Year 3 English: Play scripts: cast lists, speakers and stage directions
Part of the Year 3 English reading poetry and plays chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Play scripts: cast lists, speakers and stage directions
A play script is written to be performed. It begins with a cast list, which names each character in the play.
Each line of speech starts with the speaker: the name of the character who says it, in capital letters, followed by a colon.
Stage directions tell the actors what to do, where to stand, or how to say a line. They are in brackets and italics. They are not spoken aloud.
When you read a part in role, you take the voice and feelings of one character. Think about how that character feels at each line, and choose a tone to match.
Read The Lost Hat, then answer the questions in exercise 8F. The numbers in the margin are for reference.
The Lost Hat
Cast list
- OSCAR, a boy who has lost his red hat
- RUTH, his older sister
- MR OKAFOR, the lost property keeper at the station
1[A busy train station. Oscar and Ruth walk up to the lost property counter. Oscar looks worried.]
2OSCAR: Excuse me. I think I left my red hat on the train.
3RUTH: (sighing) You always lose things, Oscar.
4[Mr Okafor looks up from his desk and smiles.]
5MR OKAFOR: Good morning. Tell me about your hat.
6OSCAR: It is red, with a white stripe, and it has a bobble on top.
7MR OKAFOR: (checking a list) Let me see. Was it on the nine o'clock train?
8OSCAR: Yes! The one to the seaside.
9MR OKAFOR: (lifting a box from under the desk) Is this it?
10[He holds up a red hat with a white stripe.]
11OSCAR: (gasping) That's it! Thank you!
12RUTH: (laughing) Maybe you should write your name inside it next time.
13OSCAR: Good idea. I will.
14MR OKAFOR: Try to keep hold of it on the way home.
15[Oscar puts on the hat and grins. The lights fade.]
Key ideas
- The cast list names every character in the play.
- The speaker's name comes first, in capitals, before a colon.
- Stage directions are in brackets and italics, and they are not spoken aloud.
- To read a part in role, think how the character feels at each line.
- Speech and stage directions together tell the story of the play.
Method. Find the first line of speech. The speaker's name comes before the colon.
- Find the key words in the question. These words tell us where to look: first speaker.first speaker
- Find the words that answer it. The text says:Excuse me. I think I left my red hat on the train.
- Write the answer. Oscar
Check. OSCAR is the name before the first colon. ✓
Method. Find each line that is in brackets and italics, or that is a stage direction in the script.
- Find the speech lines first. Every speech line starts with a speaker name and a colon, so these are not stage directions.OSCAR, RUTH, MR OKAFOR: 11 lines
- Find the stage directions. The other lines tell the actors what to do: lines 1, 4, 10 and 15.lines 1, 4, 10, 15
- Count them. There are four stage directions, one for each of those lines.4 lines
Check. Speech lines start with a speaker name and a colon, so the other lines are stage directions. ✓
Watch out. A direction in brackets inside a speech, such as (sighing), is not a separate line. Count only lines that stand alone.
Method. Find script line 10, then the words that tell the actor what to do.
- Find the key words in the question. These words tell us where to look: line 10.line 10
- Find the words that answer it. The text says:He holds up a red hat with a white stripe
- Write the answer. He holds up a red hat with a white stripe.
Check. The stage direction tells the actor to hold up the hat. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: a stage direction is not spoken. Do not read the words in brackets and italics out loud as if a character says them.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Ask your child to read one speech in role, as the character. Ask them how the character feels, and which stage direction tells them how to say the line.
Exercise 8F Practice: play scripts, cast lists and stage directions
Method. Look at the cast list at the top of the play.
- Find the cast list. The cast list names every character.OSCAR, RUTH, MR OKAFOR
- Name the three. Oscar, Ruth and Mr Okafor each have a line in the cast list.three names
- Write the answer. Oscar, Ruth and Mr Okafor
Check. Three names are listed. ✓
Watch out. Also accept: Oscar, Ruth, Mr Okafor.
Method. Find the speech, then the speaker name before the colon.
- Find the key words in the question. These words tell us where to look: speech.speech
- Find the words that answer it. The text says:You always lose things, Oscar.
- Write the answer. Ruth
Check. RUTH is the speaker. ✓
Method. Find Ruth in the cast list.
- Find the key words in the question. These words tell us where to look: cast list.cast list
- Find the words that answer it. The text says:his older sister
- Write the answer. Oscar's older sister
Check. The cast list says Ruth is his older sister. ✓
Watch out. Also accept: Oscar's sister.
Method. Think about what the list at the start of a script is called.
- Look at the start of the script. The list that names each character is the cast list.cast list
- Write the name. The cast list names every character in the play.cast list
- Write the answer. cast list
Check. The cast list is at the start of the script. ✓
Method. Find script line 14, and read the speaker name before the colon.
- Find line 14. Script line 14 begins with the speaker name MR OKAFOR:.MR OKAFOR:
- Write the speaker. The speaker is Mr Okafor.Mr Okafor
- Write the answer. Mr Okafor
Check. The speaker name comes before the colon. ✓
Watch out. Also accept: MR OKAFOR.
Method. Look at how each line of speech starts.
- Look at the start of a speech. Each speech starts with the speaker name, in capitals, then a colon.OSCAR:
- Give the meaning. The speaker is the character who says the line.the character who says it
- Write the answer. The name of the character who says a line of speech, written in capitals before a colon.
Check. The speaker is the one who says the speech. ✓
Watch out. Also accept: the character who speaks the line.
Method. Look for the stage direction that describes a place.
- Find the place. Line 1 says, A busy train station.A busy train station.
- Name the line. That is script line 1.line 1
- Write the answer. line 1
Check. A busy train station is the setting. ✓
Watch out. Also accept: 1.
Method. Think about what a stage direction is for.
- Look at the brackets. Brackets and italics show that the words are for the actor, not for the audience to hear.(sighing)
- Explain the purpose. Ruth sighs as she speaks, so the actor knows how to say the line.how to say the line
- Write the answer. It tells the actor how to say the line. It is not spoken aloud.
Check. Stage directions guide the actor. ✓
Watch out. Also accept: it tells the actor how to act the line.
Method. Look at the line before the stage direction.
- Read line 9. In line 9, Mr Okafor lifts a box from under the desk.lifting a box
- Find who He is. So He in line 10 is Mr Okafor.Mr Okafor
- Write the answer. Mr Okafor
Check. The box is lifted, then He holds up the hat. ✓
Watch out. Also accept: the lost property keeper.
(a) excited (b) bored (c) cross
Method. Read the stage direction and the words, and think how Oscar feels.
- Read the stage direction. Oscar is gasping, which shows surprise and delight.(gasping)
- Read the words. That's it! Thank you! shows he is pleased that he has found the hat.That's it! Thank you!
- Choose the tone. Excited fits a boy who has found his hat. Bored and cross do not.(a) excited
- Write the answer. (a) excited
Check. Gasping and thank you show excitement and relief. ✓
Method. Read the stage direction in line 15.
- Read the direction. Oscar puts on the hat and grins. The lights fade.The lights fade.
- Explain the meaning. Fading lights show that the scene or the play is ending.scene is ending
- Write the answer. Accept any answer that says the scene is ending, for example: Oscar is happy with his hat, and the lights fade, so the scene is over.
Check. The lights fading shows the ending. ✓
Watch out. Also accept: the play is ending, and Oscar is happy.