DRAMA

INTRODUCTION

DEFINATION

ELEMENTS
&
HISTORY
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 WHAT IS DRAMA..?

 ..?..?..?..
 The question asked is

 WHAT IS DRAMA..?

Can we truly define it..?

 Is there a 'textbook' definition for this

word..?
 What is drama in relation to theatre..?

 Why is drama so important..?

 What are its uses, its aims..?

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n Some have said that drama develops self-
esteem and encourages creativity and
imagination.
n This is true, and will be demonstrated
through examples from personal
experiences.
n Usually the first thing that occurs in a
drama class is that someone will ask for a
definition of the word drama.
n At first glance, it seems a simple question,
but as one begins to delve into the true
nature of drama, the answer is not so cut
and dry

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n

n For some, drama is a type of television

show, such as a KbSb or Kahani GGki
show.
n
n For others, it is that section of the movie
rental hire a CD and 'chick flicks' are.


n For still others, drama means Sophocles,

Euripides, and Shakespeare.
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 TEACHER & DRAMA
n For teachers, drama means all and
none of these things.
n A clear definition is needed in order
to lead the students in various
activities, and towards various
goals. What good is it to have the
students explore within themselves
n if the teacher does not know what the
aim or direction of the exploration
is?
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n Many teachers claim that their purpose of
drama is to develop the child's sense of
self. This however is slightly vague.
n Most people in education strive for this in
one way or another.
n Bettering the child in body mind and
spirit is a general goal for teachers, so
this idea is not particular to drama.

TEACHER & DRAMA

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  So then,


what exactly is drama..?

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 DEFINATION

n An expressive process which is best

understood through the idea of
symbolization and its role in the discovery
and communication of meaning (McGregor
24).


n This is an accurate definition, as it also goes

on to explain that drama is 'multi-faceted'
and
n that the child gains experience through voice,
language and the body as prime means of
expression; and the associated media of
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n Drama is tension. In the context of a
play in a theatre,
n Tension often means that the audience
is expecting something to happen
between the characters on stage.
i.e., Will they shoot each other?
Will they finally confess their undying love

for one another?

Will Oedipus figure out that he was the one

that caused the plague by killing his father

and married his mother?
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Oedipus at the end

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  Drama on stage often reflects
 the drama of everyday life,

 BUT

 (just like other forms of literature and art)

 it concentrates life,
 focuses it,

 and

 holds it up for examination

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DRAMA

&
THEATRE

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 DRAMA
“Dran”


 a Greek Word,
 Means “To do” or “To Act”
 The Doing/Acting Makes Drama
 “ A THING HAPPENED”.
-In literary context : Dramatic text

-In present context: Unexpected thing happened

 Drama is a written text it becomes play when played by player.

 Drama…is a story told in front of an audience


- Drama presents a sequence of situations in which characters

express themselves through what happen to them which
they do / to do.
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 THEATRE
n IT IS EXTRACTED FROM TWO WORDS
 1. THEOMAI (a Greek word)
 2. THEATRON (an Italian/Latin word)


The meaning of these two words are:



n A place to see

n A place to site & see

n A place to site , see & perform

n A comprehensive element in which audience and

performers involved.
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 THEATRE ART

 THE ART TO BE PEFORMED IN THEATRE

 IS

 CALLED

 THEATRE ART

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n


n The object of the performance should be to

create something believable, human and to
make the audience think.


n So the actors try to find a way of conveying the

thoughts and experience of their characters


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n

n To do this they need a wide supple techniques

a set of skills (mental & physical) that
enables them to convey their understanding
of
 a character and allows a great variety of
expressionisms



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n

n Another aspect one can concentrate on is body

movement and non-verbal communication. We
say so much about ourselves through body
language. If we can learn to control each part of
our bodies and the movements it may make, we
can be more in control of our lives.
n

n Focus and concentration also plays a large part in

drama

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 Oedipus with
his mother/wife

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Oedipus the king

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n Personal feelings are not the only subject
for drama.


n Drama can be used to introduce the

student to a number of different topics,
be it historical, political, scientific, or
artistic. A variety of situations can be
concocted, allowing the child to explore
his actual social relationships at the real
level, and an unlimited number of
hypothetical roles and attitudes at the
symbolic level (McGregor 24).
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n By experimenting with various roles in
society, the child becomes better prepared to
face these challenges in the real world. As
well, by allowing him/herself to experience
things as a different personality and by
letting the imagination grow free, the teacher
is building up the child's confidence in
him/herself and the validity of their own
ideas and feelings.
n The child is now more perceptive to the needs
and feelings of others, having portrayed
many different types of people.

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n Gavin Bolton's definition of dramatic
action as a tool for learning that rests in
its capacity


n (1) to separate and objectify an event and



n (2) to break down established concepts

and perceptions (142).

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Child Drama

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 In the early 1950s,

Peter Slade
wrote a book entitled as

“ Child Drama”

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  “The world was changing;
 people's perceptions were changing.
 Children were finally seen as people who needed
 to be
 nurtured,
 directed,
 guided.
 Unfortunately there were still some groups
 who felt that the traditional outlook
 (drama with an audience)
 was the way to go.”

