MODULE 4:

IN AN OCEAN OF
EMOTIONS:
PHILIPPINE
DRAMA
 LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION:
THE GLITZ AND GLAMOUR OF DRAMA
WHAT IS DRAMA?
o
Drama is a literary
genre that is meant to
be performed on stage.
o
It came from the Greek
word dran which means
to do or to act a play.
WHAT IS DRAMA?

“The art of the dramatist is

like the art of the architect.
A plot has to be built up just
as a house is built- story
after story; no edifice has any
chance of standing unless it
has a broad foundation and a
solid frame.”
-Brander Matthews
WHAT IS DRAMA?
“The office of drama is to
exercise, possibly to exhaust
human emotions. The
purpose of comedy is to
tickle those emotions into an
expression of light relief; of
tragedy, to wound them and
bring the relief of tears.
Disgust and terror are the
other points of the compass.”
- Laurence Olivier
WHAT IS DRAMA?
“Drama is life with the dull
bits cut out.”
- Alfred Hitchcock

“Drama lives on conflict. If

you’re trying to deal with
social issues seriously,
there’s no way of avoiding
violence, which is so present
in society.”
-Michael Haneke
TYPES OF DRAMA
1. Tragedy
2. Melodrama
3. Comedy
4. Farce
5. Fantasy
6. Musical Drama
7. Tragicomedy
TYPES OF DRAMA
1. Tragedy: a drama in which the
characters meet a tragic end in a
confrontation with superior forces
(fortune, the gods, social factors,
community norms) ultimately
reaching an understanding of the
meaning of the situation and the
punishment for their actions.

2. Melodrama: a drama which relies on

impossible events and sensational
action bordering on sentimentality;
entertains the reader/audience while
conforming to a traditional sense of
justice.
TYPES OF DRAMA
3. Comedy: a literary work meant to
amuse the readers/audience; a
literary work involving no terrible
tragedy and ends happily for the
main characters.
a. High comedy – refers to an intellectual
drama that relies heavily on verbal wit
(puns, intellectual jokes or humor).
b. Low comedy – involves physical action;
less intellectual than high comedy.
c. Romantic comedy – involves a love affair
with various obstacles (parents’
objection, misunderstandings, unequal
financial status between families) but
ends in a happy union.
TYPES OF DRAMA
4. Farce: a kind of drama characterized
by broad humor, wild antics,
slapstick or other physical humor;
involves riotous laughter requiring
no serious thought from the
readers/audience.

5. Fantasy: a kind of drama involving

characters with supernatural skills
(fairies, angels, superheroes, other
fantastic creatures); drama that uses
magic, pseudo-science, horror,
spooky themes, characters and
special effects.
TYPES OF DRAMA
6. Musical Drama: a drama that tells a
story through acting, dialogue, dance
and music; may be comedic or
serious. Musical drama became
popular as opera.

7. Tragicomedy: a literary genre

combining comedy and tragedy;
incorporates jokes to lighten the
tone; may be a tragic play with a
happy ending.
ELEMENTS OF
DRAMA
1. Plot
2. Characters
3. Theme
4. Diction (Lexis) or Dialogue
5. Music/ Melody/Rhythm
6. Spectacle (Opsis)
7. Techniques and Literary
Devices
8. Theater Spaces
ELEMENTS OF
DRAMA
UNDERSTANDING PLOT
According to Aristotle, the plot must
contain:
a. Astonishment or element of
surprise
b. Reversal which involves peripeteia
(an ironic twist/change or reversal
of fortune) and anagnorisis
(discovery).
c. Recognition which refers to the
character’s shift from ignorance to
knowledge.
ELEMENTS OF
DRAMA
UNDERSTANDING PLOT
According to Aristotle, the plot must
contain:
d. Suffering which involves a
destructive or painful situation
resulting from reversal or
recognition; results in catharsis
(pity for the tragic hero’s situation).
ELEMENTS OF
DRAMA
UNDERSTANDING CHARACTERS

Realistic characters are accurate
imitations of individualized
persons. On the other hand,
nonrealistic characters do not have
distinct qualities, and are often
underdeveloped and unbelievable.


Static characters are fixed or
unchanging characters while
dynamic characters are growing or
developing characters.
ELEMENTS OF
DRAMA
UNDERSTANDING CHARACTERS

Symbolic characters represent an idea,
way of life, moral value or an abstract
idea. Meanwhile, stereotyped or stock
characters are characters conforming
to a fixed or general pattern of
behavior.
ELEMENTS OF
DRAMA

Diction(Lexis) or Dialogue refers to the
language or utterances used in a drama;
the conversation or lines/passages
spoken between or among characters;
the words and rhetorical passages of a
play describe characters, emotions or
theme. Dialogues is carried out through:
• Point of view: a device in which the hero
or villain reveals his/her thoughts directly
to the audience.
• Aside: a device in which the characters
utter brief remarks to the audience or to
another character which the other
characters do not hear.
ELEMENTS OF
DRAMA

Dialogues is carried out through:
• Soliloquy: a speech meant to be heard by
the audience but not by other characters
onstage; involves the characters thinking
out loud.
• Monologue: a speech by a single character
involving someone else or a group of
people without another character’s
response.
ELEMENTS OF
DRAMA

Music/Melody/Rhythm includes
other performance elements such as
the rhythm of the actors’ voices as
they speak, their delivery of lines
and other nonverbal gestures, as well
as the musical elements used as
backdrop.

