Writing a play does not have to be a daunting task. You can start by writing a shorter play based on a collection of stories or fables like I did.

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.

Write a Playscript from a Collection of Aesop’s Fables

One year I decided to write a play related to what the kids were reading while studying ancient world history. During our readings, we read many of Aesop’s fables. There are so many interesting characters and great messages to be learned in those fables, so I thought it would be fun to do a play based on some of them. Because Aesop's fables are in the public domain, I was able to use the stories to create my own play.

Most people are familiar with “The Tortoise and the Hare,” so that became the focus of the play. Since many animals wanted to go see "The Big Race," I was able to include the adventures they would have along the way. Maybe you’ve heard of some of them - the lion and the mouse; the fox and the crow, just to name a few.

Consider the Age of the Actors and the Size of the Cast

When writing a play with a particular group in mind, it is important to consider the age of the actors and their abilities. Also, you need to consider how many characters you need. A younger group may need a shorter script and less lines, while an older group can handle much more.

When writing my play, The Big Race – A Montage of Aesop’s Fables, I knew we had Pre-K through 3rd grade students available to practice in the afternoon one day a week; while their older siblings were in class. 

We decided to make the preschoolers and kindergartners a part of the ensemble cast. These members usually are not named characters and have only a few lines, so this way they can practice on their own and just show up to the last few rehearsals to see what it looks like with the rest of the cast. Also, if any were missing on the day of the performance, it would not affect the play as we would not have to replace their roles. Lastly, they add the cute factor which every play needs. 😉

The 1st through 3rd graders were then assigned roles. Since most of the roles were comparable in size, it was easy to split it up without worrying about who could handle a lot of lines. My daughter that year was already busy memorizing lines for a lead role in another production, so I decided to create a small role that would add some comic relief and still allow her to be a part of our rehearsals and performance. This is the benefit of writing a play based on the students you have available to perform in it.

Sometimes you can add roles where the older students can be on stage with the younger students, so they can help them go where they need to go and say their lines at the appropriate time. You may have seen this at a dance recital where an older dancer leads the younger ones in the dance steps. It is very helpful, especially if the younger ones are going to be on stage for a long time.

When writing a play with your actors in mind, you might want to consider what type of characters you will have and what costumes they may need. When the characters are animals, it makes it so much easier to do costumes. Many people have animal costumes from Halloween or other activities. Also, kids can wear a simple mask or cat or bunny ears and have their faces made up with some whiskers. For the ensemble cast of The Big Race - A Montage of Aesop's Fables, the younger siblings could be any animal they wanted to be, so it made it a lot easier for them to come up with a costume. Another benefit for the actors and the parents when writing a play with a certain group in mind.

Human-looking animals are also very easy because they can wear human clothes, so there is less fur to worry about.

Remember the Important Elements to Help the Story Flow

To write the play, I chose four fables and figured out a way to make the characters interact with each other. Since “The Big Race” was the focal point, I could have them act out their stories on the way to the race. The central theme was the tortoise and the hare, but we learn many other moral lessons as each character interacts with one another. 

It is important when merging stories together, to not end up with a series of random events and an unsure ending. We want to be sure the important story elements are included as we mesh multiple stories together to ensure there is a flow throughout the story as if it is one: 

• Characters

• Setting

• Plot

• Conflict

• Resolution

For my story, the main characters are the tortoise and the hare. The setting is the forest, and the plot is the events leading up to “The Big Race.” The conflict is the challenges that occur along the way, including our very slow tortoise, and the resolution to these - well, you’re just going to have to read it to find out. 😉

Because there are little lessons learned along the way that I don’t want my audience to miss, I chose to have narrators. To correspond with the theme of the play, I chose to have sports commentators give the play by play. It fits the theme and is more interesting than just having a voice that is heard from offstage. These commentators added interest and could help us wrap up one lesson and move on to the next. 

When merging fables together into one story, it was important to me to keep the important messages for each of the interactions. Therefore, the basic gist of the fables is the same; while the way they are compiled and the extra characters that are added make it unique. We could have just acted out individual ones, but it was fun to put them together in this way, and we had the time for a little bigger production. 

If I Can Write a Play, so Can You!!!

As you can see it’s easy to write a play if you start from something that is already created like a collection of fables. 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 an abridged playscript from a full-length play.

Want to make life easier and be the first to know when the next blog is posted? Sign up below for our email newsletter to get the latest news!

Looking for a play to perform? Don’t worry we’ve got you covered with a variety of plays including The Big Race – A Montage of Aesop’s Fables and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland 30-minute play! 

Thanks for joining us!

Danielle at homeschooldrama.com