UNDERSTANDING THE CONVENTIONS OF DRAMA

UNDERSTANDING THE CONVENTIONS OF DRAMA
NELSON G. VERSOZA

What is Drama?

-a type of literature that is primarily written to be performed for an audience.

-a STAGE PLAY, a play with dialogue and performance by actors for the stage.

**THEATRE – a performance or a place where actors perform.

History…

• Greek Drama 500-400 B.C.
• Medieval:  The Middle Ages 1200-1500 AD
• Elizabethan & Jacobean 1500-1642
• Restoration & 18^th Cent. Drama 1660-1800
• Romantic Era 1800-1880
• Modern Era 1850-Present

Common Types of Drama

1. TRAGEDY:  A play in which the main character experiences disaster, but faces this downfall in such a way as to attain heroic stature.*

2. Comedy -Comedy closes with a peaceful resolution of the main conflict.*

- High Comedy:  The humor arises from subtle characterization, social satire, and sophisticated wit.

- Low Comedy:  Emphasizes absurd dialogue, bawdy jokes, visual gags, and

physical humor.*

Types of Comedy

1.    Romantic Comedy:  The main characters are lovers, and the plot tends to follow the pattern of “boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl again.”

2.    Satiric Comedy:  Uses humor to ridicule foolish ideas or customs with the purpose of improving society.

3.    Comedy of Manners:  Satirizes the vices and follies of the upper class.*

Additional Forms of Drama

4.    Farce:  Relies on exaggeration, absurdity, and slapstick

5.        Straight Drama or Drama:  Deal with serious subjects, but do not always end in disaster.

ELEMENTS OF DRAMA

1. External Conflict:  Pits a character against nature or fate, society, or another character
2. Internal conflict:  Between opposing forces within a character.
3. Protagonist:  The central character of the play and often undergoes radical changes as the action progresses. *
4. Antagonist:  The character who opposes the main character*
5. Foil:  A minor character whose traits contrast sharply with those of the protagonist
6. Dialogue:  Conversations between characters
7. Monologue:  Originally, a long speech spoken by a single character to himself or herself, or to the audience.
8. Soliloquy:  A monologue in which a character speaks his or her private thoughts aloud and appears to be unaware of the audience.
9. Aside:  a short speech or comment delivered by a character to the audience, but unheard by the other characters who are present.
10. Theme – Main Idea
11. Script - written version of a play (drama).

CONVENTIONS OF DRAMA

1.    Plot – dramatic structure (same w/ Freytags Pyramid)

TRIPARTITE DIVISION OF PLOT-(beginning, middle, end)

Divided into acts (mga yugto) –

-            the shorter one is called One-act Play

-            the longer –the full-length play or three-act play

-            one act can last from 30 to 90 minutes

2. SETTING – should be clearly specified with details in script

3. Cast of Characters:  listed in the beginning of the play, before the action starts.

4. Act:  a major division of a play

5. Scenes:  Major division of an act

6. Stage Directions:  a dramatist’s instructions for performing a play.

OTHER FORMS OF THEATRICAL PERFORMANCE

1.  IMPROV – SHORT FORM OF THEATRICAL PERFORMANCE.

l  PALANCA HALL-OF-FAMER DR. REUEL AGUILA SAID THE IMPROVISATION METHOD DOES NOT USE A FORMAL SCRIPT. IT IS A COLLECTIVE PROCESS.

2. SKIT – 1-10 MINUTE PERFORMANCE.

       - CAN BE PERFORMED ANYWHERE;

         IN-BETWEEN ACTS OR AT A COSPLAY (COSTUME PLAY) CONTEST.

3. MONOLOGUE – NO SPECIFIC LENGTH.

     - LONG FORM (UPTO 2 HRS)

     - FOR AUDITION (3 MINUTES)

     - TO SHOWCASE ACTING PROWESS (1MIN)

2 TYPES OF MONOLOGUE BASED ON HOW THE ACTOR DELIVERS IT

l  1. INTERNAL MONOLOGUE – WHEN THE ACTOR EXPRESSES HIS INNERMOST THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS.

l  2. DRAMATIC MONOLOGUE – THE ACTOR IS TALKING TO ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL, MAY IT BE AN IMAGINARY CHARACTER OR A PART OF THE AUDIENCE.

LITERARY TECHNIQUES IN DRAMA

l  1. BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL – THE ACTORS SUDDENLY TALKS TO THE AUDIENCE OR RESPONDS TO AUDIENCE REACTION, OR THE SUDDEN PARTICIPATION OF THE AUDIENCE IN THE PLAY.

l  2. CHEKHOV’S GUN – REMOVES EVERYTHING THAT HAS NO RELEVANCE TO THE STORY/SCENE.

l  3. Figures of Speech

PHILIPPINE DRAMA ACCORDING TO DR. BIENVENIDO LUMBERA

1.   SENAKULO - a stage or street play about the life and Passion of Jesus — takes place in many communities, especially in Bulacan, Rizal and Pampanga provinces.

2.   KOMEDYA – a long play, sometimes continuing for three nights, a war between Christians and Saracens (or Moros/Muslims).

3.   SARSUELA - A Spanish opera having spoken dialogue and usually a comic subject.

PHILIPPINE TRADITIONAL THEATER

1. NATIVE RITUALS;
2. CEREMONIES;
3. CHANTING; AND
4. DANCES

Individual Take-home Task / Worksheet

A. Write and Perform a short MONOLOGUE (Identify whether Internal or Dramatic type)

B. REFLECTION

·         THEME/LESSON that one can get from it ( -the connection to your real life)

·         TECHNIQUES you used

C. Identify the ELEMENTS present in your drama

                                  RUBRIC

MONOLOGUE: 50

THEME: 10

TECHNIQUES: 10

ELEMENTS: 30

TOTAL: 100