound effects would need to be used to help them understand what is happening in the scene? How many more descriptive words would need to be used to really paint the picture you are trying to paint in their heads? Can you tell it in a way for them to accurately picture what you are thinking?

It sounds like a fun game, for sure, but how about writing a radio play? You can write it from something that already exists, as we’ve learned in the last six blogs in the series How to Write a Play, or you can come up with something completely original.

If you use a play or story that already exists, you’d have to consider that when it was written they relied on costumes, props and scenery or illustrations to convey their story. Your audience is not going to see any of that, so what do you have to do to tweak the play or story to help convey your message? (Don't forget to look on the public domain for something that allows you to use it and change it into your own creation.)

Instead of seeing Sarah in her bright yellow dress with a chocolate stain and an ice cream scoop melting on the ground, which clearly shows us what just happened, how would you word it in your script so the audience can be informed as to what just happened? Would you use figurative language to get the point across or be more clear as to how that chocolate ice cream scoop toppled off the cone and onto the dress she just took from her sister’s closet. 

What facial expression would she have considering it’s her sister’s dress that she did not ask to borrow? If she was standing in front of you on stage, you would clearly see it; however, she is not standing in front of your audience, so how do you help your audience visualize what you are describing?

What if there was a terrifying sound outside in the bushes? In a book, the author could use onomatopoeia to express the sounds he wanted the audience to experience. In a radio play, you could use those same words or you could use sound effects to help tell the story? Use of the right sounds can definitely increase the interaction with your audience.

Try using a story from a book to write your radio play. Perhaps the book describes the scene really well. Maybe all you need to add is some sound effects for interest. (ex. sound of footsteps walking on a wood floor or an alarm clock going off) Don’t just say it, let them hear it. Sound is the most important element of a radio play. Can you think of a movie where the music stirred emotions in you to get their message across? You could use the same technique in a radio play.

After the scary music build-up or the sounds of growls or rattling of branches, how would your characters express themselves to demonstrate they are terrified or plan to get out of there as soon as possible? Do you just have them say, “Let’s get out of here!” or do you have them describe what they think they are hearing and the place nearby they could run and hide? Do you have a narrator help with the storytelling?

Examples from Literature for a Radio Play

If you consider a story from a book, the author is doing just that. They are describing with words what they hope you will picture in your mind to help get their story across. Many children’s books have illustrations, which are the artist’s interpretations of the author’s words. Did the illustrator get it right? I have definitely felt like they didn’t in some books. Would the author agree to the illustrator’s interpretation or, after seeing the drawings, would they change the verbiage to help get that message across better? 

Ex. Here’s an example from my 30-minute play Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, based on Lewis Carroll’s book:

As you can see there are stage directions to help the actors know what to do so the audience can SEE what is happening. In a radio play, those directions would not be helpful. 

Instead of giving the directions 

“(ALICE bows and takes the thimble looking as serious as the rest. Then turns to the Mouse.)”

You might have Alice say to herself out loud: 

Oh, he is not joking, perhaps I should bow and show how grateful I am for this gift, even if it is my own thimble.

Instead of: 

“(looking down at his tail with wonder)”

You might have Alice say to the mouse: 

Hmmm. I can see that your tail is certainly a long tail, but why do you call it sad?

When you are verbally changing a word from one spelling to the next using homophones, it has to be clear to the audience that you are trying to be funny or that one of the characters is confused. If Alice just says, “It is a long tail, certainly, but why do you call it sad?” the audience could think she is saying “tale” not “tail” and the point would be missed. Therefore, you have to tell them that she is referring to his actual tail by telling them she is looking at it and therefore referencing it.

If you are reading a book or a script you would catch that, but since your audience does not have that luxury, you have to help them “see” it.

Instead of:

“(Mouse starts mumbling story, while Alice stares off daydreaming)”

You may need to have Mouse telling a bit of a story and Alice quietly talking to herself telling of the things she is thinking about:

Mouse: Once upon a time, I lived with my parents and my siblings in a small hole in the wall…

(while Mouse is talking)

Alice: I wonder where that White Rabbit went. I really hope I get to see that garden…

Creating an Original Radio Play

If you make up a story for a radio play, remember you still need to include the important elements of a story to make that story flow well, make sense to the audience, and come to a logical conclusion:

• Characters

• Setting

• Plot

• Conflict

• Resolution

Characters – If there is a narrator, be sure to thoroughly describe each character as you introduce them, so the audience can understand their personality and any quirkiness they might have. Maybe there’s a relevance to the way they are dressed that needs to be described to help the audience know what’s about to happen.

You can also use other characters to describe someone by simply saying, “Oh no, here comes Ashley! I can hear her smacking her gum a mile away.” (What impression does that give you of Ashley?)

Maybe, when Ashley speaks you can hear an attitude in her voice, or maybe John is super shy which is evident by the hesitation and quietness in his voice.

Setting – Here the characters or the narrator is going to have to describe thoroughly what they are looking at. Just saying they are in a garage is not enough. Describe some of the items in the garage, especially if they are special or are not normally in a garage. Maybe someone could make the sound of tripping over various items or the clanging of metal as items crash into each other, indicating the garage is messy. Maybe there is a beautiful sports car sitting in the garage and the characters gasp and ooh and ahh when they first see it. Maybe they leave the audience hanging, not completely sure what they are oohing and aahing about until you, the writer, want them to know. 😉

You could be even less clear by having the characters say, “Oh my goodness!” That could mean a beautiful sports car, a friend they haven’t seen in a long time, a pet python is being kept in the garage or any number of scenarios. That’s the beauty of a radio play is that you can easily hold out on information you don’t want the audience to know yet because they can’t see it. 

Cliff hanger for next week’s episode, anyone? Stay tuned next time to find out what exactly they found in the garage.

The plot, conflict and resolution are the same for any story or play, just remember to include them and be sure that the audience can follow along and understand what is happening and what the final conclusion or message is. Remember, they can’t see it, so be clear in your words to help them follow along.

You Can Write a Playscript for a Radio Play

As you can see it’s easy to write a radio play if you start from something that is already created like a book or another play. Using this method, you or your child can start writing a play today. Stay tuned for more blogs in the series, How to Write a Play. Next we’ll talk about how to write a playscript with a plot twist to a familiar story.

Check out all the blogs in the How to Write a Play series:

1. Write a Playscript from a Fairy Tale

2. Write a Playscript from a Book

3. Write a Playscript from the Bible

4. Write a Playscript from Multiple Stories

5. Write an Abridged Playscript from a Full-Length Play

6. Write a Playscript about an Historical Event

7. Write a Playscript for a Radio Play

8. Write a Playscript with a Plot Twist to a Familiar Story

9. Write an Original Play      

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Looking for more examples to help inspire you to write a play or something to perform with your group? Don't worry we've got you covered with The Big Race - A Montage of Aesop's Fables, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland 30-minute play and Macbeth 30-minute play. Check them out here!

Thanks for joining us!

Danielle at homeschooldrama.com