Writing a scene

Choose a line type

The menu above the script names the current line type. These are the ones you will use most:

Act

An act heading, such as ACT ONE.

Scene

A scene heading, such as SCENE 1. Scenes also appear on the Board and in the Outline.

Action

A stage direction: what the audience sees or hears outside a speech.

Character

The name above a speech, such as MRS HALE.

Parenthetical

A short direction within a speech, such as (quietly).

Dialogue

The words the character says.

Transition

A closing or connecting direction, such as BLACKOUT.

How those lines look depends on the format you choose. The default is Proscenium House.

Move to the next line

Press Enter at the end of a line with words. Proscenium chooses a likely next line type:

Enter on an empty line opens the element menu. Choose the type you want, then start typing. After a speech, for example, you can choose Character to begin the next speaker’s turn. You can also open this menu with Tab or ; on an empty line.

Names and suggestions

An Action line written in capitals can become a character cue when you press Enter. Recognized transitions such as BLACKOUT. are handled as transitions. If the result is wrong, change the type using the menu above the page.

As you type a character cue, Proscenium offers names from the play. Select the right suggestion with Enter or Tab. This helps keep names consistent across the script.

Change a line type

Put the caret in the line you want to change, then choose its type from the menu above the script. You keep the words already written.

For the keyboard:

Tab

On a line with text, cycle through the common types. Shift Tab cycles backwards. On an empty line, Tab opens the element menu.

;

On an empty line, open the menu and press the letter shown beside a type: a for Action, c for Character, d for Dialogue, or p for Parenthetical. Escape closes the menu.

⌘⌥C

Make the current line a Character cue. Use ⌘⌥D for Dialogue or ⌘⌥A for Action.

The menu also offers Lyric, Centered Text, and a Scene Summary that does not print. See Keyboard shortcuts for more direct commands.

Breaks and emphasis

Shift Enter

Start a new line within the same speech or direction, keeping its line type.

⌘ Enter

Insert a page break.

⌘B ⌘I ⌘U

Apply bold, italic or underline in text that supports emphasis. Cues and headings take their appearance from the format.

Use a page break when you deliberately need one. The chosen format already controls ordinary page breaks and speech continuations.

Write an exchange

Try this in a blank scene. The lines are from Susan Glaspell’s Trifles.

Keep going

Use ⌘Z to undo an edit and ⌘⇧Z to redo it. For thoughts you want beside the script without printing them, add a comment.

To practice with prompts inside Proscenium, open Help → Tutorials and choose Write Your First Exchange. Once you have several scenes, arrange them on the Board.