Melodrama Break Down!
Plot
The basic moral behind melodramas is the struggle between good and evil and the
establishment of a morally just and correct society. Each play relies on extreme situation
such as
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Justice vs revenge
•
Honesty vs dishonesty
•
Justice vs corruption
Stock Characters
The characters in melodrama are not supposed to be lifelike- they are ‘stock characters’.
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Hero
Heroine
Villain
Villains Accomplice
Asides
In melodramas audiences are directly involved in the performance. Actors would often
speak to the audience through an ‘aside’.
An aside is a short monologue which reveals a character’s inner most thoughts, feeling
or plans to the audience.
Music
Melo is drawn from the word melody or music, thus melodrama literally means drama with
music.
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Music is used to:
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Heighten audience emotion
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To establish character
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To enhance dramatic climaxes
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To keep the audience interested.
Acting Style
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Acting style is ‘presentational’
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Exaggerated gestures
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Exaggerated facial expressions
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Large movements
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Big voice
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Heightened emotions
© Teaching Drama Teens
Melodrama Group Ensemble!
Who are the characters in your melodrama? Fill out the following table:
Stock Character
Eg. Hero
Actor
3 describing words
Scene Break down
For each scene you should know exactly what each characters purpose is and how it works
towards the plot, fill out the following table:
Scene
Scene 1 –
Intro hero and heroine
Show their relationship
Characters on stage
What happens?
Scene 2 –
Intro Villain and Sidekick
Villain devises plan (sidekick
is comedic)
Scene 3 –
Villain and sidekick carry out
plan
Heroine shows dramatic
fear and shock etc …calls
for Hero
Scene 4 –
Hero arrives and saves the
day
Villain gets what he
deserves
The power of THREE: (complete the following and make sure they remain a part of
your play)
1. Create AT LEAST ONE freeze frame PER Scene.
2. Create a short burst of theme music to go with each freeze frame (eg. Da da DAAA)
3. Include an ADDITIONAL aside (and make it super obvious!)
ALSO always remember to:
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Speak clearly while FACING the audience
Keep the action within the bounds of your stage
© Teaching Drama Teens