A Drama Study

Teacher Resources

Drama Study

Drama presents the actions and words of characters on a stage. The conventional formal

arrangement into acts and scenes derives ultimately from the practice in Greek drama of

alternating scenes of dialogue with choral sections. It is helpful, in discussing plays, to have

some familiarity with some basic conventions of drama. Every play typically involves the

direct presentation of actions and words by characters on a stage. Although the structural

principles are quite fluid, dramatic form often tends to move from exposition, foreshadowing,

rising action, climax, to resolution.

Before students can begin analyzing and creating poetry, they must have a clear vision of what

a play or drama looks like. Students and teachers must spend time reading and getting to

know different plays.

Immerse student with plays of all kinds. Create criteria charts and examples for the different

plays that you study.

Draw students’ attention to the unique characteristics of drama such as scripts, scenes,

characters/narrators, set directions, and dialogue.

Drama Resources

Readers’ Theater Scripts and Plays

Readers Theater Scripts

Free Plays for Children at Drama.net

Theater Vocabulary

Drama in the TEKSThird Grade Fourth Grade Fifth Grade

Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Drama.Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of drama and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. RC2 Students are expected to:

7(A) explain the elements of plot and character as presented through dialogue in scripts that are read, viewed, written, or performed.

5(A) describe the structural elements particular to dramatic literature RC2.

5(A) analyze the similarities and differences between an original text and its dramatic adaptation

SEs that were tested and/or dual coded on the Reading STAAR Release tests

Ineligible for testing in third grade. F19 (D) Reading Comprehension Skills - make inferences about text and use textual evidence to support understanding

2(B) use the context of the sentenceand surrounding text (e.g., in-sentence example or definition) to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words or multiple meaning words RC1

F19 (E) summarize and paraphrase texts in ways that maintain meaning and logical order within a text and across texts

8(A) evaluate the impact of sensory details, imagery, and figurative language in literary text RC2.

Additional SEs that may be tested and/or dual coded with drama

Ineligible for testing in third grade. Reporting Category 1:

Reading/Vocabulary Development –2 A, B, E

Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Literary Nonfiction – 7A

Reporting Category 1:

Reading/Vocabulary Development –2 A, B, E

Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Theme and Genre –3, 3A

Reading/Comprehension Skills –19F

Reporting Category 2:

Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Theme and Genre –3, 3A, B

Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Sensory Language– 8, 8A

Reading/ Media Literacy – 14

Reading/Comprehension Skills –19E

Reporting Category 2:

Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Theme and Genre –3C

Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Sensory Language– 8, 8A

Reading/ Media Literacy – 14

Reading/Comprehension Skills –19D, 19E

Elements of Drama

Script/Text, Scenario, Plan This is the starting point of the drama or play, the element most often considered as the domain of the playwright in theatre. The script, scenario, or plan is what the director uses as a blue print to build a production from.

Thought/Theme/Ideas

What the play means as opposed to what happens (the plot). Sometimes the theme is clearly stated in the title. It may be stated through dialogue (words or lines spoken by a character or narrator) by a character acting as the playwright’s voice. Or it may be the theme is less obvious and emerges only after some study or thought.

Action/Plot

The events of a play, the story as opposed to the theme - what happens rather than what it means. The plot must have some sort of unity and clarity by setting up a pattern by which each action initiates the next, rather than standing alone without connection to what came before it or what follows. In the plot of a play, characters are involved in conflict that has a pattern of movement. The action and movement in the play begins from the initial entanglement, through rising action, climax, and falling action to resolution.

Characters/Cast

These are the people presented in the play that are involved in the plot. Each character should have his/her own distinct personality, age, appearance, beliefs, background, and language.

Language

The word choices made by the playwright and the enunciation of the actors of the language. Language and dialogue delivered by the characters moves the plot and action along, provides exposition and defines the distinct characters. Each playwright can create their own specific style in relationship to language choices they use in establishing character and dialogue.

