A Drama Is a Story Enacted Onstage for a Live Audience. Elements of Drama

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A Drama Is a Story Enacted Onstage for a Live Audience. Elements of Drama Drama What Is Drama? A drama is a story enacted onstage for a live audience. Elements of Drama Script: The text of a play, with dialogue and directions for actors Acts: The major units of action in a drama. Similar concept to chapters in a book. Scenes: Acts are broken down into smaller parts called Scenes Dialogue: conversations of characters onstage Monologue: long speech given by one character to others Soliloquy: speech by a character alone onstage to himself or herself or to the audience Dramatic Structure Like the plot of a story, the plot of a play involves characters who face a problem or conflict. Climax point of highest tension; action determines how the conflict will be resolved Complications tension builds Resolution Exposition conflict is resolved; characters and conflict play ends are introduced Dramatic Structure Conflict is a struggle or clash between opposing characters or forces. A conflict may develop . between characters who want different things or the same thing (Man vs. Man) between a character and his or her circumstances (Man vs. Nature or Society) within a character who is torn by competing desires (Man vs. Man) Tragedy A tragedy is a play that ends unhappily. • Most classic tragedies deal with serious, universal themes such as right and wrong justice and injustice life and death Comedy A comedy is a play that ends happily. The plot usually centers on a romantic conflict. boy meets girl boy loses girl boy wins girl Performance of a Play When you read a play, remember that it is meant to be performed for an audience. Stage Directions Playwright describes setting and characters’ actions and manner. **Usually in brackets and written in italics. [Wyona is sitting on the couch. She sees Paul and jumps to her feet.] Wyona. [Angrily.] What do you want? Performance of a Play . Theater artists/elements include . Cast—The list of people and their roles involved in a drama . Stage crew—group of people who puts together the set or scenery on stage . Props—small movable items that actors use to make their actions look realistic.
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