DRAMA

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Hot seating: Questioning a character in role

Thought Tracking: The character speaks their thoughts out loud

Though Tunnel: Character(s) walk past other characters who comment on

their situation

Voices In The Head:Recall of words said by others about a character or

situation A fact file of information about your character = Character Cards

Improvisation : A way of investigating what your character may do in

different circumstancesImprovisation, in theatre, the playing of dramatic
scenes without written dialogue and with minimal or no predetermined
dramatic activity. The method has been used for different purposes in
theatrical history.

A written way of exploring your characters thoughts and feelings= Writing in

role.

A diagram which allows you to note all you know about your
character=Role Play

Drama Terms
1. Act--one of the main divisions of a play.
2. Antagonist--a person who opposes the hero of a drama
3. Aside--a dramatic convention by which an actor directly addresses the
audience but it is not supposed to be heard by the other actors on the stage.
4. Climax--the highest point of dramatic interest, the turning point in a play
5. Comic relief--relief from emotions or tension or seriousness; humor
6. Conflict--a controversy or struggle between the protagonist and the
antagonist
7. Dialogue--a conversation between two or more persons
8. Drama—a play that usually tells a story, involving conflicts and emotions
through action and dialogue
9. Dramatic irony--irony that occurs when the meaning of the situation is
understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play
11. Falling Action--the part in the play that occurs after the climax of the plot
and the conflict is resolved
12. Fourth wall--the imaginary divide that separates the audience from the
performance space
13. Monologue--an uninterrupted speech delivered by one person directed
to the audience
14. Playwright--a person who crafts a play
15. Props--all of the items used in a play to tell the story not including the
scenery or costumes, the short form of "Properties”.
16. Protagonist--the leading character, hero, of a drama.
18. Rehearsal—performance of the play before presentation to an audience.
19. Rising Action--related series of incidents in the plot that build towards
the highest point of interest
20. Scene--a smaller division of an act of a play, according to setting
21. Screenplay--a drama script written for TV or film.
22. Script--the words, the stage directions, the cast of characters, etc. of a
play.
23. sets/flats—constructions of scenery/backdrops where the drama takes
place
24. Setting--the time or place in which the action of a play takes place.
26. Stage Directions--instructions written into the script of a play, blocking,
dialect, lighting, etc.
27. Stage Manager—person responsible for the props and getting actors on
stage at the right time.
28. Stereotype--a stock character easily recognized
29. Suspense--the excitement felt at the height of a play
30. Theme--the real subject of the drama

Role play
This is the act of pretending to be somebody else, of taking on a role. The
role may be from a script or a character you have created. Thinking, acting
and even feeling differently to your ordinary self can help you empathise
with that person and better understand an issue or theme

A facial expression conveys an emotion that tells us about the character and
the way they react to the situation. It may also tell us something about that
situation, eg if the character is very shocked when something happens. A
facial expression can also convey the character’s true feelings. A character
may be flattering another character verbally but a mocking eye-roll will show
the audience the character’s true emotion. An actor’s facial expression may
reveal a subtext or deeper meaning that contradicts what they say or do in
the scene.

Emotions and moods

Emotions are feelings and a mood is the state someone is in, related to that
feeling. "I feel happy. Therefore I am in a good mood." These are what facial
expressions mostly reveal. Think about the different words available and try
to use an interesting and precise word for what you want to express.
Practise your facial expressions in front of the mirror so you can see how
you interpret different emotions. Do you overact? Is your puzzled face too
similar to your surprised face?

This is the act of pretending to be somebody else, of taking on a role. The

role may be from a script or a character you have created. Thinking, acting
and even feeling differently to your ordinary self can help you empathise
with that person and better understand an issue or theme.

This explorative strategy would be effective if you were using the work of
Konstantin Stanislavski as your chosen style. He took the approach that the
actor should inhabit the role that they’re playing. The actor shouldn’t only
know what lines they need to say and the motivation for those lines, but
should also know every detail of that character’s life offstage as well as
onstage.

You could use a role on the wall diagram to help you. Divide an outline of a
person in two from top to bottom. Write down what the character thinks and
feels on one side and what other characters think and feel about your
character on the other side. You can also include factual information about
the role you are playing around the outside of the figure. This will help you
understand your character better.

MONOLOGUE

A Monologue is when one solitary character speaks to the audience and

shares their feelings? point or view (or simply says their lines) There are two
basic types of monologues in drama: Exterior monologue: This is where the
actor speaks to another person who is not in the performance space or
speaks to the audience. Interior monologue: This is where the actor speaks
as if to himself or herself.

