Drama Notes

1. Drama Notes

2. Elements of Drama

3. Literary • Parts that a playwright uses in the play • Plot (the story) • Theme (meaning of the story) • Characters • Suspense • Language (dialect, slang, etc.) • Monologue or soliloquy • Dialogue • Stage Directions

4. Literary cont. • 5 main parts of plot: • Exposition • Rising action • Climax • Falling action • Conclusion • Setting – time and place • Plays are divided into Acts which are further divided into Scenes

5. Technical • Scenery: • Suggest a location, time period, or physical setting • Flats – painted canvas covered frames • Flats can also be curtains, wood, cardboard, Styrofoam, paper mache, etc.

6. Technical Cont. • Sound • Sound effects or mood music • Microphones if needed

7. Technical Cont. • Lighting • Creates effects that signify mood • Colors are often used to give a sense of the time of day • Used to work with colors of costumes

8. Technical Cont. • Make-up: • Lighting can “wash out” actors faces, so make-up is used to accentuate features • Used to help create character • Allows for creativity –fake noses, fake blood, etc. • Includes fake hair and hair styles

9. Technical Cont. • Costumes: • Create feel for time, setting, place, job and social position • Need to consider colors that will work well with the lighting used

10. Technical Cont. • Props: • Set props – stationary items on the stage (sofas, chairs, tables) • Hand props – carried by the actors to enhance their character (swords, handbags, feather dusters)

11. Performance • Acting, verbal and nonverbal, reflects a character’s motivation: • Motivation– how everything from a character’s past, present, and future effects their actions • Wants, Obstacles, Strategies, Age, Wealth, Where from, Emotions, Education

12. Performance cont. • Empathy • Main goal of actor • To indentify w/ an actor • Share the actor’s feelings • Speaking • Breath control • Volume/Projection • Pronunciation/enunciation

13. Performance cont. • Vocal expression: • Diction (correct words/pronunciation) • Rate • Articulation (dialect) • Volume • Nonverbal expression: • Facial expressions • Body alignment • Gestures and basic movement

14. Types of stage

15. Types of stage • Proscenium Stage – raised picture-frame stage (box stage)

16. Stage types cont. • Arena Stage – audience sits on all sides – often lower than the audience

17. Stage types cont. • Thrust Stage – extends into the seating area of the audience – seating on three sides

18. The various roles in theater

19. Cast or Crew • Cast – group of actors who perform in the play • Crew – group of designers and technical staff working behind the scenes

20. Director • Coordinates all important aspects of a production • Audition and cast characters • Meet with designers • Deal with scheduling

21. Playwright • Creates the material to be performed • The central “must have” in any production • Also referred to as a dramatist • Royalty – money paid to a playwright or publisher for the rights to perform a play

22. Producer • The person who backs a play by paying: • Bills • Salaries • Royalties

23. Summary • Write 5-6 sentences for the summary