~Melodrama Information Booklet~
~Level One~
1.3 Demonstrate Understanding of features of a
drama/theatre form
Context
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In the 1800’s the world was going through a huge
change.
Men had previously based their lives around the
natural world: growing crops, digging for
minerals, burning wood and coal for heat,
travelling by horse and sea. All of a sudden a
whole series of scientific and industrial
discoveries came along and the machine became
the centre of men’s life and wealth. It was both
exciting and terrifying.
Millions of people lost their jobs and a few
became extremely rich but most became
extremely poor.
Frightened people began moving out of the green
country and towards cities and most fell into a desperate situation.
The families and cities that became rich began to build huge theatres in order to watch the spectacles of
theatre that could be created with the new machinery available. The poor longed to escape the new grey
world of the city they lived in.
They felt a helpless and growing anger at the great industrial and land owning men who seemed to be
controlling everyone’s lives. Alcoholism became an epidemic problem. There were many movements to
make life fair but they were slow in coming.
Out of these forces came the theatre with many features we recognise in the movies of today. Everyone
loved the romance of the exotic places, the great chases and the huge explosive battles so that they could
forget the troubles of their lives.
Style
Style often relates to a particular historical period, movements, a writer or a
performer.
Melodrama is recognised as being a style of the 1800’s which was developed
to please and distract the people of the time. It is recognised through its
themes of good triumphing over evil, stock characters and gestures and the
over the top acting style. It is the dramatization of morality.
This style was used for the time because of many reasons…
1. The over the top acting style was used because of the lack of technology. The stage was lit with only gas
lanterns which meant the people watching up the back had a hard time seeing and there were no
microphones to amplify voices so people had a hard time hearing. The actors had to exaggerate their voices
and body movements in order for their audiences to understand what was happening.
2. The themes of the play acted as a contrast to the everyday lives of the audiences. Many of the people who
would come to the plays were extremely poor and used the shows as a form of escapism. They enjoyed
watching predictable stock characters in predictable situations and they especially enjoyed watching good
triumphing over evil. Melodrama made the people hopeful and made them feel good about themselves.
Key Features of Melodrama
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Exaggerated and stylised movement and extended vocal technique expressing extreme emotions and
sentimentality- Based on the size of the theatres and the extreme characters
Stereotyped characters- (e.g. a hero, heroine, comic character and villain) who are usually one dimensionalthey do not change psychologically or morally, which means the interest lies in the manipulation of the plot
in which fate, providence and justice play important parts. The action rises out of the evil machinations of
the cold-blooded villain operating on a falsely accused hero, a captive maiden, long suffering elders or some
variation or combination of the above.
Good vs. Evil- moral struggle The human struggle between pure good (usually the poor or downtrodden)
verses pure evil (usually the rich, greedy or powerful. The good is always rewarded and the evil always
severely punished. The world of melodrama is one in which deeds and characters are separated by clear-cut
distinctions.
Audience Interaction (asides)- for maximum sense of empowerment. The audience may be helpless at home
but they can beat the bad guys at the show.
Spectacular events- such as chases, explosions, battles, fights, fierce arguments, sea voyages or super
natural events.
Fast paced dramatic plots always surrounding an exciting story. Suspense often using a unity of time. There
is often a series of plot twists.
Exotic locations- The exotic or far away- ugly and desperate or lush and beautiful. Never ordinary- The most
humble or the grandest.
Music used to intensify emotions, to enhance tension/sympathy, accompany action, sound effects
Stage/Set
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A development of box set, with three walls and perhaps a ceiling to
represent interiors (proscenium arch)
Stagehands manually move scenery on and off the stage
Use of revolving stages and revolving platforms
Themes
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Evil deeds
Guilty secrets
Adversity strengthens character
Honesty is rewarded
Perseverance wins the day
Life was never meant to be easy
Elements
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Role
Action
Place
Time
Tension
Stereotyped Characters
Spectacular events and chases, struggle of good versus evil
Exotic locations
Fast Paced of slow and sentimental
Struggle of good versus evil
Techniques
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Extension: Use of extreme poses
Stylised movement: Stock gestures to indicate different emotions:
Grief: head down, shoulders rounded, hands cupped the face. Raising teh shoulders up and down, with a
sobbing noise, is optional.
Fear: face turned to the right side, with the right hand to the mouth, fingers curled under touching the top of
the palm.
Horror: eyes wide, mouth open, both hands to the cheeks with the fingers extended.
Fortitude: body straight, chest up, hand to forehead, with the palm facing the audience and fingers curled
slightly.
Love Expressed (Male): chest held high, right hand crosses the chest and rests on the upper left over the
heart, then opens out to teh right and the loved one.
Love Expressed (Female): chest held high, head cocked a bit to the side, opposite leg goes out with foot
pointed, hands under the chin, fingers entwined and bent at the first and second knuckles (almost praying),
hands go toward the loved one, smile on face.
Evil Planning: one eyebrow up, the other down, a grimace on the face and hands rubbing together, if its a
really good plan, then the fingers twiddle.
Evil Sneaking: shoulders hunched over, arm raised to cover the nose on down, eyes free to shift around the
room, legs bent on the cross of the stage.
Pride: chest up, hands with knuckles to both hips, legs slightly apart, a balanced look.
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Anger: both hands shoulder high, eyebrows pushed toward each other, face tense with a grimace, hands in
tight fists.
Overwhelmed: chin up bringing the face to look up, one arm dropped limp to the side, the other hand open
with palm towards the audience on the top of the forehead
Extended vowels and sounds: To colour language
Conventions
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Aside
Soliloquy
Narrator
Audience participation
Over Heard Conversation
Tableaux or posed freeze frame
Flash back/flash forward
Characters
Heroine/Damsel
Description: Beautiful, despair, in love, graceful, innocent, naïve, passive
Typical line of dialogue: “I’m going to marry Sailor Jack when he comes home”
Typical Action: faint (hand placed on forehead and fall backwards in chair of
somebody’s arms), love struck (hands at chest and body leaning to one side)
Typical Costume: Beautiful gown. The dresses cover the ankles and the arms as
it was offensive to show a lot of skin in the 1800’s, Damsel is always made to
look beautiful and innocent
Ideas the character represents: Innocence, virginity, good,
Villain
Description: Old, foreign, rich, angry, frustrated
Typical line of dialogue: “Pay up or I will cast you out in to the rain
and snow”
Typical Action: evil laugh (loud and using both hands around the
body), evil sneaking (cape covering bottom part of face and crouched
body), evil planning (fingers twiddling in front of his body)
Typical Costume: dressed in black to symbolise evil, top hat, cape,
fabrics of high quality to indicate wealth
Ideas the character represents: Villain represents people such as evil
and greedy landlords, corruption and power
Hero
Description: Brave, handsome, self-sacrificial, strong
Typical line of dialogue: “I’ll save you”
Typical Action: Proud (hands on hips, feet shoulder width apart)
Typical Costume: Often dressed in white to represent bravery and
goodness, sometimes dressed in a uniform-this symbolises stability and
order, always well-dressed even if he is poor.
Ideas the character represents: Underdog coming out on top,
perseverance.
Structure
“There is a tidy structure or formula to melodrama: a villain poses a threat, the hero escapes the threat (or rescues
the heroine) and there is a happy ending. In melodrama there is a world of heightened emotion, stock characters and
a hero who rights the disturbance to the balance of good and evil in a moral universe.”
1. Act One: The violation of innocence
2. Act Two: The exposure of evil
3. Act Three: The overthrow of evil. Often a very physical act using fights, duels, chases, explosions etc.