1. Varieties of Drama Other Types of Drama

2. Fantasy  Deals with unreal characters, dreams, and imaginary times and places.  Usually occur in make- believe lands and include spirits, gods, witches, and flawless heroes.

3. Fantasy  Many of the most beloved tales are a part of the fantasy genre, including The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, and the legend of King Arthur.

4. Romantic Comedy  Features plots focusing on love affairs between flawless heroes and virtuous heroines.  The lovers are ideally suited for each other and often appear too good to be true. Their love has its ups and downs but always ends happily.  Examples include The Merchant of Venice and Brigadoon.

5. Melodrama  Marked by its stock characters and implausible plots.  Presents a trite story where a damsel in distress is threatened by an evil villain and rescued by a flawless hero.  Melodrama ends with the climax, leaving the audience hanging on for the resolution.

6. Melodrama  Melodrama is similar to tragedy, but is different in several ways.  It focuses more on the actions of the characters rather than their motivations.  It lacks the tragic sense of inevitability.  And it presents a cut-and-dry view of morality, leaving no room to question the motives of the villain or the hero.

7. Play of Ideas  Often called a problem play or a social drama and deals with a social problem, such as racism, classism, or sexism.  The playwright presents a solution to the problem, or at least guides the characters in the right direction.

8. Play of Ideas  Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun follows an African American family struggling to escape poverty.  Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People shows one man’s efforts to do the right thing and speak the truth in the face of extreme social intolerance.

9. Psychological Drama  These are generally serious plays. They penetrate the soul and are often very painful.  Playwrights battle the complexities of the human psyche and personal relationships.

10. Psychological Drama  Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie illustrates family and personal struggles.  Masha Norman’s ‘Night Mother deals with a troubled woman and her relationship with her mother.

11. The “Whodunit”  Audience is hooked by the suspense of solving a crime or a courtroom drama.  Examples include Ten Little Indians and The Mousetrap.

12. Allegory  An allegory is a play that teaches moral concepts through characters who personify abstract qualities and concepts, such as truth, justice, love, death, and humanity.

13. Allegory  The classic example is the medieval play, Everyman.  Everyman is summoned to meet Death and must appear before God for judgment on his life.  All of his friends—Five Wits, Fellowship, Kindred, Discretion, Beauty, Strength, and Knowledge—fail him.  Only his Good Deeds go with him in death.

14. Children’s Theatre  Defined as drama written, designed, and performed for children.  Regional, high school, and professional theatre groups often include children’s theatre as part of their seasons.

15. Monodrama  A monodrama is a play written to be performed by a single actor.  In Eugene O’Neill’s Before Breakfast, a nagging wife drives her husband to committing suicide offstage.  Jane Wagner’s Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe creates a variety of characters in a series of monologues that are part comedy and part social criticism.  Another popular form of monodrama is impersonating historical figures.