Adapted from: http://homepage.smc.edu/adair-lynch_terrin/ta%205/elements.htm

Structure of Drama

Dramatic structure involves the overall framework or method by which the playwright uses to organize the dramatic material and or action. Understanding basic principles of dramatic structure is important for understanding the overall message or theme in a play. Most modern plays are structured into acts that can be further divided into scenes and acts. The pattern most often used is a method by where the playwright foreshadows in the beginning scenes all of the necessary conditions and situations from which the later events will develop. Generally the wants and desires of one character will conflict with another character. With this method the playwright establishes a pattern of rising action, climax, and resolution. Many plays also include stage directions for scenes or acts. Stage Directions Instructions written as part of the script of a play, a message describing how something is to be done; Dialogue The words/phrases/speeches spoken by each character in a play. Plot - the arrangement of ideas and/or incidents that make up the story in a drama or play

Exposition

Exposition is important information that the audience needs to know in order to follow the main story line of the play. It is the aspects of the story that the audience may hear about but that they will not witness in actual scenes. It encompasses the past actions of the characters before the play’s opening scenes progress.

Foreshadowing - When the writer clues the reader in to something that will eventually occur in the story; it may be explicit (obvious) or implied (disguised).

Rising Action

Rising action is the section of the plot beginning with the first action and the sequence of events moving to the crisis or climax. These scenes make up the body of the play and usually create a sense of continuous mounting suspense in the audience.

The Climax/Crisis

All of the earlier scenes and actions in a play will build to the highest level of dramatic intensity. This section of the play is generally referred to as the moment of the plays climax. This is the moment where the major dramatic questions rise to the highest level, the mystery hits the unraveling point, and the culprits are revealed. This should be the point of the highest stage of dramatic intensity in the

action of the play. The whole combined actions of the play generally lead up to this moment.

Resolution

The resolution is the moment of the play in which the conflicts are resolved. It is the solution to the conflict in the play, the answer to the mystery, and the clearing up of the final details. This is the scene that answers the questions raised earlier in the play. In this scene the methods and motives are revealed to the audience.

Adapted from: http://homepage.smc.edu/adair-lynch_terrin/ta%205/elements.htm

Drama Reading Strategies

Preview the drama by reading the title, characters, and narrator. Read any background information provided.

Read drama once for overall meaning.

Visualize the characters. What does the person look like? How do they sound? How do they deliver each line?

Contemplate the setting to have a clear understanding of the story’s time and place. Try to imagine the sets (scenery and props) and costumes. Consider whether or not the historical context is important to the story.

Research the Historical Context if the time and place is an essential component and you need to know more about the historic details.

Clarify words and phrases about which you are unsure about by looking for context clues.

Sit in the Directors Chair. To visualize the play, the student should think like a director. To truly appreciate the dramatic literature, a student must imagine the cast (crew of actors), the set, and the movement.

Evaluate the drama’s theme by asking what message is the play trying to send or help you understand? Does it relate to your life in any way?

Questions for Analyzing Drama

How does the plot (the sequence of happenings) unfold? If there is more than one plot, are the plots parallel, or are they related by way of contrast?

Are certain happenings recurrent? If so, how are they significant?

What kinds of conflict are in the play—for instance, between two groups, two individuals, or two aspects of a single individual? How are the conflicts resolved? Is the resolution satisfying to you?

How does the author develop the characters? How trustworthy are the characters when they describe themselves or others? Do some characters serve as foils, or contrasts, for other characters, thus helping to define the other characters? Do the characters change as the play proceeds?

What do the author’s stage directions add to your understanding and appreciation of the play? If there are few stage directions, what do the speeches imply about the characters’ manner, tone, and gestures?

Why is the setting/location important to the play? How is it revealed?

How do costumes or props add to the meaning of the play? Are any of the props symbolic? What do they symbolize?

Examples of Drama

Questions on STAARQuestion Stems for Drama from STAAR Release tests

In paragraph __, the word __ means…

What is the theme of the play?

How does Scene __ differ from Scene __?

Which sentence best summarizes Scene __?

Which of these events resolves __’s conflict in the play?

What can the reader conclude from the last paragraph of Scene __?

The author’s use of figurative language in paragraph __ emphasizes that —

Read these lines from Scene __ of the play. What do these lines represent?

Possible Question Stems

What do the characters in __ and __ have in common?

What was the message in this play?

Which line from the play has an example of a simile/metaphor?

The picture(s) in the play show…

What is the best summary of this play?

The historical context of this play is important because…

The phrase “__” is important because…

Which line in the play told the reader that ____was afraid (or other emotion)?

What images in your mind were created by reading this poem?

Which line or lines created this image for you?

Which words in this poem made you feel like you could almost (smell, hear,

see) __?

How did you feel when you read Scene __ of the play?

Connecting Across Texts

What do the lessons/themes in __ and __ have in common?

