Elements of Drama

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Elements of Drama
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TODAY YOU WILL

• Learn vocabulary to use in discussing drama
• Learn to recognize the elements of drama
• Learn strategies for reading drama

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DRAMA PLAY

• Drama is a form of literature that is performed
  for an audience, either on stage or before a
  camera.

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Comparison of Drama and Fiction

• Similarities
• It tells a story with characters, plot, and
  setting.

• Differences
• It is written to be performed in front of an
  audience. Dramas are written in a special form
  called a script, in which lines are written out
  for the characters to speak.

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PARTS OF THE SCRIPT

• Cast of Characters is a list of characters that
  often has a short description appearing next to a
  characters name
• Dialogue is the conversation between
  characters. Both the plot of the play and the
  characters personalities are revealed through
  dialogue.

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TV shows

• ARE WRITTEN IN A FORM CALLED A TELEPLAY.

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• Produce Man How many peaches for you today,
  Mrs. Werthan?
• Daisy Three, thank you.
• Produce Man Youre not gonna be gettin any
  better ones the rest of the summer. Lemme give
  you a few more.

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• Stage Direction instructions for the director,
  the performers, and the stage crew. These are
  printed in italics or are enclosed in
  parentheses. Many stage directions tell the
  actors how to speak or move. They also describe
  the scenery all the decorations on the stage
  that help create the setting. Props, the objects
  that actors need during the play, are also
  described in the stage directions.

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• (Boolie goes into the pantry, where Daisy is
  transferring pickles from a large crock into
  jars.)
• Daisy (off camera) No!
• Miriam Dont worry, sugar. Ill come after
  for temple tomorrow. (Idella enters with dishes
  of ice cream)

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Acts and Scenes

• The action of the play is divided into scenes.
  A scene changes whenever the setting changes.
  Sometimes scenes are grouped into acts. In a
  movie or television script, the scenes are not
  usually labeled by number. In a TV drama, a
  commercial break often comes between scenes. In
  a stage play, the lights dim, the curtain closes,
  or music plays while the props are changed.

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• FRONT HALL. (Daisy puts on her hat and gathers
  her gloves and purse.)
• BACKYARD. ( Daisy is backing her car out of the
  garage. It suddenly shoots backward and stops,
  hanging over the edge of the neighbors stone
  wall. Daisy gets out and slams the door, and the
  car drops into the neighbors garden.)

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Strategies for Reading Drama

• 1. Read the play silently. You need to know the
  entire plot and understand the characters before
  you read it aloud.
• 2. Figure out what is happening. Be patient.
  Read several pages to understand what is
  happening.

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• 3. Read stage directions carefully. When you
  read drama, you must imagine the action and the
  scenery. If you skip the stage directions, you
  miss some important information.
• 4. Get to know the characters. Dialogue is how
  you get to know the characters. Analyze the
  characters words carefully and try to discover
  the meaning behind the words.

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• 5. Keep track of the plot. The plot of the
  drama centers on a main conflict that the
  characters try to resolve. Look for the
  conflict, watch for the action to build to a
  climax, and evaluate how the conflict is resolved.

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• 6. Read the play aloud. When a drama is
  performed, it becomes almost like real life. You
  bring your own interpretation of the character to
  the role. Let yourself become the character.
  React to the other characters in the story.