Remember to use Cornell Style with a summary

Drama Notes

Purposes of Drama

Need to express/communicate emotions/feelings/ideasNeed for social changeUniversal themes (good/evil)Show common ideas/emotions

Sharing the Human experience

Oral traditionNarrativeStorytellingFolktalesReligious rituals/ceremonies

Passing tradition and culture

EntertainmentAdventure movies (Indiana Jones)Sci-Fi (Star Wars)Action (Batman)Etc.

Recreation

Express/communicate emotion/ideas/feelingsWhen drama is performed on a stage in front

of an audience

Artistic expression

Elements of Drama

Parts that a playwright uses in the playPlot (the story)Theme (meaning of the story)CharactersSuspenseLanguage (dialect, slang, etc.)Monologue (soliloquy)DialogueStage Directions

Literary

5 main parts of plot:ExpositionRising actionClimaxFalling actionConclusion

Setting – time and placePlays are divided into Acts which are further divided

into Scenes

Literary cont.

Very important in modern theater, less so in the past

Scenery:Suggest a location, time period, or physical setting

(castle, doctors office, school, etc.)Flats – painted canvas covered framesFlats can also be curtains, wood, cardboard,

Styrofoam, paper mache, etc.

Technical

SoundSound effects or mood musicMicrophones if needed

Technical Cont.

LightingCreates effects that signify mood,

time, and placeColors are often used to give a sense

of the time of dayUsed to work with colors of costumes

Technical Cont.

Make-up:Lighting can “wash out” actors faces, so

make-up is used to accentuate featuresUsed to help create characterAllows for creativity (fake noses, fake blood,

etc.)Includes fake hair and hair styles

Technical Cont.

Costumes:Create feel for time, setting, and

placeNeed to consider colors that will

work well with the lighting used

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)

Props are used to help build a sense of time, place, socio-economic situations

Technical Cont.

Acting, verbal and nonverbal, reflects a character’s motivation: Wants Obstacles Strategies Age Wealth Where from Emotions Education

Basically how everything from a character’s past, present, and future effects their actions

Performance

EmpathyMain goal of actorTo indentify w/ an actorShare feelings

SpeakingBreath controlVolume/ProjectionPronunciation

Performance cont.

Vocal expression: Diction (correct words/pronunciation) Rate Articulation (dialect) Volume

Nonverbal expression: Facial expressions Body alignment Gestures and basic movement

Performance cont.

Proscenium Stage – raised picture-frame stage (box stage)

Types of stage (not an element, but very important)

Arena Stage – audience sits on all sides – often lower than the audience

Stage types cont.

Thrust Stage – extends into the seating area of the audience – seating on three sides

Stage types cont.

The various roles in theater

Cast or CrewCast – group of actors who perform in the

playCrew – group of designers and technical staff

working behind the scenes

DirectorCoordinates all important aspects of a

productionAudition and cast charactersMeet with designersDeal with scheduling

PlaywrightCreates the material to be performedShould be clear about the theme (meaning) they want

to conveyThe central “must have” in any productionRoyalty – money paid to a playwright or publisher for

the rights to perform a playAlso referred to as a dramatist

ProducerThe person who backs a play by paying:

Bills SalariesRoyalties