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

n Peter Slade was advocating drama for

personal development.


n He stated that he sees formal theatre as a final

stage in a child's development (Bolton 22).
n

n Many traditionalists extrapolated from this

statement that he was anti-theatre.

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n Peter Slade was not anti-theatre,
 he merely felt that not all activities
 had to be performed; some were for
 self-exploration only.
 He wanted to turn away from the
formalised styles designed to make all
children sound like 'little adults' and turn
back to the natural direction that children
wanted to take.


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 Me & Drama
n For me,
n drama has always allowed me to become
characters that I would never play in real life.
n Play-acting has made me more creative;
n I can use my imagination to its full potential, as
I no longer feel threatened by an audience. I
have always found play-acting and other
creative drama exercises to be therapeutic
whenever I was distressed.
n By interacting with others in the group I have
developed an appreciation for the mind and
for the spirit. My view of society has changed;
each one of us has a place in it, and it is up to
the individual to define that place, however it
is the duty of the group to adapt to each
individual.
n This is the only way to lead a successful and
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STAGE LAYOUT

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 DRAMA

INTRODUCTION

DEFINATION

ELEMENTS & HISTORY

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 ELEMENTS OF DRAMA
n Since plays are written with the intention
of performance, the reader of the play
must use his/her imagination to enact
the play as he/she reads it.


n Readers of the play need to imagine not

just feelings or a flow of action, but
how the action and the characters look
in a theater, on a stage, before a live
audience.
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 4 basic
Elements of Drama

n Voice

n Body Movement
n Emotional Expression

n Memorization:


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n Voice:
Volume - project your voice to fill the
room in which you perform
Clarity - take the time to clearly

enunciate all consonants

Rate - Use pauses and speak slowly

enough to be clearly understood

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n Body Movement:
Cheating out - turn your body toward
the audience
Exaggerated gesture - emphasize

physical gestures to communicate

them more clearly
Facial expression - use "big"

expressions that embody emotion

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n Emotional Expression:
Use the voice and the body together


to convey emotional states to your

audience. This is the central work of
an actor.

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n Memorization:
Knowing your lines is the essential first


step to working on the three previous

elements.

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Aristotle
n Aristotle was born in Stagirus,
Macedonia, Greece in 384
BC and died 62 years later
in 322 BC.
n He was a student at Plato's
Academy and later became
one of the greatest
philosophers of Ancient
Greece.
n In one of his treatises,
n The Poetics, he outlines the
n Six Elements Of Drama, based
on the Ancient Greek belief
that tragedy was the
highest form of Drama.
n This outline has become a
guideline for many
playwrights throughout
history, and is especially
emphasized in the works of
William Shakespeare.
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 ELEMENTS OF DRAMA
by
Aristotle's
 The six elements listed below follow the
format suggested by Aristotle's Poetics in
Greece around 300 B.C. While these
elements are ranked by Aristotle in this
order according to importance, note that
many modern plays have little plot and
much spectacle. In the end, however, the
most important element for all theatre is
telling the story
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 Aristotle's
Six Elements of Drama
n

n 1. Plot (the incidents or story line)

n 2. Character (physical, social, psychological,
 moral--people represented in the play)
n 3. Thought/Theme (insights into humanity and life)
n 4. Music (all sound)
n 5. Spectacle (scenery and other visual elements)
n 6. Diction/language (the dialogue and poetry)

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n 1. PLOT - (a map, a chart) The overall
structure of a play. This consists of a
beginning a middle, and an end. The
beginning establishes given circumstances,
has the inciting incident and progresses to
the middle, which has the rising action and
conflict, leading to a climax. The end, also
called the denouement, establishes new
circumstances which the conflicts (now
resolved) have brought about.

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n

n 2. CHARACTER - (an engraving

instrument) The participants in the play.
Characterization is developed in three levels:
PHYSICAL, SOCIAL, and
PSYCHOLOGICAL.

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n
n
n 3. THOUGHT - (to seem like something
else) The themes, concepts and ideas in the
play. Generally speaking, a play needs to be
UNIVERSAL in thought (which makes it
appeal to the basic emotions and ideas of the
majority) and yet needs to be
INDIVIDUAL, or as others would say,
personal, unique or original.

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n

n 4. DIALOGUE - (between words or

thoughts) The exchange of ideas by
characters in a play. Dialogue gives
information, reveals character, directs play
and audience attention, reveals play themes,
controls tempo and rhythm.

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n 5. MUSIC - (the art of sound and tone) The
sound of a play. Most performers only
consider music as sound provided by
musical instruments, yet the sound provided
by the human voice is very critical to a
play's success. Music in Theatre is the sound
of the human voice, sound effects, and
sound provided by instruments for mood or
rhythm.

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n
n 6. SPECTACLE - (to see) The visual
elements of a production. Spectacle gives
information about locale, time and style of a
production. Spectacle aids characterization.
Spectacle establishes the mood of a play.

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n

“Art is one way of ordering, clarifying,

understanding, and enjoying our

experiences.”


