The Art of Drama Dramatic Structure Production of a Play American Drama Twentieth-Century Realism Expressionist Drama Contemporary Drama Practice Feature Menu American Drama

Drama is a unique literary form that comes to life on stage. Short Story or NovelDrama meant to be readmeant 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 directoractorsdesigners and technicians playwrightproducer [End of Section] 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 Check Who 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 [End of Section]

Quick Check Who is the protagonist? Anne Frank Dramatic Structure 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.

Quick Check What external and internal conflicts does the protagonist face? = External = Internal Dramatic Structure

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 [End of Section] Four Groups of American Theaters 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. [End of Section] 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 [End of Section] 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 [End of Section]

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 [End of Section]

Quick Check Match each definition with the correct term. Contemporary Drama drama based on the illusion of watching characters’ lives through an invisible “fourth wall”; themes usually center on contemporary society drama that focuses on revealing characters’ stream of consciousness; replaces logical plot with pattern of poetic images Realism Expressionism

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 [End of Section]

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The Role of the Producer find investors to advance the production costs hire the director and production staff with input from the author establish a budget for the production Production of a Play

The Role of the Director assemble a team to put on the play, including actors, scene designers, and technicians organize and supervise the rehearsals manage day-to-day staging of the production Production of a Play

Four Groups of American Theaters Broadway: A group of more than 30 New York theaters on or near Broadway in Manhattan. Off-Broadway: A group of New York theaters beyond the Broadway theater district. These theaters feature more experimental, less expensive professional productions than do Broadway theaters. Off-Off-Broadway: A group of small, experimental, sometimes nonprofit theaters. Regional Theater: Dramatic productions—especially, year-round professional drama—staged outside New York City. Production of a Play

The prolific Eugene O’Neill put American drama on the map. O’Neill extended realism to reveal character in new, experimental ways. Eugene O’Neill The Great God Brown (1926): used masks to show different sides of a character’s personality Strange Interlude (1928): characters speak in asides to the audience to reveal their private thoughts and feelings Twentieth-Century Realism

A writer of high moral seriousness, Miller was concerned with society’s impact on people’s lives. Arthur Miller All My Sons (1947): explores theme of personal versus social responsibility Death of a Salesman (1949): Miller’s best work; shows the destructive side of the American dream The Crucible (1953): draws parallel between the Salem witch hunt and the 1950s hunt for communists in America Twentieth-Century Realism

Williams’ lush, poetic writing explored the psychological complexities of his characters. Tennessee Williams The Glass Menagerie (1944) A Streetcar Named Desire (1947) Summer and Smoke (1948) In the plays below, he particularly focused on probing the souls of lost, neurotic women. Twentieth-Century Realism

Founders of the Theater of the Absurd Samuel Beckett (1906–1989) Awarded Nobel Prize in Best-known plays: Waiting for Godot (1952) Endgame (1957) Krapp’s Last Tape (1958) Eugene Ionesco (1912–1994) Best-known plays: The Bald Soprano (1950) Rhinoceros (1959) Expressionist Drama