You have generated hours of material in rehearsal. Now you must decide the order. Does scene A lead to scene B? Or should you cut straight to the ending? The way you structure your piece completely changes its meaning for the audience.
This is the classic storytelling shape used in traditional plays. It follows a chronological path of "Cause and Effect". Click the points on the arc below to explore each stage.
Setting the scene. Who are they? Where are they? The audience learns the baseline normal of this world before everything changes.
The story is broken into fragments or "episodes." It feels more like a collage than a straight line. Time might jump back and forth.
Scenes are ordered by Subject, not the clock. You might jump from 1990 to 2020 and back to 1995 if it helps prove a point.
Each scene has its own mini-message. One scene might be funny, the next tragic. They don't have to "match" emotionally.
A structure where the play ends exactly where it began. The final scene mirrors the opening scene, creating a closed loop.
Starting with the ending tells the audience that the tragic outcome is inevitable. The tension comes from watching how the characters get there.
Often used to explore themes of poverty, abuse, or madness, showing that the characters are unable to escape their situations or repeat their mistakes.
Telling two or more separate storylines that weave in and out of each other, eventually colliding.
Action switches rapidly between the two stories. You can even have both stories happening on stage at the same time using split-focus lighting.
Allows the audience to compare how different characters handle the exact same theme or event. Great for showing a divide in society or contrasting choices.
Struggling to find your structure? Try this method used by the professional company Complicité.
List a few scenes you have devised. The AI will act as a director and suggest how to order them based on the structure you choose, and explain the dramatic impact it will have on your audience.