ELEMENTS

OF
DRAMA
A N D T H E AT E R
WHAT IS DRAMA?

lThe word drama comes from the Greek word for

action. Drama is written to be performed by actors
and watched by an audience.
lDrama is a type of literature that is primarily written to be
performed for an audience. When reading a play, it is
important to keep certain features of drama in mind.
Some of these features relate to drama as literature; others
reflect its character as a performance.
HISTORY

lGreek Drama 500-400 B.C.

lMedieval: The Middle Ages 1200-1500 AD
lElizabethan & Jacobean 1500-1642
lRestoration & 18th Cent. Drama 1660-1800
lRomantic Era 1800-1880
lModern Era 1850-Present
 DRAMA

Consists of two types Can be presented in

of writing two ways

The stage directions

that tell the actors As performance, the
The dialogue that the As literature, the text
how to move and production of the
characters speak of the play itself
speak, describing the play in a theater
sets and props
HOW IS A PLAY WRITTEN?

• The author of a play is called a playwright. Everything a

playwright writes must appear onstage.

• A play in written form is called a script.

• The playwright writes the dialogue, or what the characters

say to each other in conversation, as well as the stage
directions, which tells how the play is to be performed.
 TWO TYPES OF DRAMA
1. TRAGEDY 2. COMEDY
• shows the downfall or death of a • often shows a conflict between
tragic hero, or main character. In opposite age groups , genders, or
ancient Greek plays, the hero was personality types.
a good person brought down by a • typical comedies involve confusion,
tragic flaw, or defect in character. jokes, and a happy ending.
In a modern plays, the hero can be
• stresses human weaknesses.
an normal person destroyed by an
evil in society.
• emphasizes human greatness.
ARISTOTLE’S SIX ELEMENTS OF DRAMA
1. Diction: Specific words the playwright chooses to use.
2. Spectacle: All the visuals represented in the play.
Represents everything you see: set, costumes, lights, etc.
3. Thought: What the audience learns - the moral of the play,
or the theme
4. Characters: The play must be about someone or
something, can be human or non-human.
5. Melody: Everything you hear - music, sound effects, silence
are all examples of this.
6. Plot: Show must have a beginning, middle and end.
Something needs to happen and a character must be
challenged.
PLOT STRUCTURE
• Exposition or Introduction
This is the beginning of the story, where characters
and setting are established. The conflict or main
problem is introduced as well.
• Rising Action
Rising action which occurs when a series of events build
up to the conflict. The main characters are established by
the time the rising action of a plot occurs, and at the same
time, events begin to get complicated. It is during this
part of a story that excitement, tension, or crisis is
encountered.
• Climax
In the climax, or the main point of the plot, there is a turning
point of the story. This is meant to be the moment of highest
interest and emotion, leaving the reader wondering what is
going to happen next.

• Falling Action
Falling action, or the winding up of the story, occurs when
events and complications begin to resolve. The result of the
actions of the main characters are put forward.
• Resolution
Resolution, or the conclusion, is the end of a story, which may
occur with either a happy or a tragic ending.
LITERARY ELEMENTS OF
THEATER/DRAMA
• Character: a person portrayed in a drama, novel, or other
artistic piece.
• Conflict: the internal or external struggle between
opposing forces, ideas, or interests that creates dramatic
tension.
• Suspense: a feeling of uncertainty as to the outcome, used
to build interest and excitement on the part of the
audience.
• Theme: the basic idea of a play; the idea, point of view, or
perception that binds together a work of art.
TECHNICAL ELEMENTS OF
THEATER/DRAMA
• Act: a major division in a play
• Scene: a real or fictional episode; a division of an act in a play.
• Lighting: the arrangement of lights to achieve particular effects
in order to help create mood or tone in a play.
• Sound: the effects an audience hears during a performance to
communicate character, context, or environment.
• Set Design: everything on the stage including furniture and
props, and environment in which the action of a play occurs.
• Costumes: the clothing worn by the actors who play the
characters. Oftentimes, these help to establish characterizations,
mood, and tone.
THE DIVISION OF PLAY
• A play is largely divided up into parts, or acts. The
number of acts in a production can range from one to five,
depending on how a writer structures the outline of the
story. The length of time for an act to be performed can
range from 30 to 90 minutes.
• Acts may be further divided into scenes; in classical theatre
each regrouping between entrances and exits of actors is a
scene, while today it describes a quick change of
setting.
STAGE SCENERY
SCENERY/PROPS
LIGHTING
COSTUMES/MAKE-UP
 TECHNICAL ELEMENTS OF
THEATER/DRAMA: PERFORMANCE

