chapter 4 Flashcards
1
Q
Playwright dramatist
A
- Wright means maker
- A maker of plays
- A playwright makes a play like a wheelwright makes a wheel
- Its a 3 dimension, living, breathing thing
- The playwright is an independent artist: his work is done mostly in isolation
2
Q
we are all playwrights
A
in our dreams
3
Q
Playwriting as event writing
A
- The core of every play is action
- Designed to be enacted on the stage
4
Q
Playwright works with 2 tools
A
- Dialogue: what are they saying?
- Physical action: What are they doing?
5
Q
Play Structure
A
- Linear structure: point to point storytelling of events linked in chronological, cause effect continuity
- Goal of realistic theatre: lifelike progression of experiences in time
- SUCH PLAYS ARE SAID TO BE CONTINOUS IN STRUCTURE & LINEAR IN CHRONOLOGY
- The audience simply watches them unfold as if to watch a family quarrel in progress across the way
6
Q
Nonlinear
A
- Flashbacks
- Flashforwards
- Shifts in time or place
- Ex: back to the future, Benjamin Button
7
Q
The playwright’s tasks
A
- Subject matter always about human beings
- Decide what aspect of human existence to write about
- Who & what to focus on
8
Q
Dramatic Purpose
A
- To entertain
- To probe the human condition
- To provide an escape
- To impart info
- Long tradition of theatre as a source of entertainment- to escape the cares of everyday life
9
Q
Qualities of a fine play
A
credibility & intrigue
10
Q
Credibility
A
- The audience’s demand that what happens in Act ll makes sense in terms of what happened in Act l
- Action must flow logically form the characters, the situation, & the theatrical context
- Human characters must appear to act & think like human beings
11
Q
Intrigue
A
The quality of a play that makes us curious to see what happens next !
12
Q
Other qualities of a fine play
A
- Speakability
- Stageablility
- flow
13
Q
Peter Pan
A
- James Barrie’s Peter Pan credibility in that world: the world becomes more REAL than that of the audience
- Tinkerbell
- Characters are wholly appropriate to their imaginary situation & internally consistent in their actions within the context of the play. A wholly consistent world.
14
Q
The audience’s response to drama
A
- Intrigue draws us into the world of the play
- Credibility keeps us there
15
Q
Playwright’s Process
A
Where to begin?
- -A storyline
- -A real event
- -A setting
- -Personal experience
Dialogue
- -Remembers dialogue from an overheard conversations
- -Imagined dialogue: what might have happened ?
Conflict
Structure
16
Q
Playwrights
A
- Eugene O’ Neill
- Tennessee Williams
- Arthur Miller
- Neil Simon
- August Wilson
