Introduction to Drama

1. Introduction to Drama

2. Background of Drama • Unlike short stories or novels, plays are written for the express purpose of performance. • Actors play roles and present the storyline through dialogue, action, and gestures. • The audience must glean critical information from the action on stage. • For the most part, plays have no narrators. (There are a few notable exceptions to this rule.)

3. Background of Drama • Unlike novels or short stories, plays have special features. • Plays are divided into acts and scenes. Example: Act One, Scene Two • Scripts feature lists of characters and stage directions which require the reader to pause and visualize the set up. • Readers and actors must pay close attention to the dialogue in order to understand the characters and action.

4. History of Theater -Usually built on hillsides -Seating area (theatron) appeared on three sides of a circular stage (called the orchestra) -Steep incline and angled toward the stage -Back stage was known as the skene and contained many rooms, arches, and doorways from which actors entered and exited. Greek Theater

5. History of Theater Roman Theater • Modification of Greek Theater • Compressed 3 major components of Greek theater into one (the theatron, orchestra, and skene) • Placed on level ground instead of hillsides

6. History of Theater Roman Theater • Backstage area was transformed into one elaborate space, called the scaenaefrons, instead of several rooms. • The auditorium evolved into a semi circle • Circuses, fights of the gladiators, and lion feedings also took place here. • Fall of the Roman Empire in A.D. 364 led to the abandonment of these theaters.

7. History of Theater Medieval Theater • During the Middle Ages, many plays were performed in churches, but when the plays became too complex to perform inside the church, they were moved outside. • Plays performed on platforms near the church while the audience stood around it

8. History of Theater Medieval Theater • Sometimes these platforms were attached to the tops of wagons, called pageant wagons, which traveled to different areas to perform the plays • Special effects, such as trap doors, rigging that made things move about the stage and fire-breathing dragons evolved with the use of stage machinery called secrets

9. History of Theater Renaissance/Elizabethan Theater • During the Renaissance era, theater became an important part of cultural reawakening in Europe. • Based on Greek and Roman style, but were finally moved indoors.

10. History of Theater Renaissance/Elizabethan Theater • Used what is known as a raked stage, or a stage that is higher in the back than it is in the front. They used this to enhance the visual effects of the scenery. The actors would then perform on a flat surface in front of the raked stage. • Very intricate scenery began to appear with the use of drops that changed depending on the setting of the scene.

11. Drama Terminology

12. Stage Direction Up Stage Wings Wings Stage Right Stage Left Down Stage ***********Audience********** Backstage- Behind the proscenium in a theater, especially in the wings or dressing room. Off stage and out of view from the audience.

13. Acting Positions and Movements Closed- When an actor or actress turns his back to a portion or the entire audience when address another member of the cast. Open- When an actor or actress is fully turned the front of their body to face toward the audience. Cross- It is a movement from one place to another on stage Cover - An actor stands in front of another actor. Most likely it is the downstage actor covering the upstage actor.

14. Acting Positions and Movements Upstaging -  One actor upstages another when he takes a position that forces the second actor to face upstage or away from the audience. Since the downstage actor is put at a disadvantage, upstaging has an unpleasant connotation and is generally to be avoided. Counter Cross-    Adjustment in the opposite direction of the cross.

15. Lines and Dialogue Actor- One who performs a role or represents a character in a play. Dialogue- Lines spoken by the characters in a play, scripted by a playwright. Be true to the script Line- A sentence or group of sentences assigned to an actor to speak • Aside- A line spoken to a character which is not supposed to be heard by others on stage.