The Basics
This is what playwriting emphasizes over screenwriting.
dialogue
Playwriting is driven by these.
Characters
Very informal use of words that people typically use in every day life.
slang
This is something you should not do when ending a script.
leave things open-ended
This is what should be left to a minimum in play scripts.
stage directions
A phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought.
Cliché
The definition of subtext
any context of a creative work which is not announced explicitly by the characters or author, but is implicit or becomes something understood by the observer or the work as it unfolds.
This is an event that occurs near the beginning of the play that sets the story moving in a different direction.
An inciting incident.
The amount of acts in a standard play
3
This is the best practice to writing a character with an accent.
Write that they have an accent in the character description and leave the dialogue normal.
This would be a good suggestion to give the writer of the following:
SUSAN
Hey Tom!
(Susan slaps Tom)
TOM
I can't believe you've done this. I can't believe you slapped me.
Either take out the stage direction OR take out the line "I can't believe you slapped me.
This is the best way to add in characters' backstories
Add it in a necessary throughout the play, not all at once.
Purpose of intermissions. (say at least 2)
break for audience, break for actors, possible scenery changes
This is what you are using when you inform your audience of some vital information multiple different ways.
Rule of Three
This is what is wrong with the following lines:
REBECCA
Jessica, I saw you hanging our with Caitlyn the other day.
JESSICA
Rebecca, it's not what you think.
REBECCA
I will not hesitate Jessica.
Overuse of names in dialogue
This is a Deus Ex Machina.
an ending where the characters are given magical solves to their problems.
the set-up, the confrontation, the resolution
This is what having fewer characters in a play accomplishes. (at least 2 things)
makes the characters more memorable, allows the audience to connect with them more, and doesn't muddle the plot
This is a valid critique of the following dialogue:
JOHN
I am a terrible person. I do insult people all the time and I like insulting people.
KATE
I noticed. I do not like that about you. I cannot continue to be your friend.
JOHN
No! Kate! No! Why!?
KATE
Laters!
Not realistic. Too self-aware
This is an example of a Deus Ex Machina ending. (You can use a specific real example or make one up)
Anything that fits