First Published in 2005. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Script Analysis specifically for Actors, Directors, and Designers; the only book on this subject that covers the growing area of unconventional plays.

A comprehensive step-by-step guide to deconstructing screenplay fundamentals, this book will allow readers to understand the elements, functions, and anatomy of a screenplay. Not only will this book enable readers to accomplish a thorough analysis of a screenplay and understand the dramatic elements and their functions, but screenwriters will be able to apply these steps to their own writing. The book explores theme and premise, provides an in-depth study of character development, and breaks down the dramatic elements needed to construct a solid screenplay. It provides examples of the three-act structure, the hero’s journey, and the sequence method. Furthermore, it explores how the main plot and subplots are used in a storyline and discusses the importance of setting. Finally, it reveals screenwriting techniques and tools used by professional screenwriters, such as dramatic irony, reversal, and setup/payoff. To connect with a broad range of readers, the case studies used in this book are mainly from contemporary films, including Get Out (2017), Lady Bird (2017), The Dark Knight (2008), Toy Story (1995), Parasite (2019), and Whiplash (2014). Readers will understand how professional screenwriters use fundamental elements to construct, shape, develop, and tell a visual story. After reading this book, readers will comprehend the components critical to developing a screenplay. This book is ideal for students of screenwriting and filmmaking who want to better understand how to comprehensively analyze a screenplay, as well as screenwriters who want to utilize this method to develop their own scripts.

Page and Stage narrows the gulf between printed page and performance to make script analysis for production or academic study more effective, efficient, and insightful. This text discusses a method for script analysis based on the idea that plays consist of "organized tension" that involves the audience and organizes their response. It examines the many forms of tension in plays--between actor and character, between the stage and the world of the play, between the present and the past, and between characters--by looking at stage space and time and a wide range of plays from Greek times to the present. Page and Stage addresses the paradox that play scripts are not complete works of dramatic art, and yet contain implicitly, if not explicitly, the intended performance.

Now in a fully updated second edition, How to Read a Play offers methods for analyzing play scripts from a diverse range of perspectives, giving directors practical tools as they prepare for production. Based on interviews with award-winning directors, university professors, and experimental theatre companies, How to Read a Play provides practical advice on how to first approach a script, prepare for design meetings, get ready for casting sessions, and lay the groundwork for rehearsals with actors. The book starts with a brief historical overview of famous directors, surveys the work of experimental theatres that devise their work, and ends with twenty-one practical exercises. The second edition includes material from interviews with a diverse range of directors and features perspectives on identity, race, trauma, and joy in working on new plays and redefined classic works. How to Read a Play is written for anyone who loves studying the craft of directing. Students and early career directors will be introduced to basic techniques for breaking down a script for production. Established artists will enjoy a behind the scenes peek at the methods and processes of directors with a diverse range of perspectives.

This book positions script analysis as a useful and pragmatic tool, which can guide the selection and implementation of preventive measures in business environments. It illustrates how the concept aligns with the crime-specific orientation found in environmental criminology, and particularly explores the theoretical foundations of situational crime prevention, the approach to which it is deemed most relevant and supportive.div divThe volume provides clear guidance on how to apply script analysis in daily practice, covering its main building blocks and key features. These are illustrated by a series of case studies into various crime types. Moving beyond the use of script analysis with the intent to disrupt the crime-commission process, the author further explores the wider benefits of the approach to both academics and practitioners. He identifies what is needed most if we want to embrace the full potential of script analysis for preventive purposes. “/div>

Burgoyne and Downey's text applies modern concepts of student learning to script analysis, an essential skill for theater majors. Critical and creative thinking skills are emphasized while focusing throughout on understanding the scripts being studied. Capstone Assignments for peer review allow students to explore and to practice the concepts presented in each chapter.