When you’re ready to develop your idea for a play, you need to express it in terms that other playwrights and theatre people understand. Here are some of the more common playwriting terms:
Protagonist: The main character of your story; the character with a mission
Antagonist: A character or thing that stands in your protagonist’s way
Conflict: The opposing objectives of your protagonist and antagonist
Arc, spine, or through-line: The story line; what the audience is waiting to find out
Stakes: What the characters stand to gain or lose if they succeed or fail
Inciting incident: The event that launches the protagonist and gets the plot going
Backstory: Events that have taken place in the past
Exposition: The motivated revelation of the backstory through dialogue
Actions: Things said or done by the characters to achieve their objectives
Rising action: The protagonist’s uphill journey, alternating gains and setbacks
Climax: The final confrontation between the protagonist and the antagonist
Resolution: The aftermath of the climax; how the dust settles