I don't think I've seen/read enough plays to be able to speak with any kind of authority on how one should be made, but the five postulates I have below seem like pretty infallible and somewhat unappreciated points.
1) Theater needs to provide escape. A production should revolve around the idea that the actors become characters, and that the audience can lower their guard enough to accept the scene unfolding in front of them as reality, at least for a time.
2) Nothing can sink a play faster than clunky or superfluous dialogue.
3) A play should force the audience out of their comfort zone. They are already all at ease physically, they should at least be forced to think.
4) A play should have a direction, but while a 'point' can be nice, they are usually better alluded to than beaten in.
5) A play shouldn't over stay its welcome. "Leave them wanting more" or what have you.
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I appreciate the distinction you're making (or that I'm inferring) between "Direction" and "Point" -- I sometimes think of plays like VECTORS, for those who have studied physics... that they have a certain energy and direction in which they're heading, even if they don't have a "message," or a specific notion. As Sam Goldwyn is reported to have said "if you want to send a message, call Western Union..." -- which isn't fair either, but there's something to be said about suiting the message to the medium and the medium to the message. Plays accommodate multiple points of view, in a way that is unlike most other media.
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