Teacher Resource: How To Write A Play Video Series

Supporting a class, group or individual to apply for our Young Playwrights Award, and want some help getting started?

We’ve created a six-part video series for you to use to as a classroom resource, guiding you through the different stages of writing a play. Featuring award-winning playwrights Sabrina Ali, Tife Kusoro, Ryan Calais Cameron, Beth Flintoff, Nina Segal and Vinay Patel, below you’ll find writing exercises, tips and advice, plus a corresponding worksheet, covering topics such as finding a spark, creating characters, building structure, writing scenes, breaking the rules, and redrafting.

The tutorials can be used as part of a lesson plan, a lunch club, community group or followed independently at home. All are available to watch now on YouTube and below.

Episode Lesson Plan:
Workshop 1: Finding Inspiration with Sabrina Ali
Workshop 2: Creating Characters with Tife Kusoro
Workshop 3: Building Structure with Ryan Calais Cameron
Workshop 4: Writing Scenes with Beth Flintoff
Workshop 5: Breaking the Rules with Nina Segal
Workshop 6: Redrafting with Vinay Patel

These videos are designed to support entry to the Royal Court Young Playwrights Award, which is open to young people aged 13-18 living or attending school in London. The competition is open from 24th March – 2nd May 2025.

“A play can be inspired by anything – a favourite film, a favourite book, a conversation with friends, a funny memory – essentially, it’s a spark.” 

In this video, Sabrina Ali will help you to find your spark, the inspiration to start writing your play.  

There will be a series of short writing exercises, including Word Association and What If prompts. By the end of this video, you should have a play concept – including a setting, character(s) and conflict – ready to start developing your characters. 

You can use the handout below to help you work through the exercises, if this helps you. 

Download Workshop 1 Worksheet

“Characters are the heart of any play. They keep us engaged with the play, and create interesting situations and conflict to help us build a story. If you’re unsure of how to start your play, creating characters can be a great way to begin.” 

In this video, Tife Kusoro will help you to start creating and developing your characters.  

You’ll create a character profile for your main character, explore monologue writing, and introduce a second character (and some conflict!). By the end of this video, you should have created at least one character, who has some desires, some flaws, and some conflicts – ready to start developing your play structure. 

You can use the handout below to help you start developing your characters, if this is helpful. 

Download Workshop 2 Worksheet

“Structure is the skeleton of any narrative, whether it’s TV, film or theatre. It’s the engine which drives your ideas into the station you want it to pull into.” 

In this video, Ryan Calais Cameron will talk you through the five building blocks of your play structure – World Building, Inciting Incident, Rising Action, Climax and Resolution.  

There will be short writing and planning exercises to complete along the way. By the end of this video, you should have a basic structure for your play, ready to start writing some scenes. 

You can use the handout below to help you work through the exercises, if this is helpful.  

Download Workshop 3 Worksheet

“Scenes can be all kinds of things. They can be gripping or exciting or funny, but usually the ones that work the best are the ones where something happens. The characters experience some big change in some kind of way.” 

In this video, Beth Flintoff will get you thinking about what makes a great scene, and get you started writing your own scenes.  

There will be some writing and planning exercises, thinking about what your characters want and what obstacles they face, and how you can use ‘The Messenger’ and ‘Start the Clock’. By the end of this video, you should have a scene or two, written in several different ways. 

You can use the handout below to help you work through the exercises, if this is helpful. 

Download Workshop 4 Worksheet 

“The Royal Court has always been a place for experimentation, pushing the boundaries of what a play can be. So be bold, be ambitious, take risks.”

In this video, Nina Segal gives you permission to break the rules when writing your play – and how, when it comes to playwriting, there really are no rules.

You will come up with what you think the rules are for a play, and then be encouraged to think of ways to break them. And if your play is already breaking the rules – even better! By the end of this workshop, you should be feeling ready to think outside the box and experiment with your play, ready for your next draft!

You can use the handout below to help you think about breaking the rules, if this is helpful.

Download Workshop 5 Worksheet

“Very few people absolutely nail what they’re doing the very first pass, and what’s so lovely about that is it means that you don’t have to be a genius. It’s like taking an exam again but this time you’ve got some of the answers.”

In this video, Vinay Patel will help you begin the all-important second draft of your play. You will think about how to sum your play up, how someone else might see your play, things you really like about your play, and any questions you might have about it. You will end by setting yourself five concrete goals for your next draft. By the end of this video, you should be ready to start on the next draft of your play.

You can use the handout below to help you work through the exercises, if this is helpful.

Download Workshop 6 Worksheet