Drama Flashcards
A drama is
a story enacted onstage for a live audience
the word drama cones from
the greek verb dram which means to do
the earlist known plays were written around
the 5th century BC; produced for festivals to honor the Greek god of wine and fertility, Dionysus
like the plot of a story
the plot of a play involves characters who face a problem or conflict
exposition
characters and conflict are introduced
complications
tension builds
climax
highest point of action, action determines how the conflict will be resolved
resolustion
conflic is resolved play ends
colfict is a
struggle or clash between two opposing character or forces
a conflict may develop
between character who want differnet/same thing; between a character and his/her circumstances; within a character who is torn by competing desires
a tragedy is a
play that ends unhappily
most classic greek tragedies deal with serious
universal themes such as right and wrong; justice and injustice; life and death
Tragedies pit
human limitation against the larger forces of destiny
the protagonist of most
classic tragedies is a tragic hero
the tragic hero is
noble and admirable but has a tragic flaw, a personal failing that leads to a tragic end
comedy is a
play that ends happily; usually centers on a romantic conflict (boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy wins girl)
the main characters of comedy could be
anyone; nobility, townspeople, servants
in comedies complications always
occur before the conflict is resolved, in most cases the play ends with a wedding
theater artists include
actors, directors, lighting technicians, stage crew
stages can have
many differene sizes and layouts
thrust stages
extends into the viewing area the audience surrounds the stage on 3 sides
in the round stage
surrounded by an audience on all sides
proscenium stage
the playing area extends behind an opening called the proscenium arch; the audience sits on one side looking iinto the action
stages in
shakespeare’s time were thrust stages
Scene design consists of
sets, lighting, costumes, props
a stages set might be
realistic and detailed or abstract and minimal
a lighting director
skillfully uses light to change the mood and appearance of the set
the costume director
works with the director to design the actors’ costumes; like the sets, costumes can be detailed or minimal
props
short for properties; are items that the characters carry or handle onstage
the person in charge of
props must make sure that the right props are available to the actors at the right moments
characters speech may take any of the following forms
dialogue, monologue, asides, soliloquy
dialogue
conversations of character on stage
monologue
long speech given by one charater to others
asides
remarks made to the audience or to one character the other characters onstage do not hear an aside
soliloquy
speech by a character alone onstage to himself/herself or to the audience
a play needs an
audience to experience the performance, understand the story and respond to the characters
