The Art of Drama

Dramatic Structure

Production of a Play

American Drama

Twentieth-Century Realism

Expressionist Drama

Contemporary Drama

Practice

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American Drama

Drama is a unique literary form that comes to life on stage.Short Story or Novel Drama

meant to be read meant to be performed

static: takes its final form on paper

dynamic: can change from one production to the next

story is told through words alone

voice, movement, and gesture are essential

scenes are created in reader’s imagination

scenes are created with lighting and set design

can be read in more than one sitting

length is limited by attention span of audience

The Art of Drama

A successful play is a team effort of

audiences

director actors designers and

technicians

playwright producer

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The Art of Drama

which may be

Exposition

Like a story, a drama involves a protagonist, or main character, who faces a problem or conflict.

gives background information about Conflict

Protagonist main character who faces a

External: protagonist struggles against another person or a situation

Internal: protagonist is torn between conflicting feelings or wishes

Dramatic Structure

Quick CheckWho is the protagonist?

In The Diary of Anne Frank, Anne and her family are hiding in an Amsterdam attic during the Nazi occupation of Holland. Along with the other occupants of the Secret Annex, Anne struggles with the harsh conditions and restrictions of their hiding place as they try to avoid detection by the Nazis. She also struggles with conflicting feelings about the people with whom she is forced to live in close quarters.

What external and internal conflicts does the protagonist face?

Dramatic Structure

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submits play to

After writing a play, the playwright then tries to get it performed—preferably on Broadway!

• Because production of a play is costly, it usually depends on the financial backing of producers.

Agent

Author

Producers

discuss script changes with

sends play to

The Role of the Producer

Production of a Play

The next step is to find the right director and actors.

• The director decides how best to bring the playwright’s words to life on the stage.

• The actors follow the director’s instructions and bring their own creative talents to the play.

Then, long days of rehearsals begin in preparation for opening night.

The Role of the Director

Production of a Play

If the play is a hit on Broadway, it may then

• be performed around the world

• find its way into the anthologies you study in school

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Production of a Play

1800s contemporary

American drama has gone through several stages of development from the nineteenth century to the present.

theatrical, sentimental shows

influence of European realism

new levels of realism and psychological complexity

revolt against realism: expressionist drama

American Drama

European Influences

The “slice-of-life” realism of three late-nineteenth-century European playwrights had a profound influence on American drama.

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Norwegian Henrik Ibsen

depicted unsettling subjects such as guilt, sexuality, and mental illness

Swedish August Strindberg

brought unprecedented level of psychological complexity to his characterizations

Russian Anton Chekhov

along with Ibsen and Strindberg, shifted the subject matter of drama to inner actions and emotions and the concerns of everyday life

American Drama

Realistic drama is based on the illusion that at a play we are watching life through a “fourth wall” that has been removed so we can see the action.

Twentieth-Century Realism

Key Figures of American Realism

Eugene O’Neill(1888–1953)

dominated American drama in his generation

Arthur Miller(1915–2005)

master of realism; explored social as well as psychological truths in his plays

Tennessee Williams(1911–1983)

blended realism with imagination; focused on personal rather than social themes

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Twentieth-Century Realism

Expressionist drama began as a revolt against realism.

Rejecting the orderly format of realistic drama, expressionist drama

• focused on revealing characters’ interior consciousness

• reflected a sense that life is formless and uncertain

• emphasized stage effects and imaginative settings

Expressionist Drama

Many writers who used expressionist techniques came to be called playwrights of the Theater of the Absurd.

• Aburdist plays are not meant to tell a story.

• Instead, much like poetry, they use a pattern of images to express an idea or a feeling.

Expressionist Drama

Founders of the Theater of the Absurd

The most significant absurdist in the United States has been Edward Albee (1928– ).

Edward Albee: American Absurdist

• Albee is not a pure absurdist; he experiments with many forms.

The Zoo Story (1959): Albee’s debut

The American Dream (1961): an Absurdist play

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1962): the play that made Albee famous

Expressionist Drama

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Today, playwrights are free to experiment with many different dramatic forms and structures—as long as their approach speaks compellingly to an audience.

Contemporary Drama

Quick Check

Match each definition with the correct term.

drama based on the illusion of watching characters’ lives through an invisible “fourth wall”; themes usually center on contemporary society

Realism

drama that focuses on revealing characters’ stream of consciousness; replaces logical plot with pattern of poetic images

Expressionism

Contemporary Drama

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Make some predictions about what will happen to American drama in the next ten years. Consider

• subject matter

• theatrical sets (simpler or more elaborate? use of special effects?)

• popularity relative to movies, television, and Internet-based entertainment

Practice

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