To the average person, screenwriting and playwriting may seem like interchangeable terms, with the only difference in their eyes being that a screenwriter is writing for the movies while a playwright is writing for the stage. The truth is that the two mediums are vastly different in so many ways, despite sharing the core purpose of telling compelling stories with a cast of characters.

While each shares that same goal, the method, techniques, and format used to do so is very different.

Here we’ll delve into those differences — while also shedding some light on their similarities as well — all with the hope of giving you an easy-to-decipher set of guidelines to follow as you explore whether you want to write a screenplay, stage play, or both. 

What Are the Main Differences Between Screenwriting and Playwriting?   

When you’re writing for movies, it’s best to think in pictures. 

When you’re writing for the stage, you should be thinking in words. 

Screenwriting

Writing for the big screen forces you to center primarily on the visuals — with the added benefit of dialogue — to tell a compelling and engaging story. Screenwriters write the basic blueprints for additional collaborative storytellers (directors, cinematographers, editors, crew, and cast) to come in and make those words come to life through their own interpretations, skills, and vision. 

Playwriting

Writing for the stage entails creating an intimate experience between the cast and the audience as the audience watches and listens to compelling dialogue — with the added benefit of set/wardrobe design visuals — that tells a compelling and engaging story. Yes, the stage requires set/wardrobe designers and stage directors to collaborate with the playwright by bringing their locations and character designs to life, but at a much more limited basis.

Different Audience Experiences Between Movies and Stage Plays

In movie viewings, audiences are given a wide variety of perspectives when experiencing the cinematic story. 

• Wide shots of expansive sets and locations.
• Medium shots showcasing two or more characters interacting. 
• Closeups showcasing character reactions, details, and emotions that couldn’t be viewed in medium and wide shots. 
• Flashbacks offering more exposition or stylistic nuance. 
• Special effects, usually finalized in post-production, that expand the visuals. 
• Multiple editing styles that create a more visceral visual experience. 

But with stage plays, the audience has one single perspective — viewing the story live on the stage from auditorium (most of the time) seating. There’s no benefit of wide shots, medium shots, closeups, flashbacks, special effects, and visceral editing techniques to enhance the story or performances. 

Sure, stage plays have their own ways of creating perspective:

• Lighting
• Stage effects
• Sound
• Sets
• Stage position of actors

But it is far more limited because everything has to be present live and with the limited space of the stage. The live aspect of theater also allows for immediate audience feedback, which can influence performances and even script adjustments in real-time. 

This dynamic interaction is absent in film, where the audience’s experience is passive, and any feedback occurs after the film has been released, without affecting the final product.

Scope and Scale Differences

Most screenplays utilize more expansive settings, more locations, and rapid scene changes (within the blink of an eye of a single cut). Feature films have the freedom and benefit of seemingly unlimited possibilities when it comes to scope and scale. They can present grand events, intricate action sequences, freedom of instant movement between locations, and far more diverse and detailed environments.  

With stage plays, the story is limited to the confined setting of a stage. Because of these limitations, playwrights are tasked with creating more character-driven stories that center less on visual flare and more on enthralling dynamics between characters — namely through the dialogue. 

Again, cinematic screenwriting is more focused on the visuals while playwriting centers on the words spoken by the characters. 

What Are the Differences Between Screenwriting Dialogue and Stage Play Dialogue?

In screenwriting, dialogue is more concise and purposeful — which is to say that every single word counts. And every word is used to drive the plot and story forward with excellent pacing. Because screenwriting is a more visual medium, oftentimes less dialogue is more. Audiences are able to get a closer look at the characters to experience their emotions and intentions via closeups, camera angles, and creative editing. 

In playwriting, playwrights aren’t going to have the luxury of the audience being able to catch those minute details  — especially ones showcased through silence. Because of those limitations, playwrights are able to use dialogue in a much, much more expansive way to convey character dynamics and idiosyncrasies. 

• Extended Dialogue
• Monologues
• Soliloquies 

In fact, stage plays rely heavily on providing deeper insight into the thoughts and emotions of characters to engage the audience more. The dialogue carries the weight of the narrative, given the limited visual scope of the stage. Whereas with film, the visuals carry the narrative weight. 

Sure, you can certainly do the same with dialogue in cinematic dramas, but “talking head” movies are fewer and further between because the cinematic medium calls for faster pacing due to the expectations of the medium. 

When audiences go to see a play, they’re expecting less visual enticement, and more impactful dialogue to engage them in the story. 

Story Structure Differences Between Screenplays and Stage Plays

Stage plays are usually told in two acts with an intermission in between, unless the play calls for no intermission break. You will also see five act plays as well, which are usually present within the works of William Shakepeare.  

The stories within screenplays are usually told in consecutive three acts (beginning, middle, end) with no intermission. Within those three acts are a wide variety of story structures that can be utilized within the three act structure — but all cinematic stories are eventually told in three acts, even if certain story structures are employed to present those acts differently (flashbacks, flashforwards, multiple character perspectives, withheld story and character elements, etc.). 

The Different Formatting Between Screenplays and Stage Plays

Screenwriting format is an evolution of playwriting format, which obviously came first hundreds of years prior. 

The evolved screenwriting format had to make changes to the stage play format because screenplays worked as the blueprint for the visual medium of film with the added details of:

• Camera Angles
• Camera Cuts
• Transitions
• Post-Production Special Effects
• Editing  

Where stage plays open on a single location/set with opportunities for creative stage resets per act, screenplays usually have dozens upon dozens of different locations. Because of this, the formatting required to present those scenes isn’t present in stage plays. 

