How to Format a Stage Play in Microsoft Word
Make the first page the cover page. This will give the Festival Coordinator the basic information needed. Center the text and hit the “Enter” key until you have moved the cursor down about 3.5 inches. Type the title of the play in all caps, go down the page two spaces and type “by,” then two more spaces and type your name.
Insert a page break. This will be the first page of your script. This page–and the pages after it–need to have a running head with the script title and page numbers. Go to “Insert” and “Page Numbers” and select the upper right side. Place the cursor in front of the page number and type the script title. Be sure to exit the “Header” before typing the script.
The top, bottom and right margins should all be set to 1 inch. Set the left margin to 1.5 inches.
The different elements of your script (characters, dialogue, stage directions, etc.) are all placed differently on the page, but they follow a standard format that you can save as a template. At the beginning of a scene, type the name of the scene in all caps and underline it. Enter down two spaces and type the scene name using the same format. This information should be centered. Use Roman numerals for the act names and Arabic numerals for the scenes.
The body of the play should be Left Justified. When it is time for a character to speak (or perform an action) type the character’s name in all caps, far left, followed by a colon, then the dialogue.
Type stage directions in italics in parenthesis.
Lastly, be sure to save your document as PLAY NAME – AUTHOR NAME.