INTRODUCTION TO DRAMA

What is Drama?
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes
from a Greek word meaning “action”, which is derived from the verb meaning “to do”
or “to act”. Drama as a genre of Literature is a piece of writing to be performed
for an audience or a play for the theatre, television or radio.

Drama as a genre combines the literary art of storytelling (and often poetry) with
live performance in a shared space. As a form of ritual as well as entertainment,
drama has served to unite communities and challenge social norms, to delight and
disturb its audiences. We will study drama from the outside in and the inside out:
class members will analyze plays that exemplify different kinds of dramatic
structure and functions; attend and review theatrical performances; compose
dialogue; and perform short scenes in class.

Types of Drama
(a) Tragedy: Tragedy is one of the oldest form of drama; however, its meaning has
changed since the earliest days of staged plays. In ancient times, a tragedy was
often an historical dramas featuring The downfall of a great man. In modern
theater, the definition is a bit looser. Tragedy usually involves serious subject
matter and the death of one or more main characters. These plays rarely have a
happy ending.(b) Comedy: When we talk about comedy, we usually refer to plays that
are light in tone, and that typically have happy endings. The intent of a comedic
play is to make the audience laugh. In modern theater, there are many different
styles of comedy, ranging from realistic stories, where the humour is derived from
real-life situations, to outrageous slapstick humour.

(c) Farce: Farce is a sub-category of comedy, characterized by greatly exaggerated

characters and situations. Characters tend to be one dimensional and often follow
stereotypical behaviour. Farces typically involve mistaken identities, lots of
physical comedy and outrageous plot twists.(d) Tragic-comedy: Tragic comedy is a
play that starts with a tragedy and end with happy ending.(e) Melodrama: Melodrama
is another type of exaggerated drama. As farce, the characters tend to be
simplified and one-dimensional. The formulaic storyline of the classic melodrama
typically involves a villian heroine, and a hero who must rescue then heroine from
the villian.

(f) Musical: In musical theater, the story is told not only through dialogue and
acting but through music and dance. Musicals are often comedic, although many do
involve serious subject matter. Most involve a large cast and lavish sets and
costumes.(g) Playlet: A play is a form of literature written by a playwright,
usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical
performance rather than just reading. Plays are performed at a variety of levels,
from Broadway, Off-Broadway, regional theater, to community theatre, as well as
University or school productions. There are dramatists, notably George Bernard
Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed or read.
The term “play” can refer to both the written works of playwrights and to their
complete theatrical performance.

IMPORTANCE OF DRAMA
i. Drama encourages kids to work collaboratively. They take part in activities
where they must rely on each other and learn to trust.ii. Drama is a wonderful way
for children to interact with, and interpret literature, or text of any sort. They
get opportunities to analyze how a character’s personality, motives and actions
influence plot. This can be as simple as understanding and portraying the fear that
a piggy feels when confronted by a wolf. Some kids who think they don’t like books
will find their way to reading by dramatizing a story or poem.iii. Drama develops
communication skills. Kids learn how to use their face, voice and body movements to
get a message across to any audience, whether it be at a job interview, on stage,
or with a group of friends.iv. Drama allows
order thinking skills in a playful context.
knowledge to new situations, analyze, solve
all skills that will benefit not just their
subject at school.
kids to practise many of the higher
They must think critically, apply
problems, make decisions, collaborate –
reading and writing, but every core

v. Drama prepares kids for real life. In our rush to have children acquire academic
learning, we often forget their personal and social development. The emphasis in
drama is on being a team member and working collaboratively rather than hogging the
limelight for yourself. Kids are expected to be active, reflective, flexible,
responsible and responsive – all skills that will benefit them in every facet of
their lives.vi. Drama gives kids an outlet for their creativity. Not every child
can wild a paintbrush to their own satisfaction or play an instrument like a
virtuoso. Drama is a level playing field. I have seen so many children blossom in
drama classes.vii. Drama encourages self-discipline. It might look and sound messy
and noisy but it isn’t a mayhem. It’s not about putting yourself first. It’s about
working as a group.

CHARACTERISTICS OF DRAMA
(a)Drama is meant to be acted on stage.(b) Action is involved in drama.(c)Drama is
written in Acts and Scenes.(d) Drama is watched by audience.

