DRAMA
ELA I
Notes
Textbook p. 245-249
Drama
• What are we going to learn?
– Understand and identify Drama
terms
– Understand and appreciate Drama
Drama
DEFINITION:
• 1 of the 5 major genres
• Characters and plot are developed through
dialogue and action
• Drama is intended to be performed for an
audience
Key Elements of Drama
CHARACTERISTICS:
• Stage Directions
• Plot
• Character
• Dialogue
What does Drama look like?
CHARACTERISTICS:
• Script
– A drama is written in a special form
called a script.
EXAMPLES:
• TV, movies, videos, and on stage
Skit or Play
DEFINITION:
• Brief dramatic performance
CHARACTERISTICS:
• Short
• Stage directions and dialogue
Stage Directions
DEFINITION:
• Instructions for the director, actors, and
stage crew.
• Printed in italics and parentheses
– (Move downstage left.)
Stage Directions
CHARACTERISTICS:
• Tell the actors how to speak and move.
• Describe lighting and sound
The Stage
Dialogue
• Conversation between characters
• A drama is composed of mostly dialogue
• Dialogue reveals the plot and the
characters’ personalities.
Characters
DEFINITION:
• The people, animals, and/or inanimate objects that
take part in the action of the drama.
CHARACTERISTICS:
• Cast
– A list of the characters at the beginning of the
script.
– The list sometimes has a brief description of the
character.
Characters
EXAMPLES:
Narrator
– One of the characters may be a narrator
that sets the scene for the drama.
– The narrator may comment throughout
the drama.
Foil
– A contrast to the main character
Plot
• Sequence of events in the drama
• Scenes and Acts
– Scenes change when the setting
changes
– Some scenes are grouped into acts
Scene
DEFINITION:
• One setting/section of a drama
CHARACTERISTICS:
• Describe the scenery and props
– Scenery: items onstage to create setting
– Props: objects actors use onstage
Strategies for Reading Drama
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Read the play silently.
Read the stage directions carefully.
Get to know the characters.
Keep track of the plot.
Read the play aloud with others.