Spectacle (Opsis) refers to the visual
and technical elements (mise en
scène) of a drama production.
TECHNICAL ELEMENTS
OF DRAMA

Costumes are the clothing or
accessories worn by the actors to
portray character and the drama’s
time frame or period.

Make-up refers to the facial or body
make-up, wigs, prosthetics to help
the actor depict a character.

Props (short for properties) refer to
any article, except costume or
scenery, used as part of a dramatic
performance; any movable object
during a performance.
TECHNICAL ELEMENTS
OF DRAMA

Scene is a traditional segment in
drama to indicate a change in time or
location, a transition from one sub-
plot to another and to introduce a
character or to rearrange the actors
onstage. Plays are composed of acts,
broken down into scenes.

Scenery refers to the theatrical
equipment (curtains, flats,
backdrops, or platforms) used in a
drama to depict environment.
TECHNICAL ELEMENTS
OF DRAMA

Lights/Lighting/Light effects refer to
the placement, color, and intensity of
lights to indicate the setting, mood or
time frame.

Sound/Sound effects refer to the
kind, intensity, and quality of the
sounds heard during a dramatic
performance to depict the
environment, mood, setting, and
theme.
ELEMENTS OF
DRAMA

Techniques and Literary Devices
used by the playwrights including:

Dramatic irony: a device in which a
character holds a position not
expected or anticipated by the
audience or readers because their
knowledge is more complete than the
character’s.

Fourth wall: refers to the imaginary
wall of the box theater setting,
removed to allow the audience to see
the action.
ELEMENTS OF
DRAMA

Theater Space refers to the type of
space where the drama may be
performed.

Proscenium: the most basic type of
stage in which the actors perform
with the audience seated in front of
them.

Thrust: a tongue-like stage
configuration in which the actors
perform with the audience on three
sides.
ELEMENTS OF
DRAMA

Theater Space refers to the type of
space where the drama may be
performed.

In the Round: a theater configuration
with the actors in a central arena with
the audience surrounding them on all
sides.

Traverse stage – a stage configuration
in which the audience sits on two
sides, creating an intimate
atmosphere.
ELEMENTS OF
DRAMA

Theater Space refers to the type of
space where the drama may be
performed.

Black box: a performance space with
no fixed seating, allowing for
flexibility to match the staging needs
of the drama.

Touring: does not refer to a real/fixed
place; allows the drama to be
performed anywhere from a park
space, an office lobby, or an
auditorium.
REFERENCE:

Solmerano, E., Ondevilla, M., Chancoco, J., Del Rosario-Garcia, M. & Palencia,
M. (2017). Creative writing. Manila: Fastbooks Educational Supply, Inc.
IMAGES FROM:

https://www.spot.ph/arts-culture/performing-arts-2/73492/musicals-original-pilipino-music-
OPM-a00171-20180420-lfrm

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/25-best-drama-schools-an-acting-degree-ranked-
1112232/item/top-25-schools-2018-yale-1112168

https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/depicting-theatre-props-mask-skull_4268169.htm
IMAGES FROM:

https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/456059899738171394/

https://www.facebook.com/TimonandPumbaa/photos/pumbaa-not-in-front-of-the-
kids/10154259030029123/

https://www.britannica.com/art/proscenium

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrust_stage#/media/File:Pasant_Theatre_from_seats.JPG
IMAGES FROM:

https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/500955158530541714/

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/534521049519088073/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_box_theater#/media/File:Patara_0005.jpg
THE ADOPTED HEALTHY BABY
Layeta bucoy
 GUIDE QUESTIONS:
1. What are the problems that Howell is
The Adopted Healthy Baby going through?

2. Did Ma’am Mendoza want Howell to

use her research for his tenure? Why
CHARACTERS CONFLICTS
do you think so?

3. If Ma’am Mendoza left the key to the

drawer to you, would you have given
it to Howell, even though you know
about his problems? Why or why
not?

4. What are the effects of K-12

THEME curriculum to students and teachers,
REASONS TONE & MOOD
as well as parents?
 FOCUS ON THE THEME:
COMPASSION AND
The Adopted Healthy Baby JUDGEMENT/THEATER AS
AN ALLEGORY OF LIFE
Ma’am mila
HOWELL
1. Cite instances where your
compassion and judgement
were tested and mirrored.
2. When and how do you
Ma’am mendoza
define/see compassion and
sound judgement? How do
you think can you embody
these qualities?
 Sources
• https://www.istockphoto.com/au/vector/cute-little-baby-
boy-or-girl-in-diaper-sitting-gm1153045298-313037549
• https://www.dreamstime.com/babies-near-thext-frame-cute-
little-blank-text-happy-children-diapers-stand-sit-crawl-
sleep-waving-hand-kids-holding-white-image108565279