Screenplays use heading elements that dictate:

• Whether a scene is an Interior (INT) or Exterior (EXT) location
• What the location is (LOCATION)
• Whether the scene takes place during daylight (DAY) or nighttime (NIGHT)

Example:

INT. BAR - DAY 

Stage plays showcase the setting and set description at the beginning of each act by describing the SETTING and what the audience will see AT RISE (when the curtain and/or stage lights come up).   

As you can see, between the two different formats, you’ll certainly see the similarities but the differences are easily noticeable. Here are a few more comparisons. 

Title Pages

Title page format varies between the two, but the most distinctive difference lies within the stage play format that presents a character breakdown sheet following the title page, formally called the Cast of Characters. This breakdown shares all of the play’s character names, accompanied by usually a one-sentence description of each. 

Screenplays do not include this (although many novice screenwriters mistakenly do).   

Screenplay Dialogue Format

The screenwriting format for dialogue is standardized: 

• Character names are centered and capitalized above their lines
• Dialogue is centered on the page
• Parentheticals can be used to indicate how a line should be delivered, keeping the focus on visual storytelling.

Example:

JANE
(sighing)
I can’t keep doing this.

Stage Play Dialogue Format

Formatting varies but generally includes character names in capital letters, followed by their dialogue without centering. Stage directions related to speech delivery may be integrated within the dialogue.

Example:

JANE

(sighing) I can’t keep doing this.

What Are the Differences Between Writing and Formatting Scene Descriptions in Screenplays and Stage Plays?

Screenplay Scene Descriptions

Scene descriptions in screenplays should be short, sweet, and to the point, focusing on visual elements that the audience will see on screen. These descriptions set the scene, describe actions, and provide essential details without delving into excessive detail. The goal is to give directors and cinematographers a framework while allowing room for creative interpretation.

Example:

INT. BAR – DAY

The bustling bar is filled with patrons. JANE sits alone at a corner table, staring out the window.

Stage Play Scene Descriptions

In stage plays, scene descriptions — usually referred to as stage directions — provide essential information about the setting, characters’ actions, and necessary props. These descriptions help directors and set designers visualize the scene. However, they are typically less detailed than in screenplays, allowing for flexibility in staging. Stage directions are also formatted differently than screenplay scene descriptions — stage plays present them in parentheses. 

Example:

(A bustling bar. JANE sits alone at a corner table, staring out the window.)

Technical Directions

Screenplays may include technical directions such as camera angles, transitions, and shots, but these are often minimized in screenplays to allow directors creative freedom.

Stage scripts rarely contain specific directions, focusing instead on dialogue and the most basic stage directions (where an actor is and goes on stage). 

The Software Both Screenwriters and Playwrights Use

Back in the day, screenwriters and playwrights had to rely on the knowledge of specific page margins and spacing. Even today, some novice screenwriters and playwrights try to use regular document software to write their work, going through the exhausting process of having the correct margins and spacing. 

The industry standard software for screenwriting is Final Draft. It does everything for you. You don’t have to worry about format because the correct formatting is just a click away. Here’s the great thing for playwrights — Final Draft can format stage plays as well! In fact, you can take your screenplay via your Final Draft file and apply a playwriting template to turn your script into a play, and vice versa. You can utilize Final Draft templates to create movie scripts, TV scripts, stage plays, and even graphic novels.    

Differing Collaborative Elements Between Screenwriting and Playwriting

Both screenwriting and playwriting involve collaborative processes. Any scripts, be it for a stage play or movie, require the efforts of others to bring the words to life. But the collaborative natures between the two differ. 

Screenplays often undergo multiple drafts with input from producers, directors, and studios — reflecting the collaborative nature of filmmaking. 

Playwriting revisions are typically guided by the playwright, with input from directors and actors during workshops and rehearsals. This maintains the writer’s vision while adapting to practical staging considerations.

Movies are more of a director’s medium, as the director is the captain of the ship while the cast and crew represent the movie’s, well, crew. The eventual movie is usually represented as the vision of the director. 

But playwrights are the captain when it comes to the stage. The eventual stage play is always represented as the vision of the playwright with the actors and director ensuring the playwright’s vision is upheld. 

Zendaya in 'Challengers'

Can Playwrights Become Screenwriters?

Many contemporary playwrights have become very successful screenwriters. 

Several contemporary writers have successfully transitioned from playwriting to screenwriting, leveraging their theatrical backgrounds to craft compelling narratives for the screen.

• Justin Kuritzkes, originally known for his work in theater, wrote his critically-acclaimed debut film, Challengers, starring Zendaya. 
• Liz Meriwether ventured into television, where she gained prominence as the creator and showrunner of the hit series New Girl. 
• Christy Hall began her career in theater before moving into screenwriting writing scripts for both movies and television. She adapted the Stephen King story The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, as well as her adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel It Ends With Us, starring Blake Lively.

Playwrights have been making the move from the stage to movies for decades, including icons like Aaron Sorkin, who is now known as one of cinema’s greatest screenwriters of all time. 

But don’t forget, screenwriters can become playwrights too! The strengths of being a screenwriter can help you to create compelling and more visual plays. And if you’re a playwright, you can use your playwriting strengths to better movies by way of amazing dialogue and character development. 

Screenwriters can reach a larger audience. However, it’s a much more competitive market where it is difficult to see your screenplays come to life for all to see. When you’re a playwright, you can write a play, rent a theatre, cast it, and showcase it for the local theatre scene. 

It’s all about figuring out what kind of stories you want to tell.