Elementa of drama
Drama is a composition of prose or poetry that is transformed into a performance on
stage. The story progresses through interactions between its characters and ends
with a message for the audience. What are the different elements of drama? How are
they related to each other? How do they affect the quality and thereby the
popularity of a play?

The six Aristotelian elements of drama are, plot, character, thought, diction,
spectacle, and song. Out of these, the first two are the most important ones
according to Aristotle.
Drama can be defined as a dramatic work that actors present on stage. A story is
dramatized, which means the characters and events in the story are brought to life
through a stage performance by actors who play roles of the characters in the story
and act through its events, taking the story forward. In enacting the roles, actors
portray the character’s emotions and personalities. The story progresses through
verbal and non-verbal interactions between the characters, and the presentation is
suitably supplemented by audio and visual effects.
Through the characters involved, the story has a message to give. It forms the
central theme of the play around which the plot is built. While some consider music
and visuals as separate elements, others prefer to club them under staging which
can be regarded as an independent element of drama. Lighting, sound effects,
costumes, makeup, gestures or body language given to characters, the stage setup,
and the props used can together be considered as symbols that are elements of
drama. What dictates most other dramatic elements is the setting; that is the time
period and location in which the story takes place.

Theme
The theme of a play refers to its central idea. It can either be clearly stated
through dialog or action, or can be inferred after watching the entire performance.
The theme is the philosophy that forms the base of the story or a moral lesson that
the characters learn. It is the message that the play gives to the audience. For
example, the theme of a play could be of how greed leads to one’s destroyal, or how
the wrong use of authority ultimately results in the end of power. The theme of a
play could be blind love or the strength of selfless love and sacrifise, or true
friendship. For example, the play Romeo and Juliet, is based on a brutal and
overpowering romantic love between Romeo and Juliet that forces them to go to
extremes, finally leading them to self-destruction.
Plot
The order of events occurring in a play make its plot. Essentially, the plot is the
story that the play narrates. The entertainment value of a play depends largely on
the sequence of events in the story. The connection between the events and the
characters in them form an integral part of the plot. What the characters do, how
they interact, the course of their lives as narrated by the story, and what happens
to them in the end, constitutes the plot. A struggle between two individuals, the
relation between them, a struggle with self, a dilemma, or any form of conflict of
one character with himself or another character in the play, goes into forming the
story’s plot. The story unfolds through a series of incidents that share a cause-
and-effect relationship. Generally, a story begins with exposing the past or
background of the main and other characters, and the point of conflict, then
proceeds to giving the central theme or climax. Then come the consequences of the
climax and the play ends with a conclusion.

Characters
The characters that form a part of the story are interwoven with the plot of the
drama. Each character in a play has a personality of its own and a set of
principles and beliefs. Actors in the play have the responsibility of bringing the
characters to life. The main character in the play who the audience identifies
with, is the protagonist. He/she represents the theme of the play. The character
that the protagonist conflicts with, is the antagonist or villain. While some
characters play an active role throughout the story, some are only meant to take
the story forward and some others appear only in certain parts of the story and may
or may not have a significant role in it. Sometimes, these characters are of help
in making the audiences focus on the play’s theme or main characters. The way in
which the characters are portrayed and developed is known as characterization. Here
is a list of characters in Romeo and Juliet.
Dialog
The story of a play is taken forward by means of dialogs. The story is narrated to
the audiences through the interaction between the play’s characters, which is in
the form of dialogs. The contents of the dialogs and the quality of their delivery
have a major role to play in the impact that the play has on the audiences. It is
through the dialogs between characters that the story can be understood. They are
important in revealing the personalities of the characters. The words used, the
accent, tone, pattern of speech, and even the pauses in speech, say a lot about the
character and help reveal not just his personality, but also his social status,
past, and family background as given by the play. Monologues and soliloquies that
are speeches given to oneself or to other characters help put forward points that
would have been difficult to express through dialogs. “What’s in a name? That which
we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet” from Romeo and Juliet in
which Juliet tells Romeo of the insignificance of names or “To be, or not to be”, a
soliloquy from Hamlet are some of the greatest lines in literature.