-Oscar Brockett, theatre
scholar

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 Aristotles
Six Elements of Drama
n PLOT – what happens in a play; the order of
events, the story as opposed to the theme;
what happens rather than what it means.
n THEME – what the play means as opposed to
what happens (plot); the main idea within the
play.
n CHARACTER – the personality or the part an actor
represents in a play; a role played by an actor
in a play.
n DICTION/LANGUAGE/DIALOGUE – the word
choices made by the playwright and the
enunciation of the actors delivering the lines.
n MUSIC/RHYTHM – by music Aristotle meant the
sound, rhythm and melody of the speeches.
n SPECTACLE – the visual elements of the
production of a play; the scenery, costumes,
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 PERHAPS
IT IS TRUE THAT
ACTING
IS THE ONE INDISPENSABLE
ELEMENT.
WITHOUT WHICH IT IS
IMPOSSIBLE TO HAVE A PLAY
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 ELEMENTS OF DRAMA
IN MORDEN AGE
n Character n Genre

n Plot n Audience

n Theme n Stagecraft

n Dialogue n Design

n Convention n Conversions
n n

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 Aristotle's Definition
Play Structure:


n 1. Exposition
n 2. Rising Action
n 3. Climax
n 4. Falling Action
n 5. Resolution/Denouement

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Freytag's Triangle
n Gustav Freytag was a
German writer and
critic born in
Kreuzburg, Silesia,
in July of 1816, and
died in 1895.
n In his book Technique
of the Drama
(1863), he proposed
a method of
analyzing plots
derived from
Aristotle's concept
of unity of action
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to be
Freytag's Triangle

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Structure of a Play

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 Beginning:

n i.      Prologue and or start of play

with introduction of characters,
date, place, time, setting, and
exposition and inciting incident
introduced
n ii.      Point of attack, introduce
primary conflict and central
dramatic question

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 Middle:
 


n i.      Characters pursue objectives

and encounter obstacles
n ii.      Answers sought; goals of
characters conflict with other
characters
n iii.      Characters attempt to
overcome obstacles and challenges
n iv.      Characters plan tactics,
succeed, fail, attack, retreat,
surprise, and are surprised,
encounter major reversals and a
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 End:

n i.      Characters engage in final

conflict (climax of play)
n ii.      Characters main objective
achieved of lost
n iii.      Central dramatic question is
answered, theme or ideas of play
confirmed. Resolution where order
is established


n
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n The basic Characteristics of the
cause to effect arrangement are:
n Clear exposition of situation
n Careful preparation for future events
n Unexpected but logical reversals
n Continuous mounting suspense
n An obligatory scene
n Logical resolution


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 Genre/Form
n
of Play
n Drama is divided into the categories
of tragedy,
 comedy,
 melodrama and
 tragicomedy. 
Each of these genre/forms can be

further
subdivide by style and content.

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 DESIGN
n Theater Space
n The Proscenium Theater
n The Thrust Stage
n The Arena Stage
n Variant Forms
n The Fixed Architectural Stage
n Auditoriums

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n Set Design,, realistic, abstract,
suggestive, or functional.
n Stage Facilities
n Lighting Design
n Costume Design
n Mask, Makeup
n Technical Production
n Sound and Sound Effects
n

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arena
n In an arena
theatre the actor
is totally
surrounded by
the audience.
Entrances to the
acting area are
normally made
through the
audience at the
four corners of
the stage. It look
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thrust
n In a thrust stage
theatre the actor is
surrounded on three
sides by the
audience-- the
fourth side contains
the scenery.
n Entrances to the
acting area are
through the scenery
upstage and
through the
audience at the two
front corners of the
stage.
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proscenium
n In a proscenium
house the actor is
on a raised platform
in front of the
audience.
n Scenery typically fills
the space behind,
upstage of, the
actor.
n Entrances to the
playing space are
made through the
scenery,
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 Drama…
n …isa story told in front of an
audience

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Elements of Drama
n Playwright-the
author of a
play
n Actors-the
people who
perform
n Acts-the units of
action
n Scenes-parts of
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 Elements of Drama
n Characterizatio
n-
playwright’s
technique for
making
believable
characters
n

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Dramatic Speech
n Dialogue-
conversation
between or
among
characters
n Monologue-long
speech by one
single
character
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Stage Directions
n Found in brackets [
]
n Describe scenery
and how
characters speak
n C, Center Stage
n L, Stage Left
n R, Stage Right
n U, Upstage or Rear
n D, Downstage or
Front
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Theater
n Where a play
takes place


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 Set
n Construction on
the stage that
shows
time/place
n Could be called
Scenery
n
n

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Props
n Small movable
items that the
actors use to
make actions
look real

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 Art is
skill acquired by
experience, study, and clear
observations.

Ramesh B. M.com,M.P.A

Dramatics Specialist
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 Bibliography
Forman, R.J. Classical Greek and Roman
Drama: An Annotated Bibliography. Salem
Press, 1989.
The Classical World Bibliography of Greek
Drama and Poetry. New York, 1978.

The Poetics, by Aristotle

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