DRAMATIC STRUCTURE/

OOT/
BREAKING THE SCENE INTO BEATS
 Vocabulary
 Dramatic Structure: The plot structure of a play including the exposition, conflict, rising
action, climax, falling action, and resolution (or denouement).
 Plot: The arrangement of the incidents that take place in a play.
 Exposition: The portion of a story/ play that introduces important background information to
the audience such as setting, events occuring before the main plot, characters’ back stories,
etc.
 Conflict: The problem or obstacles a literary character must overcome. Often a struggle
between opposing forces.
 Climax: Turning point in the action of a play.
 Resolution: The action of solving a problem, dispute, or controversial matter.
 Tactic: An action or strategy carefully planned to achieve a specific end.
 Beat: A completed transaction in stage dialogue.
 Objective: The goal intended to be attained.
 Obstacle: The thing that stands in the way of the objective.
 Lesson Objectives:
The student will:

•recognize dramatic structure and plot.

•understand (beats).

•identify types of conflict.

•distinguish character objectives.

•establish tactics for reaching objectives.

The way plays are written is a special style of
writing called dramatic structure.
 This style is different from the way a short story, novel, or
poem is written.
 In a play, the talk, or conversation between two or more
characters is called dialogue.
 Dialogue is not set in quotation marks. Instead, the
character’s name appears before the spoken part.
 Plays are made up entirely of dialogue and stage directions,
additional information provided by the playwright or author.
 Stage directions help the actors know how to feel or what to
do when certain lines are spoken. Such directions are usually
printed in italics and set apart from the dialogue by
(parentheses.)
Plot Diagrams
 Plot Diagrams
•What is plot?
- The arrangement of the incidents that take place in a play.

•What should be covered in the exposition to a

story?
- Setting and Characters
•What is the conflict of a story?
- The problem of obstacles a literary character must
overcome. Often a struggle between opposing forces.
 Plot Diagrams
•What is rising action?
-The events leading from the conflict to the climax of a story.

•What is the climax?

-Turning point in the action of a play.
•What is falling action?
-The events following the climax of a story before the
resolution.
•What is the resolution?
-The action of solving a problem, dispute, or controversial
matter.
Plot Diagram Example
 The Lion King
-Exposition:
• Takes place near Pride Rock in the Pride Land (when Mufasa takes
Simba on the tour)
• Mufasa and Sarabi are Simba’s parents. He is friends with Nala. Scar
is Simba’s uncle and he has 3 hyenas that follow him around.

-Conflict:
•Scar kills Mufasa and sends Simba away.
Plot Diagram Example
-Rising Action:
• Simba meets Timon and Pumbaa
• Scar takes over the Pride land and starves the population of lions
living there
• Nala goes to look for help and finds Simba
• Rafiki helps Simba realize he should go back home to help his
family

-Climax:
•Simba kills Scar in battle
Plot Diagram Example
-Falling Action:
•Simba reunites with his mom and Nala

-Resolution:
•Simba takes his place as king, marries Nala, and continues his family
line
Types of Conflict
 We see different kinds of conflicts every day.
 In theatre, it is important to know what kind of
conflict your character is facing because we react
to different conflicts in different ways.
Types of Conflict
Man vs. man
•Example: a fight with your parents
Man vs. self
•Example: debating whether or not to cheat on a test
Man vs. supernatural
•Example: a battle against the god you believe in, like wanting to control
your own destiny (as in Greek Mythology
Man vs. nature
•Example: building a dam to stop a flowing river
Man vs. society
•Example: should I join in on this bullying or stand up for
what is right?
 Objectives, Obstacles, Tactics

We have objectives, obstacles to those objectives, and

use tactics to achieve those objectives in our lives every
day.
These stories are also all around us: in the media, the
news, our daily lives, our friends and family’s lives and
everywhere else.
It is important to know what your objectives,
obstacles, and tactics are when you are acting so that
you can act and react appropriately to different
situations.
Objectives, Obstacles, Tactics
 What is objective?
-The goal intended to be attained. The actor must
find out what his or her character wants. Using the
following statements help the actor to solidify the
objective of the character:

• I want
• I need
• I must have
Example: I want to eat dessert before my dinner.
Objectives, Obstacles, Tactics

What is an obstacle?
 The obstacle is what stands in the way of the objective.
 Example: My mom won’t let me have dessert until I’ve
eaten my dinner.
Objectives, Obstacles, Tactics
What is a tactic?
 An action or strategy carefully planned to achieve a
specific end.
I try to give my food to my dog
 I try to hide food in my napkin
 I sneak food onto my sister’s plate
 I sneak bites of the dessert when my mom isn’t looking
Beats

A beat in a play is a completed segment of stage

dialogue.
For each beat in a play or scene, you need to
establish your character’s objective, obstacle,
and tactic.
If you complete OOT, you have a completed
beat.
 Beats
•A beat is the smallest structural unit of a script defined as an
exchange of action/reaction.

• It's a line of dialogue, an action, or a reaction that creates an

emotional moment.

• Some talk about beats whenever there's a pause in a scene or a

change of emotional mood and other talk about beats in a play as
a whole.

•The original meaning of beats is whenever there's a change of

subject in a dialogue or a small action of a scene.
 Essential Questions:
 1. Create a plot diagram below by
labeling the following plot points:
Falling Action, Conflict, Climax,
Exposition, Resolution, Rising
Action. You will add on to this
after you have selected a project.
 2. Identify the beats in the scene
(mark on script and turn in during
performance).
 3. What are your characters
objectives and obstacles?
 4. What tactics does your
character use to accomplish
these objectives and overcome
the obstacles?
 5. What kind of conflict is in
your scene? Choose one of
the following and explain
why:
 Man vs. man
 Man vs. self
 Man vs. supernatural
 Man vs. nature
 Man vs. society
 Project Ideas
 Open Scene
 Choose a partner and one of the "open scenes" included.
 Discuss the piece together and answer the essential questions for your specific scene.
 Memorize your scene and perform it for the class.

 Given Scene/Monologue
 Either choose a duet scene with a partner or a monologue by yourself.
 Discuss the piece with your partner or analyze it by yourself and answer the essential
questions for your specific scene.
 Memorize your scene/monologue and perform it for the class.

 Original Scene/Monologue
 Either choose a partner to write a scene with or write your own monologue.
 Discuss the piece with your partner or analyze it by yourself and answer the essential questions
for your specific scene.
 Memorize your scene/monologue and perform it for the class.