Drama and Theater

What is Drama?

Drama is a unique tool to explore and express human feeling. Drama is an essential form of behavior in all cultures, it is a
fundamental human activity. Drama is a discrete skill in itself (acting, theater, refined skill), and therefore it is offered as a
'subject' in secondary school. However Drama is also a tool which is flexible, versatile and applicable among all areas of
the curriculum. Through its application as a tool in the primary classroom, Drama can be experienced by all children.

It is A story written to be performed by actors. There are several different forms of presenting a drama; each has a very
specific format. Plays have a very simple format; teleplays, for television shows, or screenplays, for movies, have more
complex and strict rules for formatting. The first dramas to be written for the express purpose of being performed were
created by the Greeks. Many of our modern drama terms derive from Greek origins.

Drama assists in the development of:

the use of imagination

powers of creative self expression
decision making and problem solving skills
and understanding of self and the world
self confidence, a sense of worth and respect and consideration for others

Types of Drama

There are many forms of Drama. Here is a non-exhaustive list with a simple explanation of each:
Improvisation / Let's Pretend

A scene is set, either by the teacher or the children, and then with little or no time to prepare a script the students perform
before the class.

Role Plays

Students are given a particular role in a scripted play. After rehearsal the play is performed for the class, school or parents.

Mime

Children use only facial expressions and body language to pass on a message script to the rest of the class.

Masked Drama

The main props are masks. Children then feel less inhibited to perform and overact while participating in this form of drama.

Children are given specific parts to play with a formal script. Using only their voices they must create the full picture for the rest of
the class. Interpreting content and expressing it using only the voice.

Puppet Plays

Children use puppets to say and do things that they may feel too inhibited to say or do themselves.

Performance Poetry

While reciting a poem the children are encourage to act out the story from the poem.

Radio Drama

It is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. Someone is
reading a script while acting. This creates a drama using an audio or voice.
 Elements of Drama

Comedy In the Greek sense, a play that doesnt end in death. In modern usage, refers to a play that is humorous.

Tragedy In the Greek sense, a play that ends with the death of at least one of the main characters. In modern usage,
refers to a play that doesnt have a happy ending.

Irony general name for moments in literature that involve surprising, interesting, or amusing contradictions

Dramatic irony a contradiction between what the character thinks and what the audience or reader knows to be true

Script the written text of a play. Usually includes a list of characters that appear in the play with a brief description of
what the character is like (Dramatis Personae), brief descriptions of the sets or setting, and the lines the characters will
speak.

Dramatis Personae - "People of Drama" in Latin; a list of the characters in a play, usually found on the first page of the
script; often includes important information about the character

Character as in a story, people or creatures that appear in a script by speaking or doing something (the "something"
may be as simple as walking on stage, then walking off again); someone in a script who is involved with a plot

Dialogue the lines spoken by the actors; in the script, preceded by the name of the character that is to speak the words

Monologue A speech given by a single character while that character is alone on stage; also called a soliloquy

Soliloquy In drama (especially Elizabethan [Shakespearean]), an extended speech by a solitary character expressing
inner thoughts aloud to him-or herself and to the audience; a monologue

Aside A monologue performed by a character while other characters are on stage; the information in an aside is not
heard by the other characters on stage, even though they may be standing very close by; it is intended to convey the
characters private thoughts to the audience. Other characters on stage at that time may freeze, to show that the words
being said are not being overheard; other times, the other characters will go about their business but ignore the character
giving the aside.

Exposition A speech or discussion presented in a very straight-forward manner that is designed to convey information
or explain what is difficult to understand

Stage directions a description (as of a character or setting) or direction (as to indicate stage business) provided in the
text of a play, usually indicated with italics and/or parentheses. May indicate where the scene takes place, what a
character is supposed to do, or how a character should deliver certain lines.

Enter A stage direction tells the character(s) to come onto the stage. Often includes a direction (left or right) or
additional information about how characters are to enter the scene.

Exit A stage direction tells the character(s) to leave the stage and the scene. Often includes a direction (left or right)
or additional information about how characters are to leave the scene.

