Drama Research Paper free essay sample

The structure of dramatic texts, unlike other forms of literature, is directly influenced by this collaborative production and collective reception. ELEMENTS OF DRAMA * Music/Rhythm: Aristotle the rhythm of the actors voices as they speak. Spectacle:Â  the visual elements that the audience sees as they watch the play (sets, costumes, special effects, etc. ) * Plot: the basic storyline action that happens in the play. * Theme: the meaning, and main idea or lesson to be learned from the play. * Characters: the people, animals, or ideas portrayed by the actors who move the plot. * Dialogue:Â  the words written by the playwright and spoken by the character which helps move the action of the play along. Convention: the techniques and methods used by the playwright and director to create the desired stylistic effect. Genre: the type of play (comedy, tragedy, mystery, historical play, etc. ) * Audience: the group of people who watch the play considered most important by playwrights and actors: all of the effort put in to writing and producing is for the enjoyment of the audience. We will write a custom essay sample on Drama Research Paper or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page DRAMATIC SPEECHES: types of dialogue used by playwrights * Aside: a brief comment made by one character that is not meant to be heard by other characters, spoken to the audience or to another character. Soliloquy: a longer speech unheard by other characters in which a character reveals his or her true thoughts or feelings, the speaker is alone on stage. Monologue: a long, uninterrupted speech by one character, to which other characters usually listen. CONFLICT: an inherent incompatibility between the objectives of two or more characters or forces that creates tension and interest in a story by adding doubt as to the outcome (Man vs. Himself, Man vs. Man, Man vs. Nature. ) STAGE DIRECTION: the precise movement and positioning of actors on a stage in order to facilitate the performance of a play, ballet, film or opera, usually determined by the director for the proper dramatic effect to ensure sight lines for the audience and work with the lighting design of the scene. Up-stage: The rear of the stage; from raked stage, sloping up away from the audience. Down-stage: the front of the stage. * Stage left (prompt) amp; right (bastard/ opposite prompt): the actors left amp; right facing the audience. * House (camera) left amp; right: how the audience perceives the stage. THEATRE: a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance. SET: constructions indicating where the drama takes place; consists of all the scenery, furniture and props the audience sees at a play production. It should suggest the style and tone of the director’s whole production concept, create mood and atmosphere, give clues as to the specific time and place of the action, and offer creative possibilities for the movement and grouping of the actors. PROPS; property: moveable objects used on set, stage, or screen distinct from the actors, scenery, costumes, amp; electrical equipment during a performance or screen production. CHARACTERIZATION: the art or process of conveying information on and creating characters for a narrative. * Direct or explicit characterization: the author literally tells the audience what a character is like; via the narrator, another character, or by the character himself. * Indirect or implicit characterization: the audience must infer for themselves what the character is like through the character’s thoughts, actions, speech (choice of words/ way of talking), looks, and interaction with other characters, including other characters’ reactions to that particular person. TYPES OF DRAMA: Comedy: plays that are light in tone; usually with happy endings, to make the audience laugh; ranging from realistic stories (humor from real-life situations), to outrageous slapstick humor. Tragedy: one of the oldest forms of drama; rarely have a happy ending; in ancient times, often a historical drama featuring the downfall of a great man; in modern theater, has a bit looser definition involving serious subject matter and the death of one or more main characters. Farce: a sub-category of comedy; with greatly exaggerated one-dimensional stereotypical characters amp; situations (mistaken identities, physical comedy, and outrageous plot twists. ) Melodrama: exaggerated drama; with simplified and one-dimensional characters (a hero who must rescue the heroine from the villain. ) Musical: the story is told, not only through dialogue and acting, but through music and dance; often comedic, although many do involve serious subject matter. Most involve a large cast and lavish sets and costumes.