- 1). Study the structure of radio plays by downloading old-time shows from websites such as "RU Sitting Comfortably." To study what kind of radio plays are being produced in the 21st century, visit websites such as Audio Theatre. The common denominator of shows in the past and present is that they are short, stand-alone stories or have recurring characters in a serialized format (i.e., private eyes, soap operas, situational comedies).
- 2). Decide on the genre of the radio play you want to write, such as a western, romance or science fiction.
- 3). Outline the premise of the play in terms of its beginning (introducing a conflict), its middle (complicating the conflict) and its ending (resolving the conflict). Each of these three acts should be about the same length. For example, if you are writing a 30-minute radio play, each act will be 10 minutes long.
- 4). Determine how many characters and locations you need to deliver the story. While radio plays have the advantage of being a lot less expensive to produce than a film or stage production, the audience only has voices and sounds to go on to follow the story. Accordingly, the smaller the cast and the fewer the settings, the easier it will be for your listeners to picture what's happening.
- 5). Write your radio play in the same format as you would a play for the stage. Scriptwriting software programs such as Final Draft make this process easier because they automatically place all of the elements in the right configuration. Unlike a stage play, however, all physical action needs to be conveyed through sound effects or observational dialog (for example, "What's that bloody machete doing in your hand, Bradley?")
- 6). Indicate sound effects and music passages that will respectively invite your listeners to "see" what's happening and to provide atmospheric scene transitions.
- 7). Recruit friends to read your lines out loud. Ideally, you should also recruit a few friends, who aren't familiar at all with the story and characters, to sit with their backs toward the actors (or blindfolded) and test whether they can follow what's transpiring.
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