DRAMA
What is Drama?
the word 'drama' comes from the greek word
'dran' meaning 'to act or to do'.
meant to be performed by actors and actresses
for an audience.
performed by theaters, televisions, films and
also on radio.
written by person called playwright in a form of
script and;
the story is told through the dialogues of the
characters played by actors and actresses.
TYPES OF DRAMA
Types of Drama
There are many forms of dramas and below are
some of the more popular types of dramas
together with their corresponding concepts and
definitions.
A. Tragedy
-Tragedy, being a drama, aims to arouse pity and
fear among the audience. With all its turn of events,
no matter how light or gruesome they may be as the
plot unfolds, tragic dramas convey human
behaviors for audience not to imitate.
B. TECHNICAL ELEMENTS
Technical elements in drama include scenery,
costumes, props, lights, sounds, music, and the
makeup. In big theatrical productions, every
technical element is handled by a director.
1. SCENERY
These are technically the theatrical equipment
used in a drama production.
This would include curtains, backdrops, flats,
and platforms.
This theatrical equipment in dramatic
productions help to communicate the setting and
the entire environment into where the story of
the drama unfolds,
2. COSTUME
All clothing together with their accessories worn by
actors and actresses to portray characters is called a
costume.
The costume also helps to reveal the setting of the
drama, particularly the time or period.
3. PROPS
The word 'props' is short for the word 'properties'.
Aside from the costume and the scenery, props help
give colors to the dramatic production.
Props could also be any movable object with
significance to a scene or an action.
4. LIGHTS
Lights on stage play a big role in influencing the
emotion and mood of the audience.
Proper and appropriate lighting could help create
and communicate environment, mood, and feelings
the characters would like to convey to the audience.
5. SOUND and MUSIC
Works very much like the lights, the sounds and music
that audience hear create the effects to communicate
the character, the context of the scene, or the entire
environment of the setting
6. MAKE-UP
This is what makes the actors and actresses vibrant on stage.
It includes costume accessories, wigs, and even body paint
used to transform an actor or actress into the character to be
played.
C. PERFORMANCE ELEMENTS
Performance elements in drama include acting and
speaking, and nonverbal expressions.
1. ACTING and SPEAKING
This refers to the use of the body, face, and the voice to
portray a particular character on stage.
Acting goes with a style.
This is a manner of acting which reflects cultural and
historical influences like that of an old lady always
making the sign of the cross whenever she hears a bad
news is reflective of her being religious
2. NONVERBAL EXPRESSIONS
Nonverbal expressions are part of acting that do not
need voicing out of dialogues.
This includes gestures, facial expressions, and stage
blockings.
Any movement of the actor's head, shoulders, arms,
hands, legs, or feet to convey meaning is categorized as
gesture.
Facial expressions, on the other hand, are physical and
vocal aspects used by an actor to convey a particular
mood, feeling, or even a personality
DRAMA
TECHNIQUES
Drama techniques, also called drama strategies, are
effective means to convey to audiences what a
performer would like to express either in verbal or non-
verbal means.
Identified below are five drama techniques which help
improve performance of actors or actresses in a drama.
They are commonly employed to sharpen the skills and
innate talents of performers.
1.BODY MOVEMENTS
One has to remember that a character can also be conveyed
through posture, gesture, eye contact and facial expressions
aside from the vocal expressions.
For example, when a character is angry at another
character, the body language should be reflected in a tense
manner. The actor might move back and forth within a small
space, and clench his fists. These bodily movements on stage
show anger. On the other hand, when a character is relieved
or excited, a relaxed shoulder could mean expression of
openness and contentment. One could improve this
technique by simply watching real-life examples.
2. SPACE
Another important technique and a must-know in drama
production is on the use of space.
This element is important as positioning of objects and
bodies on the stage and the relationships between them
are vital means of making meaning to the audience
For example, if you are an actor, standing in the centre of
the stage facing the audience: Stage right is on your right
(the audience's left) Stage left is on your left (the audience's
right) Downstage is in front of you – towards the audience.
3. VOICE
How an actor speaks their lines instantly identify
personality and emotion.
Vocal dynamics on volume, pitch, pausing, intonation,
pace and accent can all influence audience
understanding of a character and the tension of the
scene.
4. MOVEMENT
The effective use of timing, direction and energy to build
a sustained sequence of movement can enhance
understanding of character and the meaning of a scene.
the physical methods actors use to help with
characterisation, eg moving quickly, lightly or slowly.
5. IMPROVISATIONAL TECHNIQUES
These are instant responses and actions off the records of
the stage directions. The use of adlibs is one great
example of improvisation techniques used by performers.
THATS ALL
THANK YOU
CITE USED:
https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/nueva-ecija-
university-of-science-and-technology/bsed-
english/creative-writing-melc-6/13956862
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