Present tenses are often used to tell stories. This usually happens in an informal style. In stories, the simple present tense is used for events that happen one after another. The present continuous tense is used for background actions.
Peter is strolling across his garden one sunny morning. Suddenly he notices a bird stumbling awkwardly as it tries to run away from him. It is dragging the feathers of one wing over the ground, while it flaps the other wing. Wishing to help the poor bird, which appears to be hurt, David hurries after it.
The simple present tense is common in summaries of plays, stories etc.
In Act I, Hamlet meets the ghost of his father. The ghost tells him…