How to Cut a Play Script for Time
Your quick reference guide to getting the most story in the least amount of time.
When I was in high school, my drama department participated in yearly one-act show competitions. The concept was simple; take a show and perform it in front of a panel of judges to win trophies for your department.
The catch was that these shows needed to be less than 55 minutes long on the dot or you would be completely disqualified, and even the most simple one-act plays are usually designed to run an hour or longer. On top of that, my drama teacher liked for us to perform full-length plays with recognizable names. So, we spent a decent chunk of time cutting shows down for time.
What annoyed me was that often, when we did this, important parts of the story would be removed, and the remaining show wouldn’t make any sense. Characters would appear that had their subplot removed, making their part unnecessary. Entire scenes would move so fast that the show felt rushed and choppy rather than like an actual show.
So how do you cut a play script without breaking the pacing and storyline? Here’s my advice as a writer and as an actress.
