STAGECRAFT

Script Runtime Timer

Enter your script’s page count and get an estimated runtime, broken down by acting time, intermission, and act.

Standard format: 12pt, double-spaced dialogue.
1 is the standard rule of thumb.
Above 1 for a slower, denser script; below 1 for a fast-paced one.
Splits the acting time evenly across this many acts.

Estimated runtime

Acting time
90 min
Intermission time
15 min
Total runtime
1h 45m

Per act: Act 1: 45 min · Act 2: 45 min

How the estimate works

The base estimate multiplies your page count by minutes per page (1 by default) and a pace multiplier that lets you nudge the whole show faster or slower based on what you already know about how it plays. Intermission time is then added on top, once per interval you specify, to get the total time an audience will spend in their seats.

If you give a number of acts, the acting time (not the intermission time) is split evenly across them — useful for a quick per-act estimate before you know exactly where each act break falls.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does the one-page-one-minute rule come from?

It's a long-standing rule of thumb in playwriting and directing: a script formatted in the standard way — roughly 12-point type, double-spaced dialogue — tends to play at about one minute of stage time per page. It's an approximation, not a law, but it's accurate enough to plan a rehearsal calendar or a program around.

When does the page-a-minute rule break down?

Scripts with long stretches of physical action, musical numbers, scene changes, or silence run slower per page than the rule predicts, since a page of stage directions can take far longer to perform than a page of rapid dialogue. A pace multiplier above 1 accounts for a script that consistently runs long; below 1 for one that moves fast.

Should intermission time be added to the runtime I announce?

Yes — audiences generally want to know the total time they'll be in the building, not just the acting time. This tool keeps them as separate figures internally so you can see both, but adds them together for the headline total.

How accurate is this before the show is actually blocked?

It's a planning estimate for early scheduling, marketing copy, and program notes — not a substitute for timing an actual run-through once the show is on its feet. Treat the number as a reasonable starting point and update your program with the real, stopwatch-timed runtime once you have one.

Educational planning tool only. Treat this as a starting estimate — confirm the real runtime with a stopwatch once the show is on its feet.