I. DANCE
a. DEFINITION
i. It is a form of art using rhythmic bodily movements expressing ideas and emotions and accompanied by music.
ii. It may tell a story, set a mood, or express an emotion.
iii. It may be a form of exercise, recreation, and socialization (new friends and associations)
iv. Music and dance are allied arts
1. They share many similarities
2. They are both performing arts
3. They are related to each other in that music is an important element of dance.
b. PRINCIPLES OF DANCE
i. CLIMAX AND RESOLUTION
1. All dances need to begin somewhere, build toward something, and come to a resolution (beginning, middle, end)
2. When a dance builds in intensity and interest and reaches a high point, the high point is called climax.
a. A climax can be created in many ways.
b. E.g., dance phrases can increase in intensity of energy and speed to a high point before decreasing to a lull, or a narrative can build
toward a highlight or turning-point before being resolved.
ii.
CONTRAST
1. Contrast can be achieved by combining and/or juxtaposing unlike movements.
2. Movements can differ in action, body, dynamic, space, or relationship concepts.
iii.
REPETITION
1. Repetition of movement phrases or parts of phrases is reassuring for an audience.
2. Repetition permits an audience to see the movements in more detail, allowing them to become familiar with the movement vocabulary
the choreographer is using.
3. Repetition is used to give emphasis on movements.
a. When used effectively, repetition can help create unity by relating sections of a dance to each other.
b. It should be noted that some dances use repetition to create a mesmerizing effect or a tension.
iv.
SEQUENCING AND DEVELOPMENT
1. Sequencing and development refer to the ordering of movement (sequencing) in a meaningful way (development)
2. When movements are purposely connected to each other, they gain significance and take on meaning.
a. This is similar to a word gaining significance when it is used in a phrase or a sentence.
b. As the dance unfolds, each movement and choreographic ideas should grow logically out of the previous one.
c. This creates continuity, helping the audience follow the intent of the dance.
v.
TRANSITION
1. Transitions are needed when movements and dance phrases are connected.
2. Transitions should work toward the intent of the dance composition by connecting the movements and dance phrases in a meaningful
way.
3. Transitional movements should promote continuity.
vi.
UNITY
1. When all the parts work together to contribute to the whole dance, there is unity.
2. Every movement, no matter how brief, should work toward the intent of the composition.
vii.
VARIETY
1. Variety within a dance composition can engage and hold an audience’s interest.
2. Variety can be incorporated in several ways:
a. Selecting unlike movements to create variety; varying dance phrases in length and structure; varying spatial, dynamic body or
relationship aspects when movements or phrases are repeated; or presenting movements in retrograde (backwards) manner.
c. ELEMENTS
i. DANCER
1. Most important element – there won’t be a dance without the performer
2. He executes the steps, follows the instructions of the choreographer, wears the costumes, and carries the props.
3. E.g. Lisa Macuja – Prima Ballerina of the Philippines
ii.
CHOREOGRAPHY
1. The dance director
2. He does the overall design of the dance, assigns the steps to be executed by the dancer, selects the costumes and props that go with the
dance, and determines the set designed for the dance.
a. Choreography is the art of making dances, the gathering and organization of movement into order and pattern.
3. To be a good choreographer, one must be a good dancer.
iii.
DESIGN
1. The planned organization or pattern of movements in time and space.
2. It involves the movements and the positioning of the dancers, and the steps executed by them.
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iv.
SUBJECT
1. This is the message (theme) of the dance.
2. It tells what the dance is about.
3. E.g. the theme of the Ifugao war dance is the rivalry between two tribes that leads to an armed conflict.
v.
MOVEMENTS
1. Classification:
a. STEPS
i. These are the dancers’ movements from one point on stage to another
ii. These include leaps, turns, rolls, and somersaults
b. GESTURES
i. These are the movements of the dancer’s head, hands, feet, and other body parts
ii. These include swaying, head shaking, foot stomping, and clapping.
c. FACIAL EXPRESSIONS
i. These are the movements of the facial parts, as exemplified by the raising of eyebrows, pouting of lips, and crumpling of forehead.
vi.
TECHNIQUE
1. This is the style or way of executing the movements
2. E.g., the grind may be done singly or doubly or the twist may be done quickly or slowly
vii.
COSTUMES
1. These are the things worn by the dancers during their performance.
2. These include the head gear, the upper garments, the lower garments, and the footwear.
viii.
PROPERTIES
1. More commonly props, properties are the things carried by the dancers as they perform.
2. These include the glasses with lighted candles (pandanggo sa ilaw), sombreros (pandanggo sa sambalilo), fans, umbrellas, sticks (sakuting),
pots (banga), spears and shields (singkil), towels, torches, and so on.
ix.
SET DESIGN
1. This is the setting or the background that indicates the place of action for the dancers.
2. E.g., Vintas are placed as backdrop for singkil, a vintage Spanish-inspired house for jota, and nipa huts for tinikling.
x.
OTHER THETRICAL ELEMENTS
1. Elements such as lighