Lesson 2: One-Act Play

O bj e
1 . A n al yz e
of the lesson
2. Identify the distinguishing features of Anglo-American one-act plays
3. Get familiar with the technical vocabulary for drama and theatre
c t iv e s
a Use
4. o neeffective
- act and
plaappropriate
y non-verbal communication strategies

5.Explain how the elements specific to a one-act play contribute to the development of
its theme
6. Produce the English sounds correctly and effectively when delivering lines in a one-

act play
7. Use the appropriate prosodic features of speech when delivering lines in a one-act

play

8. Employ varied verbal and non-verbal strategies

9. Identify types and features of a play synopsis
 In this lesson,ithyou wieildl
vabr a
lv es w
yourscetive non- ver l
PROBI gaanudge
esftfreategies.

NG
As you go through the learning
activities in this lesson, have in mind
W
t
h a t makes
his q ues tio n:

for a well-
executed one-

act play?
 Activity: Act It Out!
One of you will be a “describer” while the rest
of the group will be “guessers”. Your teacher

wgui ellssgicvaerda c“ognutaeisnsscaatrdle”astot

ththreedietsecmrisbtehra. tTthe group’s

describer has to act out within the allotted
time of five minutes. The describer is

not allowed to talk or to say anything. The

person who is able to guess all items correctly
in the fastest time wins the game.
Examples of Guess

Guess CarCd
rds: Guess Card # 2

1. singing
soldier
a
# 1
2. slow runner 2. dancing
1. frightened queen
3. kind
king
gentleman 3. lazy worker
 Process Questions:
1. Which items are easy to guess? Which ones are
hard? Why?
2. How do gestures/movements and facial
expressions help in conveying the item to the
guessers?
 Reading
The Beggar A play in
one-act by Winthrop
and the King Parkhurst
Activity:
Literary
Reflectio
n
G o over the theme of the play
“The Beggar and the King”
and answer the reflective

questions that follow.

 Literary

1. Do
yRoeufltehcintikonthat
play is trying to convey an
the
important message? Why or

why not?
 Literary
Reflection

2. Remember a time when you

saw a beggar. What did you do?
 Literary
Reflection
3. Are you in favor of
giving alms to

beggar? Why or why

not?
 Literary
Reflection

4. As a student, what
do you think you can
do to help someone in
need like a beggar?
 Literary
Reflection

5. What do you think the

government should do in

order to alleviate the

condition of the

marginalized poor?
Understandin
g One-Act
Play
 play
-A pl ay i s a l i terary fo r m i
ntended
t o b e p e r fo r m e d on s t a ge b
e fo r e a n a u d i e n c e . Th e t e r m p
lay is also
u s e d t o r e fe r t o t h e s c r i p ti t s e l f .

-A p e r s o nw h o w r i t e s a p la y i
s c a l l e d a p l a y w r i gh t .
 Elements of a short story are also present in a
play, like the ones listed below:

 Theme - this tells what the play  Characters - the actors or actresses
si
all about playing specific roles in a play

 Plot - the narrative of

a play; how the  Dialogue - the conversation
story
between and among characters
develops
-A one-act play as the name implies is a play with only
one act. It typically deals with a single situation;
happens in a single setting; and involves few
characters.

-“The Beggar and the King” is an example of a one-act

play.
 Write Shop – A Playwright
Apprentice

With a group, think of a storyline which involves at least two characters. You may
add another character as you develop your plot. Brainstorm about the following
details:

 the relationship of your characters

(e.g. father and son, mother and daughter, friends, neighbours etc)
 the problem confronting them
 setting of the story (the time and location of your story)
 how you wanted your story to start and to end
Based on the activities you did in this section, take time to
give your initial answer to the focus question:

What makes for a well-executed one-

act play?
THANK
S
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