Elements of Drama

What is Drama?

Drama is different from other forms of literature because it is written to be performed.

When you read a drama, you should imagine that you see and hear the action of the performance.

• Drama, like fiction, includes:

– Characters: people who take part in the action– Conflict: a problem between two characters or

forces.– Shows a theme: a message about life.– May have a narrator: who acts as the

storyteller

Acts

Are the units of the action in a drama. Acts are often divided into parts called scenes.

ACT 1, SCENE iii: Darla’s Living Room

Script

• The printed form of a play or drama

Dialogue

• The words that the characters say.

• Quotation marks are not used in a script.

• The words of each character appear next to the character’s name.

ACT 1, SCENE iii: Darla’s Living Room

Dana: I wonder where mom and dad are.

Julie: I have no idea, but they should have been here an hour ago.

Stage Directions

• Stage Directions are sets of bracketed information that tell what the stage looks like and how the characters should move and speak.

ACT 1, SCENE iii: Darla’s Living Room

[Dana sits on the loveseat]

Dana: I wonder where mom and dad are.

Julie: I have no idea, but they should have been here an hour ago.

Set• The set is the construction on stage that

suggests the time and place of the action.

Props

• Props are the movable items or objects like books, a suitcase, or a flashlight.

• Actors use these objects to make their action look realistic.

ACT 1, SCENCE iii: Darla’s Living Room

[Dana sits on the loveseat]

Dana: I wonder where mom and dad are.

Julie: I have no idea, (Julie moves her WATCH to check the time) but they should have been here an hour ago.

Types of Drama

• Drama: plays that address a serious subject.

• Comedy: a form of drama that has a happy ending. The humor often comes out of the characters’ dialogue and situation.

Types of Drama

• Tragedy is a form of drama in which events lead to the downfall of the main character. This character is often a person of great significance, like a king or a heroic figure.

Quiz Time!

Which of the following might serve as a prop?

A. dialogueB. magazine

C. sceneD. set

Which might be included in stage directions?

A. lines spoken by the narratorB. a speech by the main

characterC. description of the of stage

D. a summary of the play

The printed form of a drama is the

A. dialogueB. scriptC. setD. act

Which is NOT contained in stage directions?

A. directions about how the characters should move

B. definitions of the words the characters should say

C. description of the stageD. directions about how the

character should speak

If a narrator appears in a drama, what is his or her main

job? A. to read the script to the

audienceB. to serve as the main characterC. to explain the stage directions

D. to act as the storyteller