Script Guidelines

Script Guidelines      We are a script publisher that is looking for family-friendly material. That is, we are looking for material that a parent could take a child to and feel comfortable and both would enjoy it. We want plays that have an inspirational/good message. It can have conflict as long as it resolves in a wholesome way. Due to the fact we cater to family, school, and religious audiences there are certain things we do not want in the scripts. Things we do not want in scripts we publish include, but are not limited to the following:

1. Profanity of any type
2. Sexual themes of any type
3. Even implied sexual situations
4. Extreme violence
5. Dark themes
6. Themes against a religious, or cultural group

Script Format      Drama Source does scripts in a format to save type and be clean and neat. We want our scripts to be easy to read and yet be inexpensive to produce so that we can send many copies for free or very little. We send up to three free scripts a year to theatre groups that request them. Our goal is not to make the money on the free scripts, but to get your play or musical produced. For these reasons, we have created the following preferred guidelines for our scripts to make them clean in format. We can do some of the formatting within our production center, but any that you can do will speed up the publication process. Other formats are allowed, but these are the preferred guidelines.

     The standard font is a 10 point Times Roman with paragraphs set at .8 lines. For titles and things like scene numbers use an 18 point Times Roman font. For those speaking put their name in bold followed by a colon also in bold, then two spaces and the words spoken. Any instructions for that person can be put in the same paragraph in Times Roman italic font enclosed in {} brackets.
     General instructions can be on their own line in Times Roman italic font enclosed in {} brackets and centered.
     For songs put the title and song number in an 18 point Times Roman bold font. Put all of the words of the song in a 10 point bold Times Roman font. Put the name of the person singing in a 10 point bold and italics Times Roman font.

Below are some samples of a cast list and stage layout which are also important in a script. (Stage layouts are not absolutely essential.)