Learning Objectives:

We should be able to:

a.identify the different elements of
drama;
b.determine the guidelines for writing
a script for drama;
c.write a based on the elements of
drama; and
d.perform the written drama.
 “All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts.”

~William Shakespeare
 Drama
• Commonly known as “play”
• It is a literary composition that is written either
in prose or verse form.
• It is broadly defined as any story told in
dialogue form that is performed by actors for
an audience.
• It is literature that develops plot and character
through dialogue and action.
Important Terms in Drama:

• Dramatist/Playwright- the writer of plays

• Theater- where the play is done

• Theater Artists- the people involved in

the production of a play
 Aristotle’s Six Essential Elements of Drama:
1. Plot – refers to the story line of the play (flow of events).
2. Theme – pertains to the message that the playwright
wishes to convey through the vents and the
characters.
3. Characters – refers to the people, or sometimes
animals, portrayed by the actors in the play.
4. Dialogue – is the words or lines of the characters that
are meant to be delivered verbally by the actors.
5. Music/Rhythm – refers to the rhythm of the actor’s
voices as they speak/the variations in the manner
by which dialogues are delivered.
6. Spectacle – includes anything that can be seen
onstage during the performance of the play such
as design, costumes, and special effects. It is also
called visual elements.
Additional Elements Identified In The
Modern Theatre:
1. Convention – refers to the techniques or
methods that dramatists and directors
adhere to in creating the way the play is
written and interpreted.
2. Genre – pertains to the type of play.
3. Audience – refers to the viewers of the play.
 Three Major Types in Drama

Literary Elements
Technical Performance
1. Script Elements
2. Plot Elements
3. Characters
4. Setting
1. Scenery
5. Dialogue 1. Acting
6. Dramatic Devices 2. Props
• Monologue 2. Speaking
3. Sound
• Soliloquy 3. Nonverbal
• Stage Whisper 4. Makeup
• Aside Expressions
• Dramatic Irony
Dramatic Devices:
1. Monologue – long speech delivered by a single character
and addressed directly to a group of people within the
play.
2. Soliloquy – a speech that lets the character speak to
himself/herself, as if thinking aloud.
3. Stage Whisper – (loud whisper) delivered by an actor to
another and is audible by an audience , but not heard by
other actors on stage.
4. Aside – “unheard” by actors on stage, the character
speaks to an audience usually in brief remarks
5. Dramatic irony – the audience are fully and clearly aware
of the character’s words, actions, or situations, except the
character himself/herself.
 Basic Guidelines in Writing a Script
for a Play
 Plot Structure
1. Decide on your theme
2. Develop your story line
3. The careful use of each component of the plot is a
must.
4. Identify the main conflict and decide how this conflict
will be resolved as the story progresses.
5. Choose the characters that will be involved in your
story line.
6. Decide on your setting, it should set the general
atmosphere of the story.
Title
1. The script usually begins with a title followed
by the playwright’s name.
2. A good and catchy title stimulates the
interest..
3. It should capture the essence of the whole
play and leave a lasting mark on the
audience/reader.
Characters
1. After the title is the list of major and minor
characters in the play.
2. Short descriptions may be given after each
character’s name.
Setting
1. A play may have one or more settings.
2. At the beginning of the scene, you may provide
a short description of the setting to help readers
as well as the audience distinguish scene from
another.
Descriptions
1. In writing a script, the description provide
detailed information and background about
the characters and events before the
beginning of the play.
2. Through the descriptions, the readers are
given an idea of how the characters feel and
what they think about.
Dialogue
1. This refers to the lines that each character
speaks/delivers in the play.
2. It is customary that the dialogue begin with
the character’s name, usually in capital form.
Stage Directions
1. This describe how the actors, in the portrayal
of their characters, are expected to move,
act, and speak.
2. Present tense is observe in writing stage
directions.
The following are some basic terms that
are used in writing stage directions:
a. Downstage – that area of the stage that is
nearest the audience
b. Upstage – the 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 or she faces the audience
d. Stage Left – the side of the stage that is the
actor’s left as he or she 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.
 Activity: One-Act Play
Directions: Complete your task based on the
guidelines below:
1. Select 2 script writers in your group.
2. Select one director in each group.
3. Other members will be the actors and
actresses.
4. Script writers should be able to make a script
and it should be submitted and be checked
before your presentation.
6. This will be performed on October 11, 2019.