A theme found in both the play and the selection is…

What is one similarity between the events in the play and the selection?

THEATRE VOCABULARY

Actor/Actress A male or female person who performs a role in a play, work of theatre, or movie.

Antagonist A person or a situation that opposes another character’s goals or desires. Articulation The clear and precise pronunciation of words. Blocking The planning and working out of the movements of actors on stage. Catharsis The purification or purgation of the emotions (such as pity, fear, grief, etc.)

affected in a work of tragedy. Concentration The ability of the actor/actress to be “in” character - that is, to be like the

character s/he is portraying – in dialog, attitude, carriage, gait, etc. Center stage The center of the area defined as the stage. Character A personality or role an actor/actress re-creates. Characterization The development and portrayal of a personality through thought, action,

dialogue, costuming, and makeup. Climax The point of greatest dramatic tension or transition in a theatrical work. Cold reading A reading of a script done by actors who have not previously reviewed the

play. Collaboration Two or more people working together in a joint intellectual effort. Commedia dell’arte A professional form of theatrical improvisation, developed in Italy in the

1500’s, featuring stock characters and standardized plots. Comedy A theatrical work that is intentionally humorous. Conflict Opposition of persons or forces giving rise to dramatic action. Context Interrelated conditions in which a play exists or occurs. Costume Clothing worn by an actor on stage during a performance. Creative drama An improvisational, process-centered form of theatre in which participants

are guided by a leader to imagine, enact, and reflect on human experiences.

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Crisis A decisive point in the plot of a play on which the outcome of the remaining action depends.

Critique Opinions and comments based on predetermined criteria that may be used

for self- evaluation or the evaluation of the actors or the production itself. Cue A signal, either verbal or physical, that indicates something else, such as a

line of dialogue or an entrance, is to happen. Denouement The final resolution of the conflict in a plot. Design The creative process of developing and executing aesthetic or functional

designs in a production, such as costumes, lighting, sets, and makeup. Dialogue The conversation between actors on stage. Diction The pronunciation of words, the choice of words, and the manner in which a

person expresses himself or herself. Directing The art and technique of bringing the elements of theatre together to make

a play. Director The person who oversees the entire process of staging a production. Downstage The stage area toward the audience. Dramatic play Children’s creation of scenes when they play “pretend”. Dramatic structure The particular literary structure and style in which plays are written. Dramaturg A person who provides specific in-depth knowledge and literary resources to

a director, producer, theatre company, or even the audience. Dress rehearsals The final few rehearsals just prior to opening night in which the show is run

with full technical elements. Full costumes and makeup are worn. Electronic media Means of communication characterized by the use of technology (e.g.,

radio, television, and the Internet). Elizabethan theatre The theatre of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and often

extended to the close of the theatres in 1640. Emotional memory The technique of calling upon your own memories to understand a

character’s emotions. Ensemble A group of theatrical artists working together to create a theatrical

production. Epic theatre Theatrical movement of the early 1920’s and 1930 characterized by the use

of such artificial devices as cartoons, posters, and film sequences distancing

A joint creation by TCAP and SPARKed – SPARK in Education

the audience from theatrical illusion and following focus on the play’s message.

Exposition Detailed information revealing the facts of a plot. Farce A comedy with exaggerated characterizations, abundant physical or visual

humor, and, often, an improbable plot. Form The overall structure or shape of a work that frequently follows and

established design. Forms may refer to a literary type (e.g., narrative form, short-story form, dramatic form) or to pattern of meter, line, and rhymes (e.g., stanza form, verse form).

Formal theatre Theatre that focuses on public performance in the front of an audience and

in which the final production is most important. Genre In literary and dramatic studies, genre refers to the main types of literary

form, principally tragedy and comedy. The term can also refer to forms that are more specific to a given historical era, such as the revenge tragedy, or to more specific sub-genres of tragedy and comedy, such as the comedy of manners.

Gesture An expressive movement of the body or limbs. Greek theatre Theatrical events in honor of the god Dionysus in Ancient Greece and

included play competitions and a chorus of masked actors. Improvisation A spontaneous style of theatre through which scenes are created without

advance rehearsal or a script. Informal theatre A theatrical performance that focuses on small presentations, such as one

taking place in a classroom setting. Usually, it is not intended for public view.

Kabuki One of the traditional forms of Japanese theatre, originating in the 1600’s

and combining stylized acting, costumes, makeup, and musical accompaniment.

