Elements of Drama Notes
3rd 9 Weeks – English 1
January 27, 2015
What exactly IS drama anyway?
A drama, or play, is a story written to be
performed by actors.
Features of a Drama:
What makes it drama and not just a story?
•
Character, conflict, dialogue, etc…
Conflict
Conflict can be
found in both
short stories
and drama;
however, in
drama the
conflict is the
struggle which
propels the
sequence of
events within
the plot. In
other words, no
CONFLICT, no
story.
Dialogue
Dialogue,
unlike in
fiction, in
drama the
words spoken
by the actors
on stage are
considered
dialogue and
help tell the
story.
Acts & Scenes vs. Chapters

Acts or scenes are the basic structure of drama. A
drama may have 1 or more acts, each may contain
several scenes.
 Act
1, Scene IV…
Who wrote it?


Unlike with a short story or novel, the author of a
drama is referred to as the playwright.
The playwright, provides a script, or text of the
play. The script contains dialogue, scenes, and
STAGE DIRECTIONS…
Stage Directions



Stage Directions tell how the play/work is to be
performed by the actors/crew.
Stage Direction includes set, sounds, lighting
effects, props, costumes, and acting.
Stage Directions are often printed in italics and set
off in [brackets].
Stage Directions
Often playwrights will
abbreviate stage directions to
provide additional directions
about where the actors should
be when speaking from the
stage.
O.S. – Offstage
D.S. – Downstage
U.S. – Upstage
Sets
Sets are the
constructions
that the actors
use to play
out their
drama. They
may represent
historical
periods,
create moods
with scenery,
lighting,
painted
backdrops, or
trap doors …
Props
Props are
moveable
objects, like
umbrellas,
that actors use
onstage…
During the reading…

Each of you will have a responsibility:
Actor/Reader: Your job is to read the part assigned and use
a strong voice.
 Vocabulary Enricher: You will handle any new/unfamiliar
words from the play.
 Summarizer: You will be responsible for keeping track of the
BIG ideas and plot.
 Discussion Director: You will start your group discussion and
come up with a list of questions while we read together as a
class.
 Before tomorrow’s class decide which responsibility you want
to take on, readers WILL be assigned if there are NO
VOLUNTEERS…so be BRAVE! 
