Drama

• Drama


  A written work that tells a story through action and speech and is meant to be acted on a stage
• Our lives are full of drama. Tension, conflict, excitement and action are all part of life experience and integral parts of scripted and impromptu dramatic performances. In this way, art reflects life.
• Drama Terms


  • Drama
  • Plot
  • Characters
  • Characterization
  • Dialogue
  • Playscript
  • Playwright
  • Sound effects
  • Stage directions
  • Props
  • Costumes
  • Body language
• Plot


  The sequence of events and actions that constitute the story of a play
• Characters


  The individuals who inhabit the world of the play
• Characterization


  The act of creating and describing characters in literature, including descriptions of physical attributes and personality
• Dialogue


  The spoken exchanges between characters, conveying their thoughts and emotions and advancing the plot
• Playscript


  The story that has been written for actors to perform, with the term 'play' relating to a theatrical performance
• Playwright


  Writers who specialize in telling stories for the stage
• Sound effects


  Music and sounds used to emphasise characters, action, theme or manipulation of the audience
• Stage directions


  Instructions in the playscript (usually set in italics) to help the reader imagine the scene
• Props


  Any object used in a performance that isn't part of the set or worn by an actor
• Costumes


  Inform the audience about a character, their social position, personality, and contribute to the creation of the world of a play
• Body language


  The way that you move on stage, which plays a key part in mime, dance and physical theatre, and can express a character's feelings, age and gender
• Drama Types


  • Comedy
  • Tragedy
  • Farce
  • Melodrama
  • Musical Drama
• Comedy


  Narratives with the intent of making the audience laugh
• Tragedy


  Dealt with dark subjects like war and death, and protagonists were always burdened with a tragic flaw
• Farce


  Similar to a comedy but aims at entertaining through highly exaggerated and improbable situations
• Melodrama


  Meant to appeal to the audience's emotions, with passionate and sensational stories and one-dimensional characters
• Musical Drama


  A form of drama where music, especially singing or dancing, is used along with dialogue and acting to tell the story
• Freytag's Pyramid outlines the dramatic structure into five parts: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution
• Setting


  The context in a scene or story that describes the elements in which a story takes place, including time, place, and environment
• Exposition


  The introduction to a story, including the primary characters' names, setting, mood, and time
• Characterization


  How the personality of a character is developed in the text, through direct (physical appearance and profession) and indirect (actions, thoughts, and opinions) methods
• Protagonist


  The main character in the story, often considered the "good guy"
• Antagonist


  A character who opposes the protagonist
• Dynamic character


  A character who goes through some sort of change or character development
• Static character


  A character who does not change throughout the course of the story
• Round character


  A deep and layered character in a story, who feels like a real person
• Flat character


  A two-dimensional character lacking depth or a real personality, often a "stock character"
• Three Elements of Characterization

  • Physical appearance
  • Actions, speech(dialogue) and behavior
  • Interactions with others
• Physical appearance


  What does the character look like?
• Actions, speech(dialogue) and behavior


  What does the character do? How does the character behave? What does the character say(dialogue) - the words a character uses in conversation and how they are used gives the reader insight into the character
• Interactions with others


  How other characters in the story react to this character
• Direct characterization


  How a character appears - their physical appearance and profession. This information may be provided by the narrator or another character.
• Direct characterization


  • "Bill was short and fat, and his bald spot was widening with every passing year." "Jane is a cruel person,' she said.
• Indirect characterization


  How a character operates - their actions, thoughts, and opinions.
• Indirect characterization


  • "John snapped at the man without warning," whereas direct characterization would say simply. "John was short-tempered."
• Characterization uses both direct and indirect methods to develop the personality of a character
• Costumes


  Inform the audience about a character, their social position, personality, and contribute to the creation of the world of a play