Hypotheticals of the Day

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Hypotheticals of the Day

• If you could go back in time and live through any
  five-year period in history, what period would
  you choose?
• If you could invent a pair of glasses that would
  allow you to see abstract things (e.g., the
  motives behind someones actions), what would you
  want to see?

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Chapter 3 The Playscript

• The Playscript as
• Starting point for theatrical production
• Entity that remains intact after production
• Blueprint for production or for readers
  imagination

The Playscript may serve as the basis for
numerous productions, which may or may not be
similar in style.
Production A Production B
Production A Production B
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The Playscript
While the Playscript and the Production are
connected closely, they are separate entities.
The Production
The Playscript

• Playscripts
• considered Dramatic Literature
• often taught separately from Theatre
• most fully experienced during Production

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The Nature of Playscripts

• A play/script is both a highly controlled
  structure and a simulated reflection of human
  experience.
• All play/scripts are deliberately shaped for a
  specific purpose.
• Everything in a play/script is there for a reason

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On Reading a Play
How does reading a Play differ from reading other
types of Literature?

• Requires reader to envision the action
• Requires reader to synthesize information from a
  variety of sources, including
• Stage Directions
• Dialogue
• Character Interaction
• What is Unspoken

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Dramatic Action
According to Aristotle A play is a
representation of human beings in DRAMATIC
ACTION By DRAMATIC ACTION we mean not only what
the characters do but also why they do it In
turn, the DRAMATIC ACTIONS of the individual
characters relate to some question, problem, or
theme that forms the central focus, or DRAMATIC
ACTION of the play as a whole
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Dramatic Action
Characteristics of Effective Dramatic Action

• Complete and Self-Contained beginning, middle,
  end
• Deliberate Shape or Organization that reveals
  Purpose
• Variety
• Engages and Maintains Interest
• Internal Consistency

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Methods of Organizing Dramatic Action
Most Common Sources of Unity Cause-to-Effect
logical progression of actions/events Character
all events focus on one character Thought scenes
linked by central theme or idea

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Methods of Organizing Dramatic Action
Elements of Drama
6 Elements of Drama, Defined by Aristotle
1. Plot 2. Character 3. Thought
4. Diction 5. Music 6. Spectacle
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Aristotles Elements of Drama Plot
A plays overall structure the organization of
the plays incidents and elements into a
meaningful pattern The PLOT can be categorized
in terms of beginning, middle and end.

The Beginning Establishes
Place Occasion Characters Mood Theme Interna
l Logic
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Aristotles Elements of Drama Plot
The Beginning

• Exposition
• the setting forth of information about earlier
  events, identity, relationships, etc.
• Point of Attack
• the moment at which the story is taken up

Earlier point of attack need for less exposition
Later point of attack need for more exposition
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Aristotles Elements of Drama Plot
The Beginning
Inciting Incident an occurrence that sets the
main action in motion leads to Major
Dramatic Question play organized around
question, but question may change as play
progresses

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Aristotles Elements of Drama Plot
The Middle
Complication any new element that changes the
direction of the action Discovery any new
information of sufficient importance to alter the
direction of action

Discovery substance of most Complications
Series of Complications Rising Action
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Aristotles Elements of Drama Plot
The Middle
Climax or climactic Action highest point of
interest or suspense Crisis discovery or event
that determines the outcome of the action

Rising Action culminates in Climax
Climax often accompanied by Crisis
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Aristotles Elements of Drama Plot
The End
Resolution or Denouement unraveling or untying

Denouement extends from Crisis to Conclusion
Other Attributes of Plot
Subplots events or actions of secondary
interest
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Aristotles Elements of Drama Plot
Climactic Plot Structure
Climactic Action
Exposition
Rising Action
Complications
Denouement
Inciting Incident
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Aristotles Elements of Drama Character
Character is the primary material from which
plots are created, because incidents are
developed through the speech and behavior of
dramatic personages.

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Aristotles Elements of Drama Character

• Characterization
• Is anything that delineates a person or
  differentiates that person from others.