Level The height of an actor’s head actor as determined by his or her body

position (e.g., sitting, lying, standing, or elevated by an artificial means). Make-up Cosmetics and sometimes hairstyles that an actor wears on stage to

emphasize facial features, historical periods, characterizations, and so forth. Masks Coverings worn over the face or part of the face of an actor to emphasize or

neutralize facial characteristics. Melodrama A dramatic form popular in the 1800s and characterized by an emphasis on

plot and physical action (versus characterization), cliff-hanging events, heart-

A joint creation by TCAP and SPARKed – SPARK in Education

tugging emotional appeals, the celebration of virtue, and a strongly moralistic tone.

Mime An incident art form based on pantomime in which conventionalized

gestures are used to express ideas rather than represent actions; also, a performer of mime.

Monologue A long speech by a single character. Motivation A character’s reason for doing or saying things in a play. Musical theatre A type of entertainment containing music, songs, and, usually, dance. Noh One of the traditional forms of Japanese theatre in which masked male

actors use highly stylized dance and poetry to tell stories. Objective A character’s goal or intention Pacing The tempo of an entire theatrical performance. Pantomime Acting without words through facial expression, gesture, and movement. Pitch The highness or lowness of voice Play The stage representation of an action or a story; a dramatic composition. Playwright A person who writes plays. Position The orientation of the actor to the audience (e.g., full front, right profile, left

profile). Projection The placement and delivery of volume, clarity, and distinctness of voice for

communicating to an audience. Props (properties) Items carried on stage by an actor; small items on the set used by the actors. Proscenium The view of the stage for the audience; also called a proscenium arch. The

archway is in a sense the frame for stage as defined by the boundaries of the stage beyond which a viewer cannot see.

Protagonist The main character of a play and the character with whom the audience

identifies most strongly. Puppetry Almost anything brought to life by human hands to create a performance.

Types of puppets include rod, hand, and marionette. Rehearsal Practice sessions in which the actors and technicians prepare for public

performance through repetition.

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Rising action The part of a plot consisting of complications and discoveries that create conflict.

Run-through A rehearsal moving from start to finish without stopping for corrections or

notes. Script The written text of a play. Sense memory Memories of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures. It is used to help

define a character in a certain situation. Stage The area where actors perform. Stage crew The backstage technical crew responsible for running the show. In small

theatre companies the same persons build the set and handle the load-in. Then, during performances, they change the scenery and handle the curtain.

Stage direction (See center stage, downstage, stage left, stage right, and upstage.) Stage manager The director’s liaison backstage during rehearsal and performance. The

stage manager is responsible for the running of each performance. Stage left The left side of the stage from the perspective of an actor facing the

audience. Stage right The right side of the stage from the perspective of an actor facing the

audience. Stock characters Established characters, such as young lovers, neighborhood busybodies,

sneaky villains, and overprotective fathers, who are immediately recognizable by an audience.

Style The distinctive and unique manner in which a writer arranges words to

achieve particular effects. Style essentially combines the idea to be expressed with the individuality of the author. These arrangements include individual word choices as well as such matters as the length and structure of sentences, tone, and use of irony.

Subtext Information that is implied by a character but not stated by a character in

dialogue, including actions and thoughts. Tableau A silent and motionless depiction of a scene created by actors, often from a

picture (plural tableaux). Text Printed words, including dialogue and the stage directions for a script. Theatre To imitate or represent life in performance for other people; the

performance of dramatic literature; drama, the milieu of actors, technicians, and playwrights; the place where dramatic performances take place.

A joint creation by TCAP and SPARKed – SPARK in Education

A joint creation by TCAP and SPARKed – SPARK in Education

Theatre of the absurd Theatrical movement beginning in the 1950s in which playwrights created works representing the universe as unknowable and humankind’s existence as meaningless.

Theatrical conventions The established techniques, practices, and devices unique to theatrical

productions. Theatrical experiences Events, activities, and productions associated with theatre, film/video, and

electronic media. Theatre games Noncompetitive games designed to develop acting skills and popularized by

Viola Spolin. Tragedy Used as a noun, the stage area away from the audience; used as a verb, to

steal the focus of a scene. Vocal quality The characteristics of a voice, such as shrill, nasal, raspy, breathy, booming,

and so forth. Volume The degree of loudness or intensity of a voice.