Simple Guidelines for Citing a Play in MLA Format
MLA stands for ‘Modern Language Association’ and their guidelines regarding the use of English in writing and plays include those for citations.
If you are a writer, using the MLA style for your citations will increase your credibility and show that are responsible about giving credit. Moreover, if all your references work is cited, you won’t have to worry about facing plagiarism accusations.
Don’t worry, MLA style citation isn’t too complicated and you can easily get the hang of it if you follow this guide.
Instructions
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1
Name of play and its playwright
Firstly, type of the title of the play in italics, and place a period at the end. Then, type out “By”, and the name of the playwright, followed by another period.
Make sure you get the title right, and include the correct spelling of the playwright’s name. For example: Waiting for Godot. By Samuel Beckett. -
2
Directors and cast
Next, you will need to include specifics about the people involved in the particular performance you are citing.
After the name of the playwright, type “Dir.”, and then write the name of the director, followed by a period. After this, type “Perf.”, then the name(s) of the top-billed actor (s) and/or actress (es), and add a period at the end. -
3
Venue
Now, add the specifics of the venue. Type out the name of the theatre where the performance took place – follow this up with a comma, and then the city where the theatre is located. If the name of the city is common, and not too unique, you can also add in the state. -
4
Date of performance
Then, you will need to list the date of the particular performance you are citing. Write the day, followed by a three-letter abbreviation of the name of the month, and then the year and a period.
For example, “12 Dec. 1982”.
Make sure there is a period at the end of the abbreviation of the month, and do not include any commas within the date. Now, type out “Performance”, followed by another period – this is the correct way to cite a play as per the rules of the MLA format. -
5
Citing a book version
If you wish to cite a book version of a play, as opposed to an actual performance, you will need to go by the same rules the MLA manual dictates for the citation of books.
Begin by typing the author name, followed by a period. Then, include the title of the play in italics, and close with a period.
Next, follow this order: “Place of publication: Name of publisher, year.” Finally, add the medium of publication, which in this case would be “Print”, and close it off with a final period.
