GAC 124

CREATIVE WRITING

DRAMA
 DRAMA
Also known as “play”
Drama or play is a literary composition that is written
either in prose or verse form.
Similar with other forms of creative writing such as
stories, novels, and poems, drama is also an effective
literary form used by writers to express socially
relevant issues, widely accepted morals, and universal
thruths about life.
 DRAMA
GREEK WORD Thus,

The word DRAMA originated Plays are intended to be

from the greek word “dran” performed onstage with a live
which means “to do”. audience.
 Aristotle’s Six Essential Elements of Drama

1. Plot- refers to the story line of the play.

2. Theme- pertains to the message that the playwright
wishes to convey through the event and the characters.
3. Characters- refers to the people, or sometimes animals,
portrayed by the actors in the play.
 Aristotle’s Six Essential Elements of Drama

4. Dialogue- is the words or lines of the characters that are

meant to be delivered verbally by the actors.
5. Music/Ryhthm- refers to the actor’s voices as thay
speak/ the variations in the mnner by which dialogues are
delivered.
6. Spectacle- incudes anything that can be seen onstage
during the performance of the play such as set design,
costume and special effects. It is also called visual elements.
Elements evolved, modern theater
identified additional elements.
• Convention

-refers to the techniques or methods

that dramatists and directors adhere to in
creating the way the play is written and
interpreted.
Elements evolved, modern theater
identified additional elements.
• Genre

-pertains to the type of play. Today,

plays can come in different forms like
musicals, comedy, tragedy, avant-grade,
and historical plays.
Elements evolved, modern theater
identified additional elements.
• Audience

-refers to the viewers of the play.

Most playwrights and stage directors of
today highly regard the audience as an
important factor in writing and production
plays. The storyline and themes should
stimulate common interests of the
audience.
Aristotle’s essential elements of drama
are further elaborated.
A. Literary Elements
SCRIPT PLOT CHARACTERS SETTING

DRAMATIC
DIALOGUE
DEVICES

B. Technical Elements
SCENERY PROPS SOUND MAKE-UP
Aristotle’s essential elements of
drama are further elaborated.
C. Performance Elements
NONVERBAL
ACTING SPEAKING
EXPRESSIONS
Literary Elements
 Script

- it is the written product of the

playwright. It contains the dialogues,
description, and stage direction.
 Plot
- refers to the story line or the
logical arrangement of events in the
play. The plot stucture of drama is very
similar to that of a short story. However,
the plot of the play is presented in
dialogues and stage directions while the
plot of a short story is written in
paragraph form.
 Plot Structure of Drama

• Exposition
• Rising Action
• Climax
• Falling Action
• Resolution
 Characters
- rerfers to the people, or
sometimes animals, portrayed by the
actors in the play. The playwright usually
gives brief, sometimes detailed,
character descriptions in the beginning
of the script. The names of the
characters in the play are repeatedly
stated in the script through the dialoges.
 Settings
- refers to the particular time or
place the story happened. In the
beginning of the script, the playwright
usually gives a background of the
setting. Normally, the playwright
describes what the audience will see
onstage in the beginning of the scenes.
 Dialogue
-pertains to the conversation
between and among the characters in
the play. The appropriate manner of
verbal expression and the correct choice
of words are necessary for the
playwright to clearly establish the
motives, traits, and attitudes of his/her
characters.
 Dramatic Devices

