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”. The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before
an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a collective form of
reception. The structure of dramatic texts, unlike other forms of literature, is directly
influenced by this collaborative production and collective reception.

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 kids to practise many of the higher order thinking skills
in a playful context. They must think critically, apply knowledge to new
situations, analyze, solve problems, make decisions, collaborate – all skills
that will benefit not just their reading and writing, but every core subject at
school.
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.
viii. Drama gives us a way to gain understanding of others. We learn tolerance
by walking a mile in another’s shoes, and drama is a way to do that.

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.

Drama vocabulary.
The theatre universe is fascinating, isn’t it?
Especially since it has its own technical terms. We have made a small selection to get back
on track and better understand the theatrical environment. Let’s go, let’s walk the
memory!

-Piece and theatrical text:

Act: Shakespeare’s plays are usually divided into five acts – which are subdivided into
scenes. There was not necessarily any clear division between the acts in a performance.
Scene: The subdivision of an act. There was no marked division between the scenes in an
Elisabethan performance.
Antonomasia : It is a literary term in which a descriptive phrase replaces a person’s name.
Antonomasia can range from lighthearted nicknames to epic names. Examples : Normal
sentence:“Oh, look! Sam’s arrived!” Sentence with Antonomasia: “Oh, look! The great
chef has arrived!”
Dialogue: When two or more characters talk with each other.
Script : The written words of a drama.
Monologue: A line spoken by one person.
Stage direction: The kind of dramatic discourse that gives the director and/or actors
information relating to the performance of the play. Eg. who is on stage? What does the
character do? How is a line delivered? etc. Shakespeare’s stage directions were fairly
limited.
Aside: A line spoken to one or more characters which cannot be heard by the remaining
characters. An aside can also be addressed to the audience.
Prologue: The introduction to/ presentation of the play. Often given to the audience by
the character “Chorus”. Often in verse.
Soliloquy: A line in which a character talks to him-/herself and reveals his or her private
thoughts. Convention dictates that other characters on stage cannot hear the soliloquy,
but usually the character is alone on stage.
Stichomythia: Stichomythia (Greek: Στιχομυθία) is a technique in verse drama in which
sequences of single alternating lines, or half-lines (hemistichomythia) or two-line
speeches (distichomythia) are given to alternating characters.
Dramatic Irony: Actions or remarks whose significance is not realised by all the
characters.
Stage Directions: Written or spoken advice on how to act a drama.
Vagary: An unexpected and inexplicable change in a situation or in someone’s behaviour.
Epilogue: Usually spoken by a main character at the end of a play, the epilogue concludes
the play and is often an apology for the play – or a request for applause.
Mime: Stylised form of movement which create an illusion of reality.
Alliteration: Repetition of consonant sounds. A device related to rhyme. “I
am Fortunes fool.”
http://www.wildbilly.dk/engelsk/dramavocabulary.html

– Stage vocabulary :
Auditorium: part of the theater where the audience sits; also known as the “house”.
Backing Flat: a flat which stands behind a window or door in the set.
Clear the stage: everybody off; a direction given to all actors, musicians, and technicians
to leave the stage area prior to the beginning of a performance.
Down stage turn: turning so your body passes through the full front position
Flats: muslin or plywood-covered frames used to build the walls of a stage setting.
Fourth wall: the imaginary “wall” between actors on stage and the audience.
Green Room: a room backstage in which the performers can sit and relax before, during,
and after a show.
House: where the audience sits.
Platforms: wooden units joined together to build the floors for a stage setting
http://www.pilinutpress.com/Articles/Arts/StageVocabulary.html

Are you ready now? Let’s go to make the quizz:

The origin of the drama is deep-rooted in the religious predispositions of

mankind. Same is the case not only with English drama, but with dramas of other
nations as well. The ancient Greek and Roman dramas were mostly concerned
with religious ceremonials of people. It was the religious elements that resulted in
the development of drama. As most of the Bible was written into Latin, common
people could not understand its meanings. That’s why the clergy tried to find out
some new methods of teaching and expounding the teachings of Bible to the
common people. For this purpose, they developed a new method, wherein the
stories of the Gospel were explained through the living pictures. The performers
acted out the story in a dumb show.

Mysteries and Miracle Plays

In the next stage, the actors spoke as well as acted their parts. Special plays
were written by the clerics, at first in Latin and later in the vernacular French.
These early plays were known as Mysteries or Miracles. The very
word Mystery shows its ecclesiastical origin, since the word comes from the
French Mystere derived from ministere, because the clergy, the ministerium
or ministry ecclesiae, themselves took part in these plays. In England the term
Miracle is used indiscriminately for any kind of religion play, but the strictly
speaking the term Mystery is applied to the stories taken from the Scriptures
narrative, while Miracles are plays dealing with incidents in the lives of Saints and
Martyrs.