ELEMENTS OF DRAMA and the ONE ACT PLAY

Drama is a literary composition to be acted by players on a stage before an

audience. Its successful portrayal depends on the cooperation that must
exist among writers, actors, producers and audiences in accepting the limitations and the
conventions of the stage. Since the turn of the twentieth century, modern drama has become the
greatest form of mass entertainment in the western world. Experimentation and innovation are basic to
this century’s dramatist. Through movies and television, everyone has experienced the excitement and
emotional involvement that gives the drama its important place in our lives today. The drama is difficult
to read because it is meant to be seen, not read.

It demands much imagination and attention on the part of the reader to enable him to hear the tones and
see the actions of the actors against an imaginary background. The reader has only the dialogue from
which to visualize the costumes, the situation, the facial expressions, and the movements of the
actors. The drama is also difficult to write because the playwright must be aware of the interests and
opinions of the actors and producer as well as his audience. He must also recognize the limitation of the
stage and work within the many conventions and restrictions it imposes on the actions of his characters
and the locations of his settings.
ELEMENTS OF THE DRAMA
 Setting
 Plot and Plot structures
 Characters/Characterization
 Conflict
 Theme
 Suspense and Atmosphere
The literary elements of the drama include setting, plot, characters, and theme. Essential to the effective
presentation of these elements are conflict, structure, suspense and atmosphere. Each of these elements
are included in any narrative composition, but drama adds extra elements of stage direction, lighting
effects, and the visual presence of the actors, the set and costumes.

A. SETTING
The setting of a drama presented on stage must be adapted to the limitations of the stage area.
The playwright must confine his locations to scenes that can be constructed on the stage and
limited to as a few changes as possible. The actions must be physically restricted on the stage, and
depend on dialogue, lighting, and sound effects to carry the actions and events that cannot be presented
visually. It is this physical confinement that makes writing plays more difficult than any other narrative
form.

B. PLOT
The plot of the drama, although limited in its physical actions and changes of location or scene, is
similar to that of the novel or short story. It must have the same characteristics of development and
structuring, and depend on conflict, suspense and mood to carry the action forward.

Technical Divisions
Acts and scenes are the divisions of a play. Shakespeare’s plays are mainly five acts in length,
with many changes of scene within each act. However, the modern theatre audience is accustomed to
sitting for only two to three hours to watch a play. This means the average modern play must be limited to
three acts, which also has the benefit of keeping set changes minimum. A few modern plays run longer
and have five or six acts.

Structure of the Play

The technical development or structuring of the action in a drama is similar to that of a novel.
 •A preliminary exposition opens up the play, presenting background information and any necessary
explanation of the situation. It introduces the characters.

•The inciting moment follows the preliminary exposition in which the conflict is presented and the main
action begins.

•The rising action then develops through a series of incidents and minor crises which lead up to the
climax or the turning point of the struggle when the action turns against the protagonist.

•The falling action follows the climax as the conflict works itself out either for or against the
protagonist.
•The denouement (ending) presents the final outcomes of the struggle, sometimes referred to as the
catastrophe which is the end of the struggle, but it is necessarily a tragic ending.

Developing the ACTION

Preliminary Exposition:
The beginning must be clear, brief, and interesting. Every detail must have a purpose: characters
are introduced in their roles, background information is given, the mood and tone are established,
time and place are given, and any necessary hints at the outcome or suggestion of theme that will give
understanding to the plot is provided.

Complications:
The complications which keep the plot moving forward must have some basis in real life. They
develop through series of crises that move in waves of heightened emotion, all moving upwards to a peak
of crisis or climax where the action reverses from the previous rising action and the events go for or
against the protagonist towards a final outcome. The falling action, like the rising action, moves in waves
of emotional crises. The denoument or ENDING should be natural in its outcome, inevitable in its
solutions, unless it is a surprise ending, and realistic in its purpose.

Suspense:
Suspense in situations which rouse our concern for the welfare of the characters can be created in many
ways in a play. It can be accomplished through a series of crises and a major crisis or climax,
foreshadowing, surprise or use of the unexpected, withholding information, disguise, and the intervention
of chance or fate.

Dramatic Emphasis:
Emphasis is maintained by demonstrating every point to the audience. Every scene or conversation between
characters must have a purpose; dialogue must not wander away from the major concerns of the plot nor
must it be directed towards superfluous or unrelated detail. Exits and entrances must be managed with
purpose and be properly timed to gain dramatic emphasis, while maintaining a
naturalness that does not destroy the continuity of events. Artistic economy must be observed at all times,
permitting no waste of movements, words, or events to obtain an overall unit and emphasis of purpose.

