DramaA story that is intended to be

performed for an audience either on stage or before a camera.

The first dramas to be written for the purpose of being performed were created by the Greeks.  Many of our modern drama terms derive from Greek origins.

  

Comedy – In the Greek sense, a “comedy” is a play that doesn’t end in death.  In modern usage, “comedy” refers to a play that is humorous. At least in older dramas, comedies tended to end in marriage.

 

Tragedy – In the Greek sense, a play that ends with the death of at least one of the main characters.  In modern usage, “tragedy” refers to a play that doesn’t have a happy ending.

Important Drama Terms:

• Act: This is the most basic division of a play. Dramas can have anywhere from one act up to five or more acts. A change in acts usually has to do with plot structure (exposition, rising action, climax, etc…)• Scene: This is the way acts are divided. Each

act will usually have at least a few scenes if not several. A change in scene usually has to do with a change in the characters on stage and/or the setting. A blackout on stage can signify the ending of a scene.• Line: Lines are the smallest division in a play…if

you see a three number reference like 1.2.57, it would mean Act 1, Scene 2, line 57. Lines are what the characters actually say.

• Stage Directions: there are 2 types…• Stage Directions coming before the dialogue starts help set up the

scene and explain things that are relevant to the actors who are reading the play or the people who are designing the set. These stage directions are written in italics and should be centered on the page.

• Stage Directions coming within lines of dialogue help explain how the lines are supposed to be said or what body language the character should be doing at the time of his/her lines. These stage directions are also italicized, but they are contained inside brackets or parentheses.

• Set: The set is the stage and all of the large props, backgrounds, lighting, etc that help develop the setting for the drama. The primary function of a set, of course, is to provide the audience with some context for the play.

• Props: these are anything that actors use to develop their characters or the plot of the play. Handheld props are the small props that can, of course, be held in an actor’s hands.

Important Drama Terms:

PROP

• Director: the individual who is in charge of all aspects of the production in a play; generally responsible for the final decision in all areas of production

• Cast: the people chosen to act at the characters in the play

• Dramatis Personae - "People of Drama" (in Latin); a list of the characters in a play, usually found on the first page of the script; often includes important information about the character

• Dialogue: Conversation between characters—the main driving force of a drama—lines need to show what’s happening and how, with what emotions, etc… It is crucial to get the dialogue right when writing a play.

• Aside: an observation or remark made by a character to the audience that is not being heard by other actors

Important Drama Terms:

Important Drama Elements

Chorus – a character or group in a drama who speaks the prologue and epilogue and comments on the action

Critique—the art of evaluating or analyzing the playImprovisation—impromptu acting based on the following circumstances: who—the characters; what—the action; where—the place; and when—the time the action takes place

Playwright—the individual who writes a play

Important Drama Terms

Soliloquy vs. Monologue

Soliloquy— from the Latin solus ("alone") and loqui ("to speak") — is a long speech that one gives to oneself. In a play, a character delivering a soliloquy talks to himself — thinking out loud, as it were — so that the audience better understands what is happening to the character internally. It’s like we are listening to his/her thoughts. There is no intended audience.

Monologue— from the Greek monos ("single") and legein ("to speak") — is a lengthy speech given by a single person to an audience.

Blocking – 1) The process in rehearsals wherein the

director tells the actors where to go and how to move. 

2) The act of physically marking the stage (usually with tape) to indicate to where an actor is supposed to move.

Rehearsal—Practicing the drama to prepare for the real performance

Stage Right - the right part of a stage from the viewpoint of the actors facing the audience Stage Left - the left part of a stage from the viewpoint of the actors facing the audience Down-stage - the part of a stage that is closest to the audience or camera Up-stage - the part of a stage that is farthest from the audience or camera (If you “upstage” someone, you steal the audience’s attention from someone who is supposed to be getting it; you may do this physically by placing yourself down-stage of them [thus making them up-stage from you], or by performing better than they, or in other ways)

In drama, I can . . .

Show WHO or WHAT I am by using:

Facial Expressions

Props

Costumes Body Movement

The Script

Aristotle’s Six Elements of Drama

Aristotle (384-322 BC) was a Greek philosopher whose writings still influence us today. He was the first to write about the essential elements of drama more than 2,000 years ago. While ideas have changed slightly over the years, we still discuss Aristotle’s list when talking about what makes the best drama.

The 6 Main Elements of Drama According to Aristotle… 1. Plot

2. Theme3. Characters4. Dialogue

5. Music/Rhythm (The rhythm of the characters’ voices as they speak)6. Spectacle (The visual elements of a play—the set, costumes, special effects, lighting, etc. Spectacle is everything that the audience sees as they watch the play.)

The 8 Main Elements of Drama According to Modern Theater

1. Characters (same as Aristotle)2. Plot (same as Aristotle)3. Theme (same as Aristotle)4. Dialogue (same as Aristotle)5. Convention—these are the techniques and methods

used by the playwright and director to create the desired stylistic effect

6. Stagecraft— the art and craft of establishing the physical environment of a production

7. Genre—this refers to the type of play. Some examples are comedy, tragedy, histories…

8. Audience—this is the group of people watching the play. Many playwrights and actors consider the audience to be the most important element of drama since all of the writing and producing of a drama is for them.