• Acting: use of face, body, and voice to portray

character.
• Character Motivation: the reason or reasons for a
character's behavior; an incentive or inducement for
further action for a character.
• Empathy: the ability to relate to the feelings of
another.
TECHNICAL ELEMENTS OF
THEATER/DRAMA: PERFORMANCE

• Breath Control: proper use of the lungs and diaphragm

muscle for maximum capacity and efficiency of breath for
speaking.
• Inflection: change in pitch or loudness of the voice.
• Projection: how well the voice carries to the audience.
• Facial Expression: physical and vocal aspects used by an
actors face to convey mood, feeling, or personality.
TYPES OF UTTERANCE

• Monologue is a long speech made by one actor; may be delivered

alone or in the presence of others.
• Aside is when a character in a play speaks to the audience though
there are other characters on stage.
• Soliloquy is used in to reveal the innermost thoughts of a character.
It is a great technique used to convey the progress of action of the
play , by means of expressing a character’s thoughts about a certain
character or past, present, or upcoming event, while talking to himself
without acknowledging the presence of any other person.
• Example of monologue:
“But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?
It is the east and Juliet is the sun!
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief …
O that I were a glove upon that hand,
That I might touch that cheek!”… (from Romeo & Juliet)

• Example of Aside:
Though this be madness, yet there is method in 't.--will you walk out
of the air, my lord? (from Hamlet)

• Example of Soliloquy:
“To be, or not to be? That is the question—
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune…” (from Hamlet)
TYPES OF PERFORMANCE STAGES:

• Proscenium Stage:

A performance space in
which the audience sits in
front of the stage and
views as if through a
picture frame
TYPES OF PERFORMANCE STAGES:

• Thrust Stage:

a theater stage that

extends out into the
audience's part of a
theater and has
seats on three sides.
TYPES OF PERFORMANCE STAGES:

• Arena Stage :

a stage constructed
so that the audience
can sit on all sides;
also known as
"theatre-in-the-
round".
TECHNICAL ELEMENTS OF
THEATER/DRAMA: STAGE DIRECTIONS
• Apron: the front area of the stage extending past the main act
curtain.
• Wings: the offstage areas directly to the right and left of the
performance space.
• Center Stage: the middle point of the performance space.
• Upstage: the area of the performance space that is farthest
away from the audience.
• Downstage: the area of the stage that is nearest to the
audience.
• Cue: a signal or line that prompts the next action of stage
business during a performance.
• Blocking: the path formed by the actor’s movement on stage,
usually determined by the director, playwright, and/or actor.
TECHNICAL ELEMENTS OF
THEATER/DRAMA: STAGE DIRECTIONS
THEATER ETIQUETTE

• All of the people involved in the production, both cast and

crew, work very hard to be sure they give a great
performance.
• It is the job of the audience members to help the
performers give their best performance possible. The
audience can do this by practicing the rules of theater
etiquette, which is how the audience should behave
when watching a play.
RULES OF THEATER ETIQUETTE

• Be on time to the theater. Turn off cell phones upon

arrival.
• Be quite so other around you can hear the performance
• You should use the restroom before the show begins, and
not get out of your seat while the show is being performed.
• You should not eat, chew gum, or drink any beverages while
watching the show.
• While it is appropriate to respond to funny, shocking, or
entertaining moments out loud, you should respect others
around you and their enjoyment of the play by not
responding with loud, inappropriate reactions.
 WHEN SHOULD YOU APPLAUD?
• Stand and applaud if you really thought the show was great.
That is a called a standing ovation, and it honors the actors
who worked so hard to give a great performance.
• It is customary to applaud at the end of songs, and at the
curtain call, when the actors come out to take their final
bows. Throughout the show, audience members may choose
to applaud when something particularly 0utstanding has just
been performed. Do not whistle or scream out to the
performers except for a Bravo.