Essentials of drama intro
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A drama is a story enacted on stage involving characters who face a conflict. It follows a dramatic structure that includes an exposition, complications, climax, and resolution. Tragedies typically involve serious themes like life and death and end unhappily, featuring a tragic hero with a flaw. Comedies usually center on a romantic plot and end happily. Modern plays focus more on personal issues and experiment with unconventional structures. Plays are brought to life through performances that involve actors, directors, designers, and technicians working to realize the playwright's vision on stage for an audience.
![When you read a play, remember that it is meant
to be performed for an audience.
Stage Directions
Playwright describes setting
and characters’ actions and
manner.
[Wyona is sitting on the couch.
She sees Paul and jumps to her
feet.]
Wyona. [Angrily.] What do
you want?
Performance of a Play
Performance
Theater artists bring the
playwright’s vision to life
on the stage.
The audience responds to
the play and shares the
experience.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/essentialsofdrama-intro-140905024532-phpapp02/85/Essentials-of-drama-intro-14-320.jpg)
Essentials of drama intro
- 1. Drama
- 2. A drama is a story enacted onstage for a live audience. What Is Drama?
- 3. What Is Drama? Origins of Drama The word drama comes from the Greek verb dran, which means “to do.” The earliest known plays . . . were written around the fifth century B.C. produced for festivals to honor Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility
- 4. Like the plot of a story, the plot of a play involves characters who face a problem or conflict. Climax point of highest tension; action determines how the conflict will be resolved Resolution conflict is resolved; play ends Complications tension builds Exposition characters and conflict are introduced Dramatic Structure
- 5. Dramatic Structure Conflict is a struggle or clash between opposing characters or forces. A conflict may develop . . . between characters who want different things or the same thing between a character and his or her circumstances within a character who is torn by competing desires
- 6. A tragedy is a play that ends unhappily. • Tragedies pit human limitations against the larger forces of destiny. right and wrong justice and injustice life and death Tragedy • Most classic Greek tragedies deal with serious, universal themes such as
- 7. The protagonist of most classical tragedies is a tragic hero. This hero • is noble and in many ways admirable • has a tragic flaw, a personal failing that leads to a tragic end rebelliousness jealousy pride Tragedy
- 8. A comedy is a play that ends happily. The plot usually centers on a romantic conflict. boy meets girl boy loses girl boy wins girl Comedy
- 9. The main characters in a comedy could be anyone: nobility servants townspeople Comedy
- 10. • Comic complications always occur before the conflict is resolved. • In most cases, the play ends with a wedding. Comedy
- 11. Modern Comedy Modern Comedies In modern comedies, the genders in this romantic plot pattern sometimes are reversed.
- 12. A modern play • usually is about ordinary people • may be tragedy, comedy, or a mixture of the two • usually focuses on personal issues Modern Drama
- 13. Modern playwrights often experiment with unconventional plot structures. Modern Drama long flashbacks music visual projections of a character’s private thoughts
- 14. When you read a play, remember that it is meant to be performed for an audience. Stage Directions Playwright describes setting and characters’ actions and manner. [Wyona is sitting on the couch. She sees Paul and jumps to her feet.] Wyona. [Angrily.] What do you want? Performance of a Play Performance Theater artists bring the playwright’s vision to life on the stage. The audience responds to the play and shares the experience.
- 15. Performance of a Play Theater artists include Actors Directors Lighting technicians Stage crew
- 16. Stages can have many different sizes and layouts. “Thrust” stage Setting the Stage • The stage extends into the viewing area. • The audience surrounds the stage on three sides.
- 17. “In the round” stage is surrounded by an audience on all sides. Setting the Stage
- 18. Proscenium stage Setting the Stage • The playing area extends behind an opening called a “proscenium arch.” • The audience sits on one side looking into the action. upstage downstage stage left stage right
- 19. Setting the Stage Stages in Shakespeare’s time were thrust stages.
- 20. Scene design transforms a bare stage into the world of the play. Scene design consists of • props • sets • costumes • lighting Setting the Stage
- 21. A stage’s set might be realistic and detailed Setting the Stage abstract and minimal
- 22. A lighting director skillfully uses light to change the mood and appearance of the set. Setting the Stage
- 23. The costume director works with the director to design the actors’ costumes. • Like sets, costumes can be detailed minimal Setting the Stage
- 24. Props (short for properties) are items that the characters carry or handle onstage. • The person in charge of props must make sure that the right props are available to the actors at the right moments. Setting the Stage
- 25. The characters’ speech may take any of the following forms. Dialogue: conversations of characters onstage Monologue: long speech given by one character to others Soliloquy: speech by a character alone onstage to himself or herself or to the audience Asides: remarks made to the audience or to one character; the other characters onstage do not hear an aside The Characters
- 26. Finally, a play needs an audience to experience the performance understand the story respond to the characters The Audience
- 27. The End
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