Drama What is it?

STAAR Vocabulary Actor/Actress- A male or female person who performs a role in a play, work of theatre, or movie. Costume- Clothing worn by an actor on stage during a performance. Cue- A signal, either verbal or physical, that indicates something else, such as a line of dialogue or an entrance, is to happen. Narrator-person telling the story and exposition (not involved in the action or related to characters)

STAAR Vocabulary Play -The stage representation of an action or a story; a dramatic composition. Playwright- A person who writes plays. Props- Items carried on stage by an actor; small items on the set used by the actors. Theater – Place where the drama takes place.

Elements Language Dialogue - The words characters say - Appears next to the character’s name - Learn about characters, setting and events Monologue Long, uninterrupted speech Spoken by a single character Reveals his or her thoughts and feelings

Elements Theme-What does it mean? - What the play means (not what happens) - Can be clearly stated in the title or through dialogue. - May be less obvious. You may have to infer it! Plot-The action Events of a play, what happens in the story Begins from the exposition, through rising action, climax, and falling action to resolution.

Elements Characterization -The playwright’s technique of creating believable characters through actions, dialogue, and movements Protagonist - Central (main) figures of a drama Antagonist - Onstage characters (or unseen) who oppose the protagonist

Structure Acts - Units of action in a drama. Scenes - Acts are often divided into parts. Scenes are usually used to : Introduce new characters Introduce new settings Foreshadow future events

Structure Stage Directions - Nonverbal instructions (not spoken!) written as part of the script of a play, a message describing how something is to be done or how something should be spoken. - Often in italics or (parentheses) Set - Onstage scenery that suggests the time and place of the action

Types of Drama Comedy Has a happy ending Ordinary characters in funny situations Written to entertain but can point out faults in society Tragedy Events lead to downfall or death of main character Character can be an average person but they are often significant (Ex: King or heroic figure)

Types of Drama Drama About a serious subject Not limited to stage Ex: Diary of Anne Frank

Types of Drama Screenplays Scripts for films Include camera angles Allow for more scene changes than a stage play Teleplays - Scripts for television - Contain elements similar to screenplays

Types of Drama Radio plays Written to be performed on a radio broadcast. Include sound effects and require no set.

Structure 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 includes 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). Usually found in scene changes

Structure Plot - the arrangement of ideas and/or incidents that make up the story in a drama or play Conflict-the struggle or problem characters most overcome (man vs man, man vs. self, man vs. nature) Rising Action-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 building suspense for the audience.

Structure The Climax/Crisis All of the earlier scenes and actions in a play will build to the highest level of dramatic intensity. This is the moment where the mystery is starting to be solved, there is a twist or turning point, the audience wants to know what happens next, or something is revealed. This should be the point of the highest stage of dramatic intensity in the action suspense 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.

Structure