Directions for Formatting a 10-Minute Play in Word with sample pages Created by Nancy Gall-Clayton, nancygallclayton@earthlink.net Instructions and notes are in italics. Words in roman type are examples of correct format. Some contests modify the “standard format” rules. Always follow guidelines of the contests and theatres you submit to. A 10-minute play has 12 pages: a title page (unnumbered), a character page (unnumbered), and the play (numbered beginning with page 1). The title page should have no clip art or special designs. Use Times Roman 12-point type with 1-inch margins. Center 3 lines: The Sands of Arizona (upper and lower case, underlined) A Ten-Minute (Comedy/Drama/Play) (identify genre if you wish) By Jane Smith (Use the name you want the theatre to use.) Contact information can be left aligned, centered, or right aligned. If you are a member of the Dramatists Guild logo, use the logo above your contact information. You are entitled to – and should -- use the copyright symbol (“Insert” “Symbol” in Word), whether or not you submit your play to the US Copyright Office. A telephone number(s) and email address follow your street address. © 2012 Jane Smith 1234 5th Street Sixville, SV 10000 666-777-8888 janesmith@where.net At the bottom of the Title Page, use a Section Break, so that you can easily begin numbering with Page 1 on what is really the third page. Choose the Page Layout tab. Choose Breaks. Under Section Breaks, choose Next Page. The next page shows a Title Page without directions. The Sands of Arizona A Ten-Minute Play By Jane Smith © 2012 Jane Smith 1234 5th Street Sixville, SV 10000 666-777-8888 janesmith@where.net The Sands of Arizona (exactly as on the title page, no author name, centered) Characters Sam 21, male, a planner Angela 24, Samuel’s sister, doesn’t see the forest for the trees Bets 20, Sam’s girlfriend, a worrier (Give age, gender, and relationship if any between characters. An adjective or two helps the actor and director. When creating characters, think of practicality. If you are sending your play to a high school, creating a cast of 80-year-olds, for example, limits the chances your play will be picked.) Setting The waiting room of an auto repair shop in an isolated area of Arizona (For 10-minute plays, one setting is preferred. Name the place the action happens and add information such as city or state. Remember, settings may be suggested with just a prop or two, wooden cubes arranged to represent basic furniture, sound elements, or even by dialogue alone, especially with 10-minute plays. Designers may have their hands tied by budgets, time, and requirements of other plays. Don’t ask for a helicopter on stage.) Time February 14, 2015, afternoon (Directors, designers, and actors need to know when the action occurs. “The Present” is fine, but should be indicated. A decade at minimum (the 1920’s), a season, and time of day are all helpful.) At the bottom of the Character Page, use a Section Break, so that you can easily begin numbering with Page 1 on what is really the third page. Choose the Page Layout tab. Choose Breaks. Under Section Breaks, choose Next Page. The next page shows a Title Page without directions. . The Sands of Arizona Characters Sam 21, male, a planner Angela 24, Samuel’s sister, doesn’t see the forest for the trees Bets 20, Sam’s girlfriend, a worrier Setting The waiting room of an auto repair shop in an isolated area of Arizona Time February 14, 2015, afternoon The Sands of Arizona Page 1 Create a header for page 1 with The Sands of Arizona on the left and the page number (beginning with page 1 ) on the right. Do not put your name on any page except the title page. Go to the Insert tab. Choose Header. Choose the second option “Blank (Three Columns).” On the left, delete the bracketed words and input The Sands of Arizona without underlines. Delete the centered words. Go to the right aligned words and delete them. Input the word “Page” and a space. Choose Page Number and select Current Position and then Plain Number. To get rid of the “3” that appears automatically, choose Page Number again and this time, Format Page Number. Where it says Start At, choose “1.” The Sands of Arizona (even though it’s in the header, center title at the top of Page 1.) At rise: Sam is pacing with the manual to his car in his hands. Bets is emptying the contents of her purse item by item, and Angela is reading a romance novel. (If the dialogue makes the opening action clear, this information is not needed. “At rise” means when the curtain rises or when the lights go up.) SAM I had the car checked out before we left! (pause) Hey, are you two listening to me? ANGELA Could you keep it down? Sandra and Harold are about to kiss. SAM Do they know anything about cars? ANGELA Not so far. SAM If you have to read, try this, would you? ANGELA A car manual? That would be boring. BETS Have you looked in the index under Smoke yet? That’s what I would do. Is that what you would do, Angela? Did you go to that workshop at U of L about changing your own oil? I was thinking (Character names are in all caps centered. Speeches are single spaced with double spaces between them. Stage directions – which should be extremely minimal –(let the director direct) are double-indented in parentheses.) The Sands of Arizona Page 2 BETS (cont.) of going, but then I couldn’t figure out what I’d do with the old oil. (BETS stands and dumps the remaining contents of her purse on the floor.) I wish I could find my drill bit! If a character’s speech or action continues from one page to the next, type the name again on the next page followed by the abbreviation “cont.” in parentheses. If the continuation is just a line or two, it’s simpler for the actor if you put the whole speech on the next page. SAM Is anybody paying attention to what’s happening here besides me? (END OF PLAY) At the bottom of the last page (page 10 presumably), center the words “END OF PLAY” in all caps within parentheses. Unless instructed to the contrary, 10-minute plays should be bound with one staple in the upper left hand corner.