Act A major section of a play, similar to a chapter in a book; an act is usually made up of several scenes

Scene a subdivision of an act; usually, a scene indicates a specific location or time, and changes if another location or
time is supposed to be presented. A scene usually ends when all the characters in the scene leave the stage.

Line Shakespeares plays were written in blank verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter, 10 syllables per line); as in a
poem, a line might end though the sentence continues. Current copies of Shakespeares scripts usually have numbers
listed in the margins of the pages so readers can find lines quickly.

***Specific points in the play can be found with a three number system (ex: 3.1.159 refers to a specific line: Act Three,
Scene Two, Line One hundred fifty-nine; 2.2.2-7 indicates a series of lines in Act 2, Scene 2, starting at Line 2 and
ending at Line 7)***

Chorus a character or group in a drama who speaks the prologue and epilogue and comments on the action

Extra a minor character who doesnt have many or any lines; usually, extras dont have names, but are identified by
what they do (servant, boy, policeman) and sometimes a number if there are more than one of that type of extra
What is Theater?

Theater is the performance of a drama (play) on a STAGE in front of an audience. The ancient Greeks were the
first to build theaters where people could watch the two main types of dramas: TRAGEDY and COMEDY.

Elements of Theater & Acting

Theater building, structure, or space in which dramatic performances take place. In its broadest sense theater can be
defined as including everything connected with dramatic artthe play itself, the stage with its scenery and lighting,
makeup, costumes, acting, and actors. (alt. spelling: theater refers to the actual building itself)

Delivery how an actor says his or her lines. The delivery of lines is as important as what an actor does or looks like, or
how he or she dresses.

Emote from the word emotion; to deliver lines with feelings appropriate to the scene; to show emotion through ones
voice. If you overdo this, its called chewing the scenery.

Project When the o is long and the emphasis is on the second syllable, this word means, to speak loudly and clearly;
refers to the volume of an actors voice

"Line reading" - refers to the volume, tone, and emotion an actor uses when reading a line. The way an actor reads a
line can completely change the meaning of the words, which can change an entire scene. For example, an actor might
read lines sarcastically, rather than "straight."

Actor a person who plays the role of a character in a play. This term is currently accepted as being gender neutral; it
applies to both men and women.

Acting in drama, pretending to be someone else, usually through a combination of line delivery, costumes, props, and
how the actor presents him or herself.

Lead- a principal or main role in a dramatic production; also: one who plays such a role

"Larger than life" - Actors must not only project their voices (so they can be heard at the back of the theater), they
must also project their motions and emotions. Motions and emotions need to be exaggerated (though it is possible to
overdo it; see chewing the scenery in emote). What looks overblown in person looks wonderful from the audience.

Motivation Actors need to consider not only what a character is supposed to do, but WHY a character behaves in a
certain way; this is the character's motivation. Understanding motivation helps an actor understand the emotional state of
their character, which influences how the character moves, speaks, and behaves.

Suspension of disbelief When an audience goes to see a play, they have to pretend that whats happening on the
stage is real, even though it is only a staged performance.

The Fourth Wall A stage set only has three walls, but actors usually pretend there is an invisible fourth wall between
themselves and the audience. When a character directly addresses the audience, recognizing that they are being watched,
he or she is breaking the fourth wall. Exposition and monologues sometimes break the fourth wall.

In character when an actor is pretending to be someone else

Breaking character when an actor abruptly stops acting, or falls out of character; this can ruin the audience's
suspension of disbelief

Director The person who decides which actors will be in the play, where they should stand or move to, how they should
speak, and what they should wear.

Concept the idea a director has that ties together the look, feel, and performance of a play. One concept might be "The
Old West"; costumes would be cowboy-and-Indian outfits, actors would use Old West accents when they spoke, sets would
include saloons and cactus es, etc. The concept is seen in the LOOK of the play, and it may influence how the audience
UNDERSTANDS the play, but the concept does not change the WORDS of the play. The concept is outside of the script; it
is up to a director to come up with a concept. Directors are always thinking of CREATIVE concepts they can use to stage
old plays.