FREEZE FRAME

This is a frozen picture which communicates meaning. A freeze-frame is a

form of still image that is achieved by the simple freezing action.They are
very useful as an immediate way of communicating ideas or telling a story.
They can be used to represent people or objects and even abstract
concepts like emotions or atmospheres. As there are no lines to learn,
freeze frames can help shyer performers to gain confidence. Freeze frames
can be brought to life through improvisation or used as the basis for thought
tracking. can stand next to the frozen character and speak their thoughts
aloud.disadvantages are: You can't change the frozen frame, instead you
would need to recreate the clip. If you move the playhead in the Timeline
before creating the freeze frame, there is no automated process to sync the
freeze frame to the Timeline

STILL IMAGE

Still Image and freeze frame are synonyms and It can provide insight into
character relationships with a clear focus upon use of space, levels, body
language and facial expression. Still images can be naturalistic, a
photograph of an important moment or abstract, more representational of
feelings or an event.

Still images can be used in a variety of ways. During a long speech they
might be used to punctuate the words with clear imagery, making the drama
onstage more interesting by adding a visual dimension to the work. They
can also be used for marking the moment to explore a key moment in time.
Downstage Center

The center part of the stage closes to the audience.

Downstage Right

acting area closest to the audience on the right side of the stage as you face
the audience.

Downstage Left

acting area closest to the audience on the left side of the stage as you face
the audience.

Center Stage

the center area of the stage.

Center Stage Right

acting area in center right side of the stage as you face the audience.

Center Stage Left

acting area in center left side of the stage as you face the audience.

Upstage Center

center stage area further away from the audience.

Upstage Left

Left side of the stage, further away from the audience.

Upstage Right

right side of the stage, further away from the audience.

Apron: The area of the stage in front of the proscenium arch, which may be
small or, in a thrust stage, large.

Backstage: Areas of the theatre adjacent to the stage accessible only to

performers and technicians, including the wings, crossover, and dressing
rooms. Typically this refers to areas directly accessible from the stage and
does not include spaces such as the control booth or Orchestra pit

Crossover: The area used by performers and technicians to travel between

sides of the stage out of sight of the audience; sometimes created onstage
with flats, or masking and drapery.

Plaster Line: An imaginary reference line on the playing area that indicates
where the proscenium arch is. Typically, the plaster line runs across the
stage at the back face (upstage face) of the proscenium wall.

Proscenium: The portal that divides the audience from the stage in
traditional Western theatres.

Prompt corner: Area just to one side of the proscenium where the stage
manager stands to cue the show and prompt performers.

Rake: A slope in the performance space (stage), rising away from the
audience.

Safety curtain: A heavy fireproof curtain, in fiberglass, iron or similar

material placed immediately behind the proscenium.

Shell: A hard, often removable surface, designed to reflect sound out into
the audience for musical performances.

Smoke Pocket: Vertical channels against the proscenium designed to

contain the safety curtain.

Thrust stage: A performance space projecting well in front of the

proscenium arch, usually with the audience on three sides.

Wings: Areas that are part of a stage deck but offstage (out of sight of the
audience). The wings are typically masked with legs. The wing space is
used for performers preparing to enter, storage of sets for scenery changes
and as a stagehand work area. Wings also contain technical equipment,
such as the fly system.

STAGES

Proscenium stage in a proscenium arch theatre, the audience all sit facing
the same way. The stage is often raised and the audience usually sit in
raked seating, This type of stage, gives everyone in the audience a good
view because the performers need only focus on one direction rather than
continually moving around the stage to give a good view from all sides.
Thrust Stage A thrust stage sticks out into the audience, who sit on three sides or A
performance space projecting well in front of the proscenium arch, usually
with the audience on three sides.

Arena Stage : An Arena stage is characterized by a central stage surrounded

by audience on all sides. The stage area is also often raised to improve
sightlines.

In The Round : When using in the round staging, the audience sit around
the stage on all sides, and the performers enter and exit through the
audience on walkways. In the round staging can provide an intimate
atmosphere and fully immerse the audience in the play.

Traverse

A traverse stage is long and narrow with the audience sitting on either side,
like a catwalk.
End-on staging is very similar to proscenium arch, but without the arch
frame around the stage space. As with proscenium arch staging, blocking is
usually simple as the audience all face the same direction and sit in a fixed
position.

BRETCH
The playwright Bertolt Brecht was born in 1898 in the German town of Augsburg. Bretch
was the creator of Epic Theatre. Brecht was against cathartic theatre. He believed that
while the audience believed in the action onstage and became emotionally involved they
lost the ability to think and to judge. He wanted his audiences to remain objective and
distant from emotional involvement so that they could make considered and rational
judgements about any social comment or issues in his work. To do this he used a range
of theatrical devices or techniques so that the audience were reminded throughout that
they were watching theatre; a presentation of life, not real life itself. His kind of theatre
was called Epic theatre. He called the act of distancing the audience from emotional
involvement the verfremdungseffekt.

Alienation Technique
The alienation technique was used to “make strange” and ensure that the
audience were aware that they were watching a play and not real life, so
that they focus on the issues and not the story.

Also known as Verfremdungseffkt

How would they alienate the audience?