• Four Levels of Characterization
• Biological gender, age, size, race, appearance
• Societal economic status, religion,
  relationships
• Psychological habitual responses, desires,
  motivations
• Ethical morals as reflected by choices and
  decisions

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Aristotles Elements of Drama Character

• How is Character Revealed?
• Through Stage Directions, Prefaces, Other
  Materials
• Through what the Character Says
• Through what Others Say about the Character
• Through what the Character Does

Something to Think About Imagine that you are
playing the role of Yourself. How is your
character revealed by the 4 elements listed above?
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Aristotles Elements of DramaCharacter Types

• Typified Characterization
• Containing recognizable universal traits, e.g.
  greedy, brave, foolish, etc.
• Individualized Characterization
• A unique trait or mannerism, e.g. a murderer who
  loves his dog, a princess who collects beetles.

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Aristotles Elements of DramaCharacter Types

• Sympathetic - protagonist
• Has major virtues and few foiblesa character the
  audience likes
• Unsympathetic antagonist
• Few virtues and more foiblesa character the
  audience doesnt like

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Aristotles Elements of Drama Thought
Thought includes themes, arguments, overall
meaning of action
Meaning in drama is usually implied rather than
stated directly.

• Meaning suggested by
• relationships among characters
• ideas associated with unsympathetic and
  sympathetic characters
• conflicts and their resolution
• devices such as spectacle, music, song

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Aristotles Elements of Drama Thought
Although a play implies or states Meaning, this
does not mean that there is a single correct
interpretation for the play. Most plays permit
multiple interpretations. Each interpretation
should be supported by evidence within the script.
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Aristotles Elements of DramaDiction
Diction Language the playwrights primary tool
for communication

• Purposes of Diction
• to impart information
• to characterize
• to direct attention to important plot elements
• to reveal themes and ideas of the play
• to establish tone or mood
• to establish internal logic
• to establish tempo and rhythm

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Aristotles Elements of Drama Diction
How is Diction Judged?

• Appropriateness to
• Characters
• Situation
• Internal Logic
• Type of Play

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Aristotles Elements of DramaMusic
Music (as used here) all patterned sound
Includes the Sounds of the Actors Voices

• Duration
• Quality

• Volume
• Tempo

• Pitch
• Stress

• Includes Instrumental music
• Incidental songs
• Background music
• Integrated Song
• Integrated Instrumental Accompaniment

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Aristotles Elements of Drama Music

• Purposes of Music
• to establish mood
• to characterize
• to suggest ideas
• to compress characterization
• to compress exposition
• to lend variety
• to add pleasure

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Aristotles Elements of DramaSpectacle
Spectacle all visual elements of production

• Includes
• Movement of characters
• Spatial Relationships of characters
• Lighting
• Settings
• Costumes
• Properties
• Special Effects

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Form in Drama
Form the shape given to something for a
particular purpose

• Some Forms of Drama
• Tragedy Comedy Tragicomedy
• Melodrama Farce

The 2 most basic forms Tragedy Comedy
Plays are Classified into Forms based on types
of action, overall tone, basic emotional appeals.
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Tragedy

• Oldest form of Drama
• Presents genuinely serious action
• Maintains serious tone
• May contain moments of comic relief

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Comedy

• Origins in Ancient Greece
• Based on a deviation from normality in action,
  character, or thought
• Maintains in fun tone
• Requires audience to view situation and events
  objectively
• Any subject can be the topic of a Comedy if the
  audience can distance itself sufficiently from
  serious implications of the action

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Other Forms

• Melodrama
• A mixed form
• Develops a temporarily serious action that is
  initiated by villain
• Depicts world with clear differentiation of
  good and evil
• Audience desires to see good win over evil
• Destroying the villains power results in happy
  resolution
• Most popular form of Theatre in the 19th century

Concern for giving formal labels to Plays has
diminished considerably, as many contemporary
plays mix formal elements and characteristics.
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Style in Drama
Style

• Results from a distinctive mode of expression or
  method of presentation
• May stem from traits connected with
• Period Nation
• Esthetic Movement Author

• Results from 3 Basic Influences
• Assumptions about Truth and Value
• Manner of Expression
• Production Style