Cast (n)

1) The actors in a play 2) The process of selecting which actors will play which characters; (v) to choose actors to
play specific roles

Blocking 1) The process in rehearsals wherein the director tells the actors where to go and how to move. 2) The act of
physically marking the stage (usually with tape) to indicate to where an actor is supposed to move.
Body Language an important part of acting; the physical actions of an actor can be even more important than what the
actor says. Body language reflects characters' thoughts and feelings just as much as words.

Business silent actions that actors do when they are on stage but don't have lines and are not part of the main action
or dialogue; "business" might include pretending to talk to someone, pretending to shop, pretending to play a game, etc.

Prompt a reminder to an actor when the actor forgets a line

Prompt book a copy of a script that an actor or director has added notes to. These notes are usually about the
emotions of a character during a scene, the character's motivation, ideas for blocking or business, suggestions for line
readings, or other important notes.

Stage the area where a play is acted out; generally, this area is raised above the regular floor level.

** Originally, the stage was built so that it angled toward the audience; the back of the stage was higher than the
front of the stage, so the audience could see equally well actions at the back of the stage and at the front of the stage.
Now the floor of the seating area is angled upward to provide the same effect. This helps explain the terms down-stage
and up-stage.**

**All directions should be given from the actors point of view**

Stage Right the right part of a stage from the viewpoint of one who faces the audience

Stage Left the left part of a stage from the viewpoint of one who faces the audience

Down-stage the part of a stage that is closest to the audience or camera

Up-stage the part of a stage that is farthest from the audience or camera (If you upstage someone, you steal the
audiences attention from someone who is supposed to be getting it; you may do this physically by placing yourself down-
stage of them [thus making them up-stage from you], or by performing better than they, or in other ways)

Proscenium stage a traditional stage

a: the stage of an ancient Greek or Roman theater

b: the part of a modern stage in front of the curtain

c: the wall that separates the stage from the auditorium and provides

the arch that frames it

Main Curtain (The Curtain) Usually refers to the main curtain, which conceals the stage from view when closed and
reveals the stage and actors when open.

Backdrop A picture or flat that is hung from a pipe and which depicts a background for a scene

Valence a short curtain that runs across the top of the proscenium; it blocks the audiences view of hanging lights and
fly pipes, and can be used to create a frame for the scene.

Orchestra Pit a sunken area between the stage and the audience where an orchestra can set up and play music during
the performance without blocking the view of the stage.

Cyclorama a large curtain, often at the very rear of the stage, that acts as a backdrop for an entire show

Travelers (also legs) curtains, usually black, on the wings that obstructs the audiences view of the backstage area

Wings Usually refers to the area that is not visible to the audience; also called backstage

Apron An area (or areas) forward and to the side of the proscenium in a modern stage.

House The portion of the theater where the audience sits; the area that is not the stage

Theater in the round a theater in which the stage is located in the center of the auditorium -- also called arena theater

Thrust stage a stage that projects beyond the proscenium so that the audience sits around the projection

Thrust a fore stage that is extended into the auditorium to increase the stage area

Set the stage and the items upon it that are used to create the illusion of a certain setting

Set design a drawing or model that shows what the stage will look like during a particular play, act, or scene.
Flat A flat piece on which scenery can be painted; often constructed of a light wooden frame covered by stretched
canvas

Fly pipes (also pipes or flies) pipes suspended over the stage by a pulley system that allow curtains, flats, and
backdrops to be lowered into a scene or raised out of a scene

Props (short for properties) the items used by actors as they act out a scene

Costume The clothing worn during a play by an actor to help show the audience that the actor is playing a role.

Stage hand A person who builds sets, props, or costumes before the play, or who moves them during the play

Lighting refers to the way lights are used to illuminate the stage. Sometimes the lighting is solely to illuminate the
actors so the audience can see; sometimes the lighting is used to complement scenery with colors and effects; sometimes
it is used to suggest the mood of characters, also with colors and effects.

Gaffer someone who designs, sets up, or operates lighting for a production

Intermission A break in the play, usually between acts, to allow the audience a break or rest, and to allow the actors to
change costumes or set the stage.

Proscenium stage (Front View)

Theater in the round (Top View)

Proscenium stage (Top View) Thrust stage (Top View)