Craft Lesson: Structure and

Elements of Drama

History of drama… • Drama was developed more than 2,500 years ago.• The ancient Greeks held a dramatic competition at the Festival of Dionysus each year. • Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and Aristophanes are some of the first playwrights.

Elements of drama: • Playwright: the author of the play.

Examples: William Shakespeare, Anton Chekhov, and George Bernard Shaw

• Script: is a written form of a play• Acts: are the units of the action in a

drama. • Scenes: are sections of uninterrupted

drama, whether a quiet conversation or a chase. Acts are often divided into scenes.

• Protagonists: are the central, or main, figures of a drama

• Antagonists: are the onstage characters – or the unseen forces – who oppose them

• Dialogue: is the words characters say. The words each character speaks appear next to the character’s name. Single most important element of a stage play.

• Monologue: is a long, uninterrupted speech that is spoken by a single character and reveals his or her thoughts and feelings.

• Characterization: is the playwright’s technique of creating believable characters through actions, dialogue, and movements.

• Set: is the term used for the onstage scenery that suggests the time and place of the action.

• Stage directions: are instructions that convey information about sound effects, sets, props, and characters’ actions, gestures, and movements across the stage. Usually in italics.

• Staging: refers to all the elements that brings:–drama to life on stage–scenery–lighting–sound effects–costumes–how to speak lines and move

Stage Diagram

Off Stage Right

Wing

Off Stage Left

Wing

BACKSTAGE

Orchestra Pit

AUDIENCE

Historical Context• deals with the atmosphere and

conflict of a past era• includes: political forces, beliefs,

and events that influence the character(s)

• i.e. The Diary of Anne Frank–political forces: the Nazis–beliefs: that the European Jews

were–considered an inferior race–events: destruction of over six

million European Jews by the Nazis

Types of Drama:• Comedy: is a form of drama that has a happy

ending, often feature ordinary characters in funny situations, can be written to entertain but also to point out the faults of society.

• Tragedy: often contrasted with comedy. Events lead to the downfall or death of the main character, often is a person of great significance, such as a king or a heroic figure.

• Drama: often used to describe plays that address serious subjects.