Reading the Wrighting

1. Reading the Wrighting Chapter Seven Intro to Theatre

2. Pick a play – Any play • Take a moment to flip through the play you’ve chosen. Jot down some preliminary notes: • What type of play do you think this is? How do you know? • How many acts? Characters? Male/Female ratio? • Are there set design suggestions? How many settings? • Would the play be a candidate for your space/theatre? • Are there a lot of stage directions?

3. Next – notice some details • How is the play printed? Typically, plays follow a standard format: ALL CAPS (with or without BOLD FACE) = character names Italics (sometimes in parenthesis) = stage directions Standard type = dialogue Example: MARTHA: Tom, please stop! (Then to FRED) Can’t you make him stop?

4. Elements and Structure of Drama • THE BIG THREE: Plot, Theme, and Character • PLOT: simply put – it’s what happens in the play The plot is organized around units such as exposition, inciting incident, crisis and denouement. • THEME: what the play is about. What is the lesson the plot is trying to teach us? • CHARACTER: somebody has to be up on stage, right?

5. BASIC DRAMATIC STRUCTURE Climax Crisis Denouement Crisis Inciting Incident TENSION Exposition TIME

6. GENERIC PLOT • We meet the main character (PROTAGONIST) along with other characters, and the EXPOSITION reveals the ANTECEDENT ACTION (actions that just happened prior to curtain.) The plot starts to move (INCITING INCIDENT) when the protagonist begins trying to achieve a goal or OBJECTIVE. CONFLICT occurs because the protagonist is prevented from easily reaching his/her goal by a series of OBSTACLES, often in the form of a competing character (ANTAGONIST). Each obstacle is confronted in a CRISIS. Finally, the outcome of the protagonist’s striving hangs in the balance at the CLIMAX. Finally, the “loose ends” of the story are neatly tied up in the DENOUEMENT. And….curtain!

7. WHY WE NEED EXPOSITION LIFETIME OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS DEATH BIRTH Time covered in the play ANTECEDENT ACTION

8. TYPES OF PLAYS • TRAGEDY • COMEDY • DRAMA • MELODRAMA • SENTIMENTAL DRAMA • SENTIMENTAL COMEDY • FARCE • THEATRE OF THE ABSURD • COMEDY OF MANNERS • SATIRE • PARODY • MUSICAL COMEDY • SOCIAL DRAMA

9. TRAGEDY • ACCORDING TO ARISTOTLE, TRAGEDIES MUST HAVE THE FOLLOWING ELEMENTS: • Must be of a serious nature, intended to provide the audience with an emotional catharsis, by arousing deep feelings of horror and pity • Must adhere to the three unities: TIME, PLACE and ACTION. The story must take place no longer than ONE day, in ONE location and must not be interrupted or diluted by sub-plots • Must feature a tragic hero: a person of exalted state (someone of importance) who is essentially a good man but has a tragic flaw in his character such as excessive pride. • Fate or destiny brings the tragic hero to a crisis point where he is forced to choose between two courses of action, neither of which is obviously better than the other. • The hero is destroyed by his choice.

10. COMEDY • Any play that has a happy ending – EVEN IF THE PLAY IS NOT FUNNY. • Even some murder-mystery plays that are resolved and have a “happy ending” are technically considered comedies!

11. DRAMA • Serious plays about serious subjects. • Character development and theme are usually more important than plot.

12. MELODRAMA • Category for plays about serious subjects where plot is more important than character and theme. • Characters tend to be flat – and they don’t really change or develop during the course of the play. Murder mysteries and suspense thrillers fit into this catagory

13. SENTIMENTAL DRAMA • The “Soap Opera” category. Serious subjects are treated in a serious manner; plot and character are more important than theme. There is usually a heavy emphasis on the emotions of the characters.

14. SENTIMENTAL COMEDY • The “Sit Com,” or Situational Comedy. Subjects are usually lighter, and are treated with humor. Major emphasis is on plot and character.

15. FARCE • “Low Comedy” – emphasis is almost entirely on plot, with bawdy jokes and physical humor. Elements of farce include such things as • Chases, disguises, talking at cross purposes, and slapstick (pratfalls, slipping on banana peels, etc.)

16. THEATRE OF THE ABSURD • Contains elements of many other types. It is usually defined by its underlying themes of the meaningless nature (or absurdity) of life. Often, the very structure of the play reinforces this idea.

17. COMEDY OF MANNERS • “High Comedy” with an emphasis on the cleverness and witty dialogue of the characters, who are usually equally members of the upper class.

18. SATIRE • Also “High Comedy” Poking fun at social customs and current fashions—sometimes including specific individuals at the times—perhaps in an effort to change current thought and behavior.

19. PARODY • Specific form of SATIRE in which a very familiar play/song/movie/etc is recreated in a humorous way, poking fun at the original version

20. MUSICAL COMEDY • Possibly America’s only original contribution to dramatic literature. Features spoken dialog combined with songs and dances—and since Oklahoma! The songs are integrated into the action, a real change from the older operetta form.

21. SOCIAL DRAMA • Is the serious counterpart of satire. Current social problems are examined in a serious manner. Modern serious plays dealing with homelessness, drug addiction, child abuse or teenage violence would fit in this category, if their intent seems to be to change prevailing attitudes and policies.

22. STYLES OF PLAYS Realism Naturalism Expressionism Theatricalism Representational Presentational