Prologue and Epilogue:

A prologue is generally given by an actor before the play begins. Its purpose is to present an explanatory
poem or speech that introduces information that is needed to start the play. An epilogue is a speech made
by an actor after the play is over. It may be used by the playwright to reveal what happened afterwards or to
point out the lesson of the play. In this way he is able to convey the meaning behind his play and its
outcomes which could not be done naturally within the plot.

Atmosphere:
 The atmosphere and mood of the drama is created by the set, the lighting, the furnishings, the music or
sound effects, the opening dialogue, the facial expressions and gestures of the actors, and the growing
tension of the plot.

Stage Directions and Their Value:

As plays are intended to be seen, not read, everything in them, must be seen or heard. All informa-tion,
emotions, attitudes, and reactions must be presented through speech and action. This means that stage
direction must succeed in reaching the audience through effective use of speech, action, furnishing,
lighting, exits, entrances, and sound effects. Stage directions must determine the actor’s movements, choice
of costumes, as well as the behavior of characters and interpretations of their speeches.

C. CHARACTERS AND CHARACTERIZATION

Characters in a play are portrayed by actors who speak the dialogue and carry out the action of
the play. Sometimes characters may be merely instruments in the plot; at other times, they have control
of the action.

All characters must appear natural so that their motivations and reactions as well as their exits
and entrances seem realistic to the audience.
Some dramatists introduce a wider range of characters into their plays than other authors.
Shakespeare has the widest, most developed range of any playwright.

Characters are developed through their dialogue and their actions.

Their dialogue carries the plot and theme of the play and must be adapted
to their individual characters. If dialogue is unrealistic, it must still reveal their character.

Characters must be strongly drawn, consistent and believable.

Sudden changes in character, inappropriate gestures, wrong dialogue, mistimed facial
expressions or smiles when the mood is sad or hostile must be avoided if the play is to be
consistent in its portrayal and effective emotionally and intellectually for the audience.

D. CONFLICT
Drama is created by conflict.
It usually involves opposing forces, sometimes external and physical, sometimes internal and
psychological. There may be a clash of wills in a conflict of purposes, or there may be a mental or
emotional conflict within on person.

E.THEME
Theme in a drama is similar in its aspects to those of the short story or novel. Theme is the main idea or
purpose of the story, which the playwright is trying to convey to the audience.

ONE-ACT PLAYS
A one-act play is similar to a short story in its limitations. It is a complete drama within one act. It is brief,
condensed, and single in effect. One situation or episode is presented, permitting no minor plots or side
actions that may distract attention for the single purpose and effect being developed. Charac-ters are few in
number, quickly introduced, and very limited in character development. Dialogue and plot must carry the
action forward smoothly and quickly.

One-acts can run anywhere from fifteen minutes to an hour or more. While technically, the one-act play gets
its name from having only one act (however long that might be), it's more commonly thought of as a play that
isn't long enough to constitute a full evening. Arguably the most popular length for one-acts is around a half-
hour.
A good one-act focuses on one main action or problem; there's not time to get into complicated layers of plot.
And for practical reasons, it's a good idea to keep your play to one set and as few scenes as possible. You will
be asked to write your one-act with the most minimal set and technical demands possible.

Like all drama, one-act plays are made up of the same elements that are necessary for short stories : Theme,
Plot, Character, and dialogue.

THEME
The one-act needs to have a theme or thought just as a full-length does. What is the play about? Revenge?
Self-discovery? Whatever your choice, it needs to be clear in your mind what your theme is. In a full-length
play, all characters, plots, and subplots need to point to and support the theme. The one-act is not much
different, except the subplots will likely be absent.

PLOT
This is much different in the one-act than in the full-length. For a full-length play, the plot is the series and
sequence of events that lead the hero (and the audience) on the journey. In a one-act play there is really only
time for one significant event. This is the determining place for the hero, where all is won or lost. Events that
lead up to this must be incorporated into the script without the benefit of the audience seeing them. And any
events that follow must be inferred or understood by the audience that they will occur.

CHARACTER
There is really only enough time in this to get to know one character well -- the hero. In the short time that the
one-act play is going, it is the hero's event that the audience is experiencing; again, there
isn't time for more than that. Some characteristics of the supporting characters, including the

antagonist, will need to be portrayed for the story to move forward, but it is the character of the protagonist
that is vital to the story line.