Setting
The time and place where a story is set is one of its important parts. The era or
time in which the incidents in the play take place, influence the characters in
their appearance and personalities. The time setting may affect the central theme
of the play, the issues raised (if any), the conflict, and the interactions between
the characters. The historical and social context of the play is also defined by
the time and place where it is set. The time period and the location in which the
story is set, affect the play’s staging. Costumes and makeup, the backgrounds and
the furniture used, the visuals (colors and kind of lighting), and the sound are
among the important elements of a play that dictate how the story is translated
into a stage performance. The Merchant of Venice has been set in the 16th century
Venice. Romeo and Juliet has been set in the era between 1300 and 1600, perhaps the
Renaissance period which is the 14th and 15th centuries.
Performance
It is another important element of drama, as the impact that a story has on the
audiences is largely affected by the performances of the actors. When a written
play is transformed into a stage performance, the actors cast for different roles,
the way they portray the characters assigned to them, and the way their
performances are directed are some important factors that determine the play’s
impact. Whether an actor’s appearance (includes what he wears and how he carries
himself on stage) suits the role he is playing, and how well he portrays the
character’s personality are determinants of how well the play would be taken by the
audiences. Different actors may play the same roles in different renditions of a
play. A particular actor/actress in a certain role may be more or less accepted and
appreciated than another actor in the same role. As different actors are cast for
different roles, their roles are more or less appreciated depending on their
performances. The stage performances of a play’s characters, especially those in
lead roles, directly affect the success and popularity of a play.

Music
This element includes the use of sounds and rhythm in dialogs as well as music
compositions that are used in the plays. The background score, the songs, and the
sound effects used should complement the situation and the characters in it. The
right kind of sound effects or music, if placed at the right points in the story,
act as a great supplement to the high and low points in the play. The music and the
lyrics should go well with the play’s theme. If the scenes are accompanied by
pieces of music, they become more effective on the audiences.
Visual Element
While the dialog and music are the audible aspects of drama, the visual element
deals with the scenes, costumes, and special effects used in it. The visual element
of drama, also known as the spectacle, renders a visual appeal to the stage setup.
The costumes and makeup must suit the characters. Besides, it is important for the
scenes to be dramatic enough to hold the audiences to their seats. The special
effects used in a play should accentuate the portion or character of the story that
is being highlighted. Apart from these elements, the structure of the story, a
clever use of symbolism and contrast, and the overall stagecraft are some of the
other important elements of drama.
The structure of the story comprises the way in which it is dramatized. How well
the actors play their roles and the story’s framework constitute the structure of
drama. Direction is an essential constituent of a play. A well-directed story is
more effective. Stagecraft defines how the play is presented to the audiences. The
use and organization of stage properties and the overall setting of a play are a
part of stagecraft, which is a key element of drama.
Symbols are often used to give hints of the future events in the story. They
complement the other elements of a scene and make it more effective. The use of
contrasts adds to the dramatic element of a play. It could be in the form of
contrasting colors, contrasting backdrops, an interval of silence followed by that
of activity and noise, or a change in the pace of the story.

History of Theatre

Theatre or theater[a] is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live

performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or
imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The
performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of
gesture, speech, song, music, and dance. It is the oldest form of drama, though
live theatre has now been joined by modern recorded forms.

The city-state of Athens is where Western theatre originated.[7][8][9][c] It was

part of a broader culture of theatricality and performance in classical Greece that
included festivals, religious rituals, politics, law, athletics and gymnastics,
music, poetry, weddings, funerals, and symposia.[10][9][11][12][d]
Participation in the city-state's many festivals—and mandatory attendance at the
City Dionysia as an audience member (or even as a participant in the theatrical
productions) in particular—was an important part of citizenship.[14] Civic
participation also involved the evaluation of the rhetoric of orators evidenced in
performances in the law-court or political assembly, both of which were understood
as analogous to the theatre and increasingly came to absorb its dramatic
vocabulary.[15][16] The Greeks also developed the concepts of dramatic criticism
and theatre architecture.[17][18][19] Actors were either amateur or at best semi-
professional.[20] The theatre of ancient Greece consisted of three types of drama:
tragedy, comedy, and the satyr play.[21]
The origins of theatre in ancient Greece, according to Aristotle (384–322 BCE), the
first theoretician of theatre, are to be found in the festivals that honored
Dionysus. The performances were given in semi-circular auditoria cut into
hillsides, capable of seating 10,000–20,000 people. The stage consisted of a
dancing floor (orchestra), dressing room and scene-building area (skene). Since the
words were the most important part, good acoustics and clear delivery were
paramount. The actors (always men) wore masks appropriate to the characters they
represented, and each might play several parts.[22]

Elements of theatre

"There are certain elements common to all theater. These elements are present
whenever
a theater event takes place; without them, an event ceases to be theater and
becomes a
different art form and different experience".
(According to the book "Theater, The Lively Art".)

