Types of Dramatic Devices

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Dramatic Irony

occurs when the reader knows a secret, but the characters in a play or work of fiction do not.
Therefore, the words or actions of a character carry a special meaning for the reader, but are
understood differently by the character. The characters are blind to facts, but the reader is not.

Nemesis

is applied to the justice which comes about when an evil act brings about its own punishment and
poetic justice prevails.

Paradox

is a device used to attract the reader’s attention. It is a statement which seems contradictory or
absurd, but well-founded and true at the same time.

Soliloquy

is a speech given by a character in a play when the speaker is alone. This is presented to inform
the audience or reader of what is happening in the mind of a character and to give information
about the action of the play.

Pathetic Fallacy

is a device used by poets and writers whereby nature mirrors the political condition of society.
Pathos a situation that elicits pity from the audience.

Aside

a speech made by an actor DIRECTLY TO THE AUDIENCE, but seemingly to himself or

herself. It is always a true reflection of the characters’ thoughts. Its function is to reveal
character.

Tragedy

a type of drama of human conflict which ends in defeat and suffering. Often the main character
(dignified, noble) has a tragic flaw (weakness of character, wrong judgement) which leads to his
or her destruction. Sometimes the conflict is with forces beyond the control of the character –
fate, evil in the world.

Foreshadow

a hint or warning of things to come, making specific events in the plot seem more probable as
they unfold.

Imagery

using images to describe or compare something to, so that the reader forms a picture in his or her
mind.

Hamartia

is an ancient Greek theatre term meaning the error, frailty, mistaken judgment or misstep through
which the fortunes of the hero of a tragedy are reversed. Hamartia must express itself through
a definite action, or, failure to perform a definite action. Hamartia can result from bad
judgment, a bad character, ignorance, inherited weakness, or accident. This error does not
always result from an error in character.

Tragic Hero

Tragedy is about WASTE, a waste of people and a waste of unrealized potential. Hamlet has
high individual potential which is wasted by an individual weakness which greatly affects
others. If Hamlet’s potential had been realized, he would have been a hero. Unrealized potential
is the difference between a successful versus an unsuccessful quest.

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Drama techniques

1. 1. Drama in Education Techniques Julie Meighan

2. 2. Action Narration  A scene is performed with participants using narration to describe their
actions around individual spoken lines of dialogue.
3. 3. Mantle of the expert  A specific form of role play in which the leader endows the group with
special knowledge thus increasing the participants’ involvement and providing them with power
and responsibility.
4. 4. Conscience Alley  Structured like a Gauntlet, but the group plays the character’s thoughts,
and voices are lower in volume. Word or phrase is spoken as the character passes by individuals
in the group.
5. 5. Creating a place  With only bodies and movement, and sometimes sound, participants
create a setting (like a stormy ocean, a participant’s bedroom, etc.).
6. 6. Dreamscape  Like a soundscape, but the sounds and words are focused on dream images,
sounds, words, word phrases. Statements and sounds are orchestrated and will overlap at
times. Teacher or one/two group members may orchestrate the Dreamscape.
7. 7. Enactment  Small group creation of a scenario on any subject usually improvisational and
based on a specific theme or conflict. The scene might also reveal an event in the past, as a
flashback or depict future consequences of choices or action from the drama (flash-forward).
Scenes may be given a specific form, as in selection of media format such as talk shows, straight
news programmes, and live interviews.
8. 8. Gauntlet  Two rows of people facing each other. Make sure there is space between the two
rows for someone to walk. As one character walks, the characters in the line do an action; speak
a word, sentence, or phrase to the character walking by. There will be some overlapping of
spoken words.
9. 9. Group sculpture  An individual or members of the group model volunteers into a shape using
as many members of the group and/or objects necessary, to reflect and encapsulate a particular
aspect of the theme or issue under scrutiny.
10. 10. Forum theatre  A situation is enacted. Participants were given the opportunity to jump and
change the action thus exploring different attitudes towards the event and promoting discussion
and negotiation.
11. 11. Hot-seating  Three seats are set out, and three individuals play the same character, the rest
of the participants question the character to get to know them better, their point of view,
background, and views on the other characters and/or problems in the story.
12. 12. Interview  One party is given a response from another (usually in role) through appropriate
questioning, in order to reveal information, attitudes or motives.
13. 13. Narration  This can be done in or out of the dramatic context. A way to provide a narrative
link, atmosphere, initiate a drama, move the action on, create tension.
14. 14. Narrative Pantomime  Teacher narrates a scene while the group pantomime/mimes the
action/story.
15. 15. Pantomime/Mime  Action and story telling without words. May be done in normal speed,
slow motion, fast, and with one or more people.
16. 16. Perceive and reflect  Group discussion and share about what was seen, what was learned
and what did we like
17. 17. Role Play  The entire group takes on specific roles, designed by the leader, in order to
explore the situation of drama. These roles can be defined through occupation (family
counsellors), relationships (members of a family crisis) or attitude (political protestors). The
group can assume roles of the same definition or a combination of roles may be used,
depending on the needs of the workshops.
18. 18. Role on the Wall  Participants are writing on a paper outline figure of character first
impressions and information they learn about the character as they discover the character in
the story or play. Participants are seeing that the better we know someone, the better we
understand them, and they are seeing a character transformed.
19. 19. Soundscape  Sound, song, words, and phrases, either pre-recorded or performed live, are
used to create the mood and atmosphere of a character’s lived experience. The group are
encouraged to think of the Soundscape as having a musical shape to it and to weave the various
words, statements and sounds together, orchestrating them as precisely as possible. Teacher
may be the conductor or a participant.
20. 20. Tableau/Still image  Frozen action, a picture, book illustration, frozen time image.
 21. 21. Teacher-in-Role  Teacher takes on a role as part of the story for participants to interact
with them inside the drama.
22. 22. Thought tracking  Usually used in conjunction with still image work where the leader steps
into the image to ask the characters their innermost thoughts and feelings.

