PLAYWRIGHT AND DRAMATIC STRUCTURE

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PLAYWRIGHT AND DRAMATIC STRUCTURE

• HOW THE PLAY IS BORN, HOW IT GROWS UP

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THE PLAYWRIGHT

• May be one or more collaborators
• In musical theatre, is called the librettist,
  writes the libretto little book the story
  line and any dialogue is called the book
• COMPOSER writes the music, LYRICIST writes
  the words to the songs in a musical

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TASKS OF THE PLAYWRIGHT

• Selecting specific subject of play
• Determining focus and emphasis
• Establishes purpose of production
• Establishes point of view
• Creates dramatic characters
• Develops dramatic structure

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DRAMATIC CHARACTERSHEIRARCHAL VS.
QUALITATIVE

• Extraordinary
• Quintessential/ Representative
• Stock
• Dominant Trait
• Narrator/Chorus
• Non-Human Animals, Robots, Fantasy, etc.

• Main/Central
• Secondary/Supporting
• Minor
• Walk-on
• Supernumery

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DRAMATIC STRUCTURE

• Acts and Scenes grew out of Greek model
• 5-Act structure based on general number of
  Epeisoda
• Retained well into 19th century as the right
  way to do it, aided bulky set changes
• Number of Acts reduced with better staging
  techniques, evolvement of playwrighting

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Aristotles Six Elements of Drama

• PLOT order of events seen on stage
• CHARACTER personal/social roles
• THOUGHT goals, desires, tactics
• DICTION what is said, how its said
• MUSIC/MELODY sound effects, music, dynamics and
  rhythm of voice
• SPECTACLE scenery, costume, special effects,
  movement patterns, posture and movement of actors

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Essentials of Dramatic Structure

• PLOTarrangement of events, selection and order
  of scenes, selection of characters
• CONFLICTcreation of situations in which
  characters will face stress and challenges,
  obstructions in gaining their goal
• ACTIONConflict begets action what will the
  character DO about their situation?

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Structural Conventions

• Limited Space
• Limited Time
• Strongly Opposed ForcesProtagonist, Antagonist
• Balance of Forces
• Incentive and Motivation

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SUBPLOT

• Secondary story or stories within play
• Do not usually affect outcome of main plot
• Illustrates other aspects of plays themes
• Secondary characters of main plot may figure as
  main characters in subplot

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PARALLEL PLOT

• Secondary plot or plots that will become intwined
  with main plot, will affect main plots outcome
• Storyline of parallel plot usually shares in the
  results of the main plots outcome

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Creating Linear Dramatic Structure

• OPENING SCENE sets tone, style, introduces main
  characters, poses challenge, Inciting Incident,
  Point of Attack
• RISING ACTION
• OBSTACLES/COMPLICATIONS
• CRISES requires a decision
• CLIMAX final crisis, goal attained (or not),
  questions answered
• DENOUEMENT final resolution, tying up of loose
  ends, dust settles

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LINEAR FORMATSClimactic vs. Episodic

• Plot begins early in story
• People, Places, Events proliferate many scenes,
  locations
• Juxtaposition and Contrast of scenes
• Cumulative effect events pile up, snowball
  effect
• Suited to comedy, melodrama

• Plot begins late in story
• Scenes, Locales, Characters are limited in
  number extended scenes
• Tight construction few or no subplots
• Compression closely linked events in logical,
  almost inevitable development
• Suited to Classic Tragedy, serious drama

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OTHER FORMATS SERIAL

• Individual elements strung together like a
  string of pearls, common theme or umbrella
  format.
• Collections of 1-Acts Plaza Suite, The Dining
  Room
• Vaudeville, variety shows Carol Burnett Show,
  Saturday Night Live, Sugar Babies, Ziegfeld
  Follies
• Musical Revue Aint Misbehavin,
  Sophisticated Ladies, Forever Plaid

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OTHER FORMATS Absurd

• Illogical, ridiculous plots, not an ordered
  universe
• Circular plot ends up in the same place as it
  began, characters make no emotional journey,
  learn nothing.
• Albert Camus We have lost the comfort and
  security of being able to explain the world by
  reason and logic one cannot explain the
  injustices, the inconsistencies and malevolence
  of todays world in terms of the moral yardsticks
  of the past.
• Non-sequiturs Does not follow, doesnt make
  any logical sense.
• Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett, By The
  Skin of Our Teeth by Thornton Wilder

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OTHER FORMATS Ritual

• Repetition of an action, a pattern ritual aids
  structure. Actions have an expected beginning,
  middle, and end natural progression of events
• Weddings, funerals, pageants, etc. have
  ritualistic formats and are often used within a
  play
• Some plays reinact ritualized stories Passion
  plays, municipal pageants Obergammerau, Jesus
  Christ Superstar, Daisy Bradford 3

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OTHER FORMATS Improvisation

• Unscripted or only partially scripted with a
  given set of circumstances
• Relies on spontaneous input, invention
• Grows organically from action and reaction
• Mimes, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Tony n
  Tinas Wedding

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OTHER FORMATS Musical Theatre

• Includes Opera, Operetta, Musical Comedy, Musical
  Theatre, Musical Revue
• Has own set of conventions music, song, and
  dance are used as additional forms of
  communication
• Used simply to entertain, or to enhance character
  and mood, expand on character thoughts and
  emotions in a way simple words may not