DIALOGUE
Economy is the key here. Each line must be crafted carefully to focus on the theme, the incident, and the
character of the protagonist. The dialogue need not be abrupt, but must be concise and full of meaning. Any
lines that do not point to the focus of the play should be carefully considered for whether they are needed

Dramatic Analysis and Construction of the One-Act-Play

 
I. The Theme of the One-Act play
II. The Technique of the One-Act play
a. The characters in the one-act play
b. The plot of the one act play
1. The beginning of the one-act play
2. The middle of the play
3. The end of the play
III. Dialogue of the play

A one-act play deals with a single dominant situation, and aims at producing a single effect,
though the methods used may vary greatly from tragedy to farce, according to the nature of the
effect desired. As the play is short and the action takes place within a short period of time,
greatest economy and concentration is required. Everything unneeded is to be strictly avoided.
The play must be close knit and the greatest attention must be paid to its structure. It is a highly
artistic form and has immense possibilities for development.
Though short in form the one-act play can have as its theme a large number of varied subjects.
In fact every subject between heaven and earth is fit for the one-act play. It, of course, deals with
only one action to produce the maximum of effect. Some tense situation or some particular phase
in the life of an individual is chosen and is depicted in an effect-tive manner. All attention is
concentrated on that particular moment and the story of the play hangs on it.
Various problems connected with the life of the individual are discussed. Thus various sort of
things – love, marriage, divorce, justice, crime, punishment, law, superstitions, customs and
manners – are all suitable themes for a one-act play. According to its theme the one-act play can
be divided into different types as – realistic plays, problem plays, phantasies, costume plays,
satire, romance, etc. In short, the playwright has a large and varied choice of subjects which can
be discussed equally well in the one-act play.
The One-Act Play, like the longer drama, should have a beginning, middle and an end. It may be
divided into four stages: the Exposition, the Conflict, the Climax and the Denouement. All these
stages may be distinctly marked as in the larger play, but more often than not, they tend to
overlap in a one-act play.
The Exposition serves as an introduction to the play. The situation and the themes of the play are
explained to the audience and the important characters are also introduced. The part of the story
that has already happened and which it is necessary to know for an understanding of the play, is
also told to the audience. But as the one-act play is very short, the dramatist cannot devote much
time to this introduction-and explanation.

Therefore, the exposition of a one-act play is usually brief.

The exposition is followed by the conflict. It is through the conflict that the action of the drama
develops. The conflict means a struggle between two opposing forces. The conflict may take
different forms. There may be a struggle between two opposite interests, ideas, persons, group of
persons, or the hero and his fate or circumstances. There may also be an inner conflict between
two opposite ideas or urges in the mind of the hero, who may not be able to decide what to do and
so may suffer great agony of spirit as a consequence. The conflict is the very backbone of the one-
act play. Complications after complications arise and the readers are in constant suspense about
the outcome of the conflict.
After the conflict comes the climax. It is the turning point of the drama. One of the two
contending forces now gains supremacy over the others. It is now clear which of the two would
win in the end. The climax is an important part of the one-act play and constitutes its moment of
supreme interest.
The Denouement is the next and the final stage of the one-act play. The play now reaches its end.
One of the two contending forces now definitely gets victory over the other and the action of the
drama concludes. As the space at the disposal of the writer of one-act plays is limited, the
denouement is very brief and often overlaps with climax. The plays come to an end just after the
climax.
There are three dramatic unities which are observed in the One-Act Play as far as possible. The
unities are – the unity of time, unity of place and the unity of action. If the drama is to be probable
and natural, these three unities are to be observed by the dramatist. Of course, sometimes it is
difficult to observe these unities, but effort is to be made to observe them as far as possible.
The characters in a one-act play are limited in number. The space at the disposal of the
playwright is limited and if he introduces too many characters, it would result in overcrowding
and lessen the effect of the drama. Of course, there is no hard and fast rule as to the number of
characters in a play. But generally there are not more than two or three principal characters.
Not only are the characters limited in number, there is also no full development of character. The
dramatist has no time to present the characters through the different stages of their development.
All the different aspects of a character are not presented. The attention is focused on only one or
two unique aspects of character and they are brought out by placing the characters in different
situations and circumstances.
Besides this, the characters in the modern one-act play are ordinary men and women. They are
neither saints nor devils. They have all the faults and weaknesses, as well as all the virtues that
ordinary human beings have. If they are otherwise, it would make the play unnatural, unrealistic
and unconvincing.
Dialogue is of the greatest importance in the One-Act Play. As the drama is short, all wordiness is
to be avoided. Absolute economy of means should be used. Every word is to be carefully chosen
and sentences must be compact and condensed. Effort should be made to say, whatever is to be
said, in the least possible words. Thus the language of the dialogue should be simple, brief and
easy to understand. Long speeches and arguments and long sentences would be out of place and
would lessen the charm and interest of the play.
Detailed stage-directions are invariably introduced by the dramatist in the one-act play. The
space at the disposal of the playwright is limited and so he cannot supply us with detailed
information through a lengthy exposition or during the action of the play itself. This purpose is
served by the stage directions. Moreover these stage directions, describing the minute details of
the scene, give an air of realism to the drama.
Besides, the play is not meant only for acting but for reading as well. The reader can know of the
entire scene through the stage direction and can, to a great extent, appreciate the real spirit of the
drama. The stage directions function to make the play perfectly clear to the reader. They impart
realism and authenticity to the one-act play.