1. Vocal Dynamics

Your lines are just words until you deliver them, but unless your voice is well-trained, they’ll
still fall flat or sound forced. In order to accurately portray different characters and emotions,
you need to expand your vocal toolbox and learn about the ways that range, pitch, and
pronunciation affect your performance. Sometimes you need to adopt an unfamiliar accent or use
slang naturally; other times you must change your pitch to communicate building anger,
excitement, or sadness.

If you hope to perform in theatrical productions, vocal projection is an incredibly important skill.
Whether you dream of exciting Broadway musicals or quiet, character-driven dramas, it’s
equally important to work on your volume, range, and pitch so the audience can hear and
understand you!

2. Body Language and Mannerisms

Stage directions are separate from spoken lines, but they work together to explain the events of
the plot and clarify each character’s emotions and personalities. Actors bring their characters to
life by moving, reacting, and even standing in nuanced ways that are natural for their character.
Very subtle differences in posture, walking speed, or even the force with which you pick up a
prop can speak volumes about your character’s intentions.

For example, if your character is angry at another character, your body language should be as
tense as possible. You might pace back and forth within a small space as the other actor speaks,
or tense your shoulders and clench your fists; these all indicate levels of restraint and anger. If
your character is relieved or excited, put a “swing” in your step and relax your shoulders to
express openness and contentment. Watching real-life examples is a great way to study this
important drama technique. The next time you’re out and about, observe how strangers stand and
readjust themselves during long conversations, or how a friend moves her arms while walking
down a sidewalk.

3. Use and Awareness of Space

It’s important to be aware not just of your “marks” on stage, but also of the actors who must
interact with or move past you. Your position on the stage or set affects everything from lighting
and sound to camera angles and audience perspective. If you know how to make use of the space
around you–and seamlessly hit the right marks at the right time–it will show immediately in your
performances and auditions. You’ll look and sound more authentic, it will be easier for other
actors to do their jobs, and you can focus on losing yourself within a fictional world.

4. Improvisational Techniques

You might associate improvisation with comedy clubs and sketch shows, but on-the-spot
creativity is a skill that comes in handy for actors of every discipline. For example, if a castmate
flubs his line during a live performance, you must be able to think on your feet and respond like
your character would; if you’re convincing, the audience won’t even realize there was a mistake.

Group improv exercises are great practice for this, as they force you out of your comfort zone
and require you to come up with believable, funny, or relevant responses to a wild variety of
unrelated prompts. Comedic actors develop a better sense of timing and rhythm by practicing
improvisation, and dramatic actors benefit just as much. T

Ultimately, mastering these drama techniques will make it easier to shed your own identity and
become your character. When you’re aware of your voice, mannerisms, and movements, you can
combine them in infinite ways to communicate the moods, feelings, and backgrounds of the
characters you play. Practice this, and soon it will become like second nature!

Verbal dramatic techniques

Verbal dramatic techniques are essentially what we learn through the dialogue (what the character's
say). Such techniques include speech, dialogue, monologue, aside and direct address. You should
consider the delivery of this dialogue through tone, pace, pause etc. to get a real sense of what the
playwright and/or director are aiming to represent. Verbal techniques should be explored alongside
literary techniques (see below), to show how language and dramatic action work together to effectively
convey a performance.

Non-verbal Dramatic Techniques

Humans are constantly reading situations and inferring meaning. Directors deliberately manipulate the
audience to evoke a particular response via techniques such as lighting, music, gesture/body
language and facial expressions. Make sure you read between the lines and look for things like
symbolism, motif and contrast. Non-verbal techniques include a variety of things such as sets, stage
directions, costuming, props, music and sound effects.

Literary Techniques in Drama

A play, like any other engaging narrative, uses the power of language to convey meaning and provoke
reaction from the audience. The formality of language, or language register, is carefully considered by
the director to represent a particular place, time and social context. Figurative language techniques such
as metaphor, simile, personification and allusion (when used skillfully) engage the senses and
imagination of the audience, whilst other language techniques may cause the audience to question and
challenge their understanding of the world.