A play’s ending might be announced at the beginning, so that the audience
would not be in a state of suspense, wondering what was going to happen.

The actors might mingle with the audience in the bar before the play started,
so that the audience didn’t think that they were ‘stars’ or the actual
characters they were portraying.

Banners and slides would be used to tell the audience what was happening
on stage, and to destroy the illusion that they were witnessing ‘real’ events
on stage.

The mechanics of the stage - lighting, sound equipment, props, projectors,

and so on - would all be visible to the audience, so that they could not be
fooled into thinking that they were watching ‘reality’.

Characters would often address the audience directly (frequently ‘out of

role’) in order to narrate the events unfolding on stage and prevent people
from becoming ‘drawn into’ the action.

Songs would be used to break up the action, and give the audience a
chance to reflect on what they were seeing. The effect might resemble the
chorus in classical Greek theatre.

Characters would often speak in the third person. They would also say the
stage directions.

Actors would often multi role.

Objects would be used as multiple props. EG A crate might be used as a

table, a chair, a horse etc.

Epic theatre (Brechtian theatre) breaks the fourth wall, the imaginary wall between the
actors and audience which keeps them as observers. They are active members of the
theatrical experience as they are kept thinking throughout, not switching off.

Episodic -- The action unfolds as a series of episodes all connected but perhaps out of
chronological sequence. Most scenes are of equal significance; that is to say, no one is
necessarily more climatic than another though some episodes may have their own
mini-climax.

Spass
Spass literally translates as ‘fun’. Brecht wanted to make his audience think. He realised
that while we are laughing we are also thinking. So much so that the playwright Eugène
Ionesco called him a ‘postman’ because he was always delivering messages! However,
Brechtian work isn’t boring and it’s definitely not always serious either. Even if the
message itself is serious Brecht realised that comedy could be an excellent way of
engaging the audience and forcing them to think about issues.

As well as Alienation Techniques there were other techniques that

Brecht developed within Epic Theatre. These include:

The Past :Brecht would always set his plays in the past so that the
audience can look back dispassionately.

Gestus : Gestus can be gesture, movement, stance, or vocal. It is

used to represent how a character is feeling or to represent their
attitude. Often it comments on society. In Brechts Play Mother
Courage when the mothers children are taken away from her she
stands in a freeze frame and lets out a scream. This represents
how she feels and also comments on society. Brecht believe the
gestus should be so apparent that even a deaf person should be
able to understand what was happening.

Boxing Ring Theatre: Brecht would have his action staged in a

boxing ring theatre. Boxing rings are often loud and brash with
bright lights-he wanted his theatre to be the same. The boxing ring
also meant that visible stage mechanics were much more possible
than in for example proscenium arch theatre.

Montage: A montage is a series of freeze frames, images or

scenes put together in no particular order. Often music is played
over the top.
Spass was also an excellent way to break the tension. Brecht needed to break rising
tension to stop the audience from following characters on their emotional journey. It
might be used in the form of a comic song, slapstick or physical comedy or even a
stand-up routine. It’s ‘silliness’ in effect but often makes strong social comment in the
way it’s used in the treatment of a serious subject.

Naturalism is a movement in European drama and theatre that developed in the late
19th and early 20th centuries. It refers to theatre that attempts to create an illusion of
reality through a range of dramatic and theatrical strategies

SCRIPTWRITING
How to write a script
A script is a piece of writing in the form of drama. Drama is
different from prose forms of writing, like novels and short stories,
as it is meant to be performed either for stage, radio, television or
film.

This means it has to sound effective when it is read out loud. It

also means it has to be written in a special form. This section will
deal mainly with writing a script for the stage. There will be a brief
section at the end with pointers for writing a radio script or a
screenplay.

A script consists of dialogue (what the characters say to each

other), stage directions and instructions to the actors and director.

Title
Scene - say where and when the scene is set
Characters - say which characters are in the scene at the start.
You should give any information we need to know about them but
keep this brief. This might be their age, occupation or relationship
with another character.
THEATRE IN EDUCATION

Theatre in education is used to encourage effective learning in schools.

It calls for careful consideration of the audience's age and requirements in

order to engage them and get the message across.

A tableau French for "living picture", is a static scene containing one or more actors or
models. They are stationary and silent, usually in costume, carefully posed, with props
and/or scenery, and may be theatrically lit.

Theatre in education is used to encourage effective learning in schools.

It calls for careful consideration of the audience's age and requirements in order to
engage them and get the message across.

TIE

There is a clear aim and educational objective running throughout.

A small cast so actors must be versatile and often have to multi-role.

They explore issues from various viewpoints, so we can see the effect of an action upon
a range of people.

There is some level of audience involvement.

They are rarely wholly naturalistic because direct address or narration is used to engage
the audience.

The costumes are simple and representational, especially if actors have to multi-role.

They may include facts and figures to educate the audience.

They may have a strong message or moral running throughout.