# Reading plays in Book Isle: separate speakers, dialogue and stage directions Language: en Canonical: [Reading plays in Book Isle: separate speakers, dialogue and stage directions]() 中文：[中文 HTML]() English: [English HTML]() Published: 2026-11-03T00:00:00+08:00 Modified: 2026-11-03T09:34:11+08:00 Author: Bison Build a turn-taking and stage-action record for one scene, verifying abbreviated names, interruptions and asides with source anchors rather than automatic voice assignment. English translation of the [Chinese original](), translated on 2026-11-03. Original publication dates, attribution, code and version notes are retained. A play places names, dialogue and stage directions close together, and reflow can make an action look like spoken words. Work through one short scene to record turn-taking and textual layers. Book Isle supplies reading, search and notes; you verify attribution. This is not an audiobook voice setup or a claim of automatic character-voice assignment. ## Choose a complete short scene and verify the edition Use an authorised play and record author, translator, edition, act and scene, checking that the file does not cut off mid-scene. Consult the cast list and opening for formal names and abbreviations rather than guessing from an initial. Names and direction formatting can differ by translation, so scope the record to this edition. Establish readable text first; compare a disordered file with its legitimate original before treating extraction errors as intentional interruption. One scene is enough without rebuilding a full character database. ## Mark three textual roles manually In a personal record distinguish speaker labels, dialogue and stage directions, beginning with one short example of each. Labels assign turns; dialogue is spoken or expressed as the work specifies; directions can describe action, delivery or setting. Parentheses alone do not prove one role. Use context and edition guidance. External text is sufficient without an assumed three-column app view. Preserve quotations and place your classifications separately instead of inserting personal instructions into the source. ## Verify several neighbouring speaking turns Take six to ten consecutive turns and record a speaker label and opening phrase for each. Check labels and line breaks against the source: a screen break within a long speech is not necessarily a new speaker. Mark simultaneous speech, interruption and collective responses distinctly, leaving uncertainty explicit. Separate names from quotations for correction. If reflow attaches a label misleadingly, inspect context at another font size and compare a fixed-layout original where available instead of attributing it to the author. ## Track stage actions separately List entrances, exits, handovers and pauses and place them between the relevant turns. Preserve wording that leaves a performance choice open rather than turning your imagined action into fact. Use the indicated character and context, not only vertical page position. A short note such as B speaks after A exits can explain an unanswered line. This manual record is not automatically generated staging and requires no new app control. ## Check asides and private expression For an aside, monologue or audience-directed passage, inspect how this edition defines who can hear it. Presence alone does not establish hearing; later responses are another source of evidence. Record expression type before claiming everyone knows the information. Do not automatically import novel-reading conventions or complete the rules from performance experience. Label alternative staging ideas as your own. Distinguishing source text, directions and interpretation supports accurate discussion of unequal character knowledge. ## Save return points with a bookmark and phrase Bookmark a potentially confusing turn and record act, scene and phrase, testing the return. Distinguish reflowed screen pages from PDF file/printed numbering. Search matches for a name can be labels, dialogue mentions or cast-list entries, so counts are not speaking-turn totals. For non-text scans use page/image references without assuming built-in recognition. These limitations still permit a useful record without remaking the book. ## Retell, then verify against the page Using the record alone, explain who speaks first, who may not hear and which action changes the response, then verify every point. Restore missing directions and retain uncertainty instead of forcing simple alternating turns. Test a second passage against an overly simple rule. Reopen exported notes to check names, quotations and analysis remain distinct. A readable export is not the source-play backup. The task evaluates understanding and evidence, not highlight quantity. ## Acceptance and format problems Finish with evidenced attribution, separate stage action, working source references and explained unknown expression types. Inspect layout/edition before editing a name that joins the wrong line. Name mentions are not speaker labels. If conversion lost critical indentation, use a suitable legitimate file or reference original and label any personal correction. Extend a verified scene to harder ensemble passages without claiming automatic speaker analysis or voice generation. ## Related guides and sources [Book Isle character notes: manually track relationships and chapter evidence](); [Check TXT paragraphs in Book Isle: distinguish hard wraps from paragraph breaks](). Checked on November 3, 2026: [Apple public version information]() lists Book Isle 1.1.3, requiring iOS / iPadOS 15.6 or later. Feature scope follows the [official App Store description]() and the installed version. This article describes actions and content checks you can perform; it does not claim step-by-step physical-device or private-server testing. Manual records, external tools and application controls are identified separately, and code observations or personal inferences are not presented as verified automatic capabilities.