Story telling

Storytelling theatre is a performance art that uses the power of story to engage,
entertain, and enlighten audiences. It is a unique form of theatre that combines
the elements of traditional theatre with the oral tradition of storytelling.
Storytelling theatre often uses music, movement, and puppetry to bring stories to
life. Storytelling theatre has its roots in the oral tradition of storytelling. For
centuries, stories have been used to teach, entertain, and enlighten people of all
ages. The oral tradition of storytelling has been passed down from generation to
generation, and it is still a vital part of many cultures today. Storytelling
theatre brings the oral tradition of storytelling to the stage. It is a unique form
of theatre that uses music, movement, and puppetry to bring stories to life.
Storytelling theatre is often used to teach, entertain, and enlighten audiences. It
is a powerful tool for communication and
What does telling the story mean? A theater can be enjoyable and cost-effective.
Storytelling, in addition to using theatrical, melodramatic, or ing stories, is
sometimes accomplished through improvisation, embellishments, and other creative
strategies. Children gain insight into themselves and society through stories and
dramas, which can help them develop self-awareness. It’s a good idea to tell
stories to students and encourage them to share them with their friends as a start.
There is a significant distinction between acting and storytelling in that acting
entails expressing a wide range of emotions – your character is expressing them,
whereas storytelling entails not telling the story at all.
A theater is the performance and audience of the same event. Storytelling has made
its way into theater. Storytelling transforms into telling the story as you go.

There are many reasons why storytelling is a form of theatre. First and foremost,
storytelling is a way to share a experience or a message with an audience in a way
that is entertaining and engaging. Additionally, storytelling often makes use of
elements of theatre such as props and costumes to help bring the story to life.
Finally, storytelling often follows a similar structure to theatre, with a
beginning, middle, and end, which helps to keep the audience engaged.
Monologues
Monologue, in literature and drama, an extended speech by one person. The term has
several closely related meanings. A dramatic monologue (q.v.) is any speech of some
duration addressed by a character to a second person. A soliloquy (q.v.) is a type
of monologue in which a character directly addresses an audience or speaks his
thoughts aloud while alone or while the other actors keep silent. In fictional
literature, an interior monologue (q.v.) is a type of monologue that exhibits the
thoughts, feelings, and associations passing through a character’s mind.

Types of Monologue
Monologues have various functions in dramatic texts. They can be deployed by an
author to drive the story forward, deliver exposition or give insight as to a
character’s motivations or backstory. As most monologues are delivered to another
character, they exhibit a great opportunity for the speaking character to challenge
or reverse their power or status in a scene.
When you encounter a monologue—within a larger text, or presented on its own—the
first and most important consideration you have to make is what kind of monologue
it is. This will give you some idea as to why it exists, and therefore how best to
approach it as an actor.

Character motivation

Character motivation describes the what drives a character to behave in the manner
that he or she does and why it's important in a drama. Explore motivation, see how
an actor taps into a character's motivation, and examine two examples.

The history of humanity can be summarized in one simple word: motivation.

Motivation is what drives people to build, work, eat, sleep, and do just about
anything else under the sun. As in real life, the characters in fictional stories
are also driven by a set of motivations. In this article, we will delve into the
archetypal character motivations found in literature and learn how to use these
archetypes to understand how our own lives and relationships are influenced by our
motivations.
Character Motivation In Fiction
A good story tends to carry its audience through the drama of its characters
experiencing the challenges of growth and transformation. What drives the plot
forward is each character’s motivation: the reason why they are doing what they are
doing. Motivation is what pushes characters out of their comfortable backstories
and into the drama of an adventure, quest, or new relationship.
Protagonists and antagonists become life-like when a writer crafts them with a
believable motivation that can change over time. An antagonist can become a
memorable villain when we learn the motivation behind their behavior. In most
stories, a writer will reveal a clear reason for why the antagonist acts against
the better interests of the protagonist. The reader may even feel empathy towards
the villain once their backstory is revealed.
Writers usually begin crafting a story with a basic understanding of each character
and their motivations. As the story develops, the writer guides their characters
through growth and transformation by challenging their characters’ abilities to
carry out their motivations.