The first episode in the second season of 37 Plays has Mark Ravenhill joined by Olivier award winning playwright and performer Isobel McArthur.

From Mark’s 101 Playwriting Tips, Isobel chose: #16: Have characters say at the top of a scene who they are, where they are and what they’re up to. It will push you to make these decisions. Vagueness may feel satisfyingly ambiguous but will soon lose momentum. You can make exposition more subtle in a later draft.

"This one sounds like it might lead to obvious writing but rather than obvious most people start a scene vague, hedging their bets and then the scene runs out of steam."

Isobel’s Tip: If your scenes are feeling stilted... try disrespecting the papery document