Carefully interpret the poem for tone and setting. Try to glean information about physical location and season. The prevalent emotion, or tone, will lend clues about the resolution of the script. Poems expressing sorrow over lost love are most easily translatable to tragic scripts.
Determine a basic profile of the protagonist based on a series of character indicators in the poem. List any major social conflicts, such as the personal pain of a lost love or the stress of political unrest. Evaluate changes that have occurred in the character or world of the protagonist because of this conflict. Develop profiles for secondary characters who are critical to the conflict and resulting character changes.
Develop a comprehensive story line based on the setting and characters. Some poems are sufficiently ambiguous to necessitate creative license in the development of some elements. The length of the script can be adjusted according to the nature of the poem or artistic preference. Ensure the final story has a distinct beginning, middle and end to allow conflict development and resolution.
Modify the storyline to fit the format of a theater script. Develop dialogue and monologues that support the unfolding of the introduction, conflict and resolution. Write descriptions of movement that will engage the audience. Develop detailed descriptions of the physical appearances of characters and scenery that will allow the play to be performed in a way that is accurate to artistic vision.