Types of Stage Work
The sort of things we have published can be found via our menus:-
Within those categories, there is an enormous variety of style and content.
(And just because we haven't already got something covered, it doesn't mean that we wouldn't consider it.)
We generally publish scripts written in a recognisable form of the English Language (mainly British English and American English, but we are willing to tackle other forms).
We also have a few scripts in other languages - either translations of English plays or hybrids to help people learning a language.
What are we looking for in a script?
The main thing we are looking for is originality; otherwise, it's whatever makes a good play!
In humorous plays, we are looking for something to make us laugh, but if we could define what that was, it wouldn't be funny any more.
We expect writers to pay attention to plot, character, language and stageability.
After that, go where your muse takes you!
What do we avoid in a script?
- Duplication. We may, at our discretion, publish multiple versions of a title (that is particularly true of pantomime scripts)
- for example, on the Lazy Bee Scripts web site you will find multiple versions of
Cinderella
written in different styles and aimed at different performing groups/audiences).
However, to publish a new version, we must be convinced that it offers our customers something different
- Plagiarism.
Borrowing ideas and using parody are recognised as normal ingredients of pantomime. Plagiarism is not.
Quoting a line out of context can be very funny; borrowing a whole scene is an actionable breach of copyright.
Plagiarised scripts will not be published (or will be withdrawn from publication).
- Boredom - lack of plot, lack of differentiation between characters, lack of humour, lack of changes of pace, predictability, excessive detail.
- We're not too keen on post-modernism unless it's really well done. In this sense, post-modernism is anything that diverts the audience from their
suspended disbelief and reminds them that they are watching a play - for example, actors stepping out of character in the middle of a scene and arguing
with the producer. This can work wonderfully (see "Sherlock's Excellent Adventure"
by James Barry, for example, where narration by Doctor Watson is a running joke), but it can also be dire.
-
Bad rhymes.
We're fine with blank verse (if that is what is intended). We're happy with irregular metre (if that is what is intended).
However, if something is supposed to rhyme, we will not publish it unless it does.
Music
A song is like a bowl of soup. The broth of words is held in place by the delicate porcelain of the music. Soup without a bowl is just a nasty stain on the tablecloth. This silly section is to get you thinking about the (need to supply)
music.
Formatting
Somewhere between the first idea and publication, a script needs to get into the publisher's "House Style".
Some authors are able to do this from the start, which helps the publication process enormously
(and results in a better end product because there are fewer errors in the script).
If you are a disciplined writer, then a look at our
house style may help you.
(But a note of caution: when you're writing, the most important thing is the content,
and you need to deal with that in the way that best suits you.)
See also
Submission Process
Publishing Overview