- for more creative and

meaningful expression, most playwrights
use the following dramatic devices:
 Monologue
-is usually a long speech delivered
by a single character and addressed
directly to a group of people “within”
the play or the actual audience inside
the theater.
 Soliloquy
-is a speech that lets the character
speak to himself/herself, as if thinking
aloud. A playwright uses this device in
order to let the reader/ audience
understand more deeply what the
character goes through internally.
 Stage Whisper
-also called a loud whisper that is
delivered by an actor to another and is
audible to the audience.
 Aside
- “unheard” by other actors
onstage, the character speaks to the
audience, usually in brief remarks, to
express his/her unspoken thoughts
aloud.
 Dramatic Irony
- the members of the audience are
fully and clearly aware of the
significance and implications of the
character’s words, actions, or situations
except the character himself/herself.
Technical Elements
 Scenery
-refers to the theatrical equipment
such as backdops and platforms that set
the mood and setting of each scene in
the play.
 Props
-in stage production, these are
objects or articles that vary from scene
to scene and can be moved from one
place in the stage to another.
 Sound
-refers to both music and effects
used in the production of the play. The
music, usually called musical score, gives
emphasis on the emotions conveyed in a
particular scene while sound effects are
used to represent sounds in the real
world such as the sound of rain, knock
on the door or even explosions.
 Makeup
-refers to the use of costumes,
body paint, wigs, and other similar body
accessories to transform an actor into
the character that he/she portrays.
Performance Elements
 Acting
-refers to the manner of an actor brings a
character to life through his/her words and
actions. The way an actor delivers the role of a
character is dependent on the dialogues and
stage directions in the script and how the
director interprets the play. Through effective
acting, the actors are able to command attention
from the audience and establish stage presence.
 Speaking
-pertains to the actor’s speaking
skills such as vocal expression,
enunciation, and projection that are
necessary to effectively deliver the lines
from the script.
 Nonverbal Expression
-includes the gestures, facial
expressions, and body movements that
the actors imply in their performance,
usually to support the delivery of lines.
 How to Write a Script?

Basic guidelines in writing a script

for a play
 Plot Structure

 Before writing the actual script, decide on your

theme first. From this theme, develop your story line.
 Plot structure consist of exposition, rising action,
climax, falling action and resolution.
 Identify the main conflict and decide how this
conflict will be resolved as the story progresses.
 Plot Structure

 Choose the characters that will be invoved in your

story line.
 Then, decide on your setting. The setting should set
the general atmosphere of the story.
 Finally, layout your story line clearly and smoothly
through thhe dialogue and stage directions.
 Title

 The script title must be good and catchy title that will
stimulate the interest of the reader while giving
him/her an idea of what the play will be about. Give
titles that are easy to recall. It should capture the
essence of the whole play and leave a lasting mark
on the audience/reader.
 Characters

 After the title is the list of major and minor

characters in the play. Short descriptions may be
given after each character’s name. Some plays have
narrators too. Just like how narrators function in a
novel or short story, they give the audience
important details about the events and other
characters in the play. The narrator may either be a
major or minor character in the play.
 Setting

 The setting refers to the time and place of the story

happens. A play may have one or more settings. At
the beginning of each scene, you may provide a short
description of the setting to help the readers as well
as the audience distinguish one scene from another.
 Description

 In script writing, the descriptions provide detailed

information and background about the characters
and events before the beginning of the play. Through
the descriptions, the readers are given an idea of
how the characters feel and what they think about
even before the first line is spoken. These
descriptions should clearly help the actors internalize
the characters as well as settings.
 Dialogue

 Dialogue refers to the lines that each character

speaks or delivers in the play. Moreover, you may
also include the use of literary devices such as
monologues and soliloquys for a more dramatic
effect.
 Stage Direction

 Stage directions written inside round brackets,

describe how the actors, in the portrayal of their
characters, are expected to move, act, and speak.
Stage directions also describe other movements on
stage such as sound and light effects. Take note that
the use of the present tense is observed in writing
stage directions.
 Stage Direction

 Stage directions also may be inserted, before, or

after the lines of the characters.
The following are some basic terms that are used in
writing stage direction.
 Stage Direction
a. Downstage- area of the stage that is nearest the audience
b. Upstage- portion of the stage that is farthest the audience
c. Stage right- the side of the stage that is the actor’s right as he faces the audience
d. Stage left- the side of the stage that is the actor’s left as he faces the audience
e. Offstage- the part of the stage that is not visible to the audience
f. Enter- the character comes upon or appears in the stage.
g. Exit- the character leaves the stage.
-END-
Questions