Teacher presentation

Drama

By Derick Miller

A drama is a story enacted onstage for a live audience.

What Is Drama?

• Origins of Drama– The word drama comes from the

Greek verb dran, which means “to do.”

• The earliest known plays . . .– were written around the

fifth century B.C. – produced for festivals to

honor Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility

Like the plot of a story, the plot of a play involves characters who face a problem or conflict.

Climaxpoint of highest tension;

action determines how the conflict will be resolved

Resolutionconflict is resolved;play ends

Plot: Sequence of events that develop the drama

Expositioncharacters and conflict are introduced

Dramatic Structure

Elements of Drama

There are three types of Drama Elements.

• Literary• Technical• Performance

Literary Elements(What is needed to write a script or story?)

• Script• Plot• Character• Story Organization• Setting• Dialogue• Monologue /soliloquy/aside• Conflict

Technical Elements (What is needed to produce a play?)

• Scenery• Costumes• Props• Sound and Music• Make-up

Performance Elements (What do the actors do on stage to make a character come alive?)

• Acting• Speaking• Non-verbal Expression

But…what do all these words mean?

All the elements of drama combine to make a good production. They are all

important. Some demonstrate more of one element than others.

Literary Elements

• Script?

• A script is the written words and directions of a play.

Literary Elements

• Plot?• The plot is the storyline or arrangement of

action.

Literary Elements

• Character?• A character is a person portrayed in a drama.

Literary Elements

• Story Organization?• The story organization is how a story is told –

the beginning, middle and end.

Literary Elements

• Setting?• The setting is where the action takes place.

Literary Elements

• Dialogue?• A dialogue is a spoken conversation between

two characters.

Literary Elements

• Monologue?• A monologue is a long speech made by one

person.• Soliloquy? A character alone on stage reveals

private thoughts.• Aside? A character briefly expresses private

thoughts to the audience that other characters on stage cannot hear.

Literary Elements

• Conflict?• The internal or external struggle between

opposing forces, ideas, or interests that create dramatic tension.

Technical Elements

• Scenery?• The scenery is theatrical equipment such as

curtains, backdrops, and platforms to communicate the environment. An example might be trees to show a forest environment.

Technical Elements

• Props?• Props are any article other than costumes or

scenery used as part of a dramatic production. An example might be a table on the stage.

Technical Elements

• Sound and Music?• Sound is the effect an audience hears during a

show, like the sound of rain. And music – well, you know what music is!

Technical Elements

• Make-up?• Make-up is the use of costumes, wigs and

body paint to transform an actor into a character.

Performance Elements

• Acting?Acting is how speaking and moving help to

create characters.

Performance Elements

• Non-verbal Expression Non-expression includes gestures, facial

expressions, and movement.

Performance Elements

• SpeakingSpeaking is vocal expression, projection,

speaking style and diction.

The ancient Greeks developed drama, making two basic types of play.

These two types are: A Tragedy A Comedy

TragedyA tragedy is a play that ends unhappily.

right and wrong

justice and injustice

life and death

• Most classic Greek tragedies deal with serious, universal themes such as

The protagonist of most classical tragedies is a tragic hero. This hero

• is noble and in many ways admirable

• has a tragic flaw, a personal failing that leads to a tragic end

rebelliousness

jealousy

pride

Tragedy

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

Comedy

The main characters in a comedy could be anyone:

nobility servantstownspeople

Comedy

• Comic complications always occur before the conflict is resolved.

• In most cases, the play ends with a wedding.

Comedy

A comedy ends happily after an amusing series of problem. Tragedy stresses human greatness, but comedy emphasizes human faults and the weaknesses of society

Conclusion

Thanks