1. A Western New England College Presentation
Introduction to Drama
A Western New England College Presentation

2. Definition
Unlike short stories or novels, plays are written for the express purpose of performance.

3. Definition
Actors play roles and present the storyline through dialogue, action, and gestures.

4. Definitions
For the most part, plays have no narrators. (There are a few notable exceptions to this rule.)
The audience must glean critical information from the action on stage.

5. Dealing with Details
Unlike novels or short stories, plays have special features.
Plays are divided into acts and scenes.
Scripts feature lists of characters and stage directions which require the reader to pause and visualize the set up.
Readers and actors must pay close attention to the dialogue in order to understand the characters and action.

6. Important Terms Monologue – an extended speech by one character.
Soliloquy – an extended speech by one character, alone on stage. Soliloquies are used to express the private thoughts of one character.
Aside – a character’s direct address to the audience, which is not heard by the other characters.

7. Monologues, soliloquies, and asides are dramatic techniques that provide direct insight into motives, attitudes, and overall tone.
These techniques function like a fictional narrator.

8. Two Basic “Flavors” Tragedy
Comedy
Comedies are dramatic works which use humor to explore various themes and characters. Comedies usually end on a happy note.
Tragedy
Tragedies treat serious subjects and often focus on the tragic hero’s character. Tragedies usually end with death.

9. Key Terms Dramatic Irony
Playwrights use dramatic irony when they allow the audience to know more than the characters do about a specific situation or incident.
In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the audience hears the fiendish plot of Claudius and Laërtes. Both are determined to see Hamlet dead. Moments later, Hamlet responds to news of the King’s great wager and his own impending duel with Laërtes by saying, “[…] how ill all’s here about my heart” (V.ii. 186).

10. Key Terms
Satire
The term satire refers to social criticism that is cloaked in comedy and used to ridicule social institutions and figureheads.
Farce
The term farce refers to comedy that lapses into ludicrous, improbable plots, mockery, and even slapstick.

11. Reading Drama Pay particular attention to the overall plot.
What are the major conflicts or issues?
When does the climax occur?
What force or forces seem to be at work in the play, moving the action along?

12. Reading Drama Pay close attention to characters.
Who are the central characters?
What do you know about their personalities? How do you know this information?
What are the characters’ strengths and weaknesses?
Photo credit: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams. Cornell Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts.

13. Recognizing the Theme
Most written works have a central theme and several additional themes.
Try to identify the central theme.
Back up your interpretation with examples from the text.

14. What is Drama? Literature book 804-807
Drama depends on great story and great dialogue.
The perfect story for the stage features relationships between characters we care about.

15. Structure and Elements of Drama
A playwright is the author of a play
A script is the written form of a play.
Much of what you learn about the characters, setting, and events is revealed through dialogue.
A monologue is a long, uninterrupted speech spoken by a character which reveals thoughts or feelings.
Characterization is creating believable characters through actions, dialogue, and movement.

16. Structure and Elements of Drama
Stage directions are instructions that convey information about sound effects, sets, props, and characters’ actions, gestures, and movements across the stage.
The set is the term used for onstage scenery.

17. Types of Drama Comedy: Tragedy:
Happy ending
Ordinary characters in funny situations
Written to entertain but can also point out faults in society
Tragedy:
Events lead to the downfall or death of the main character
Drama is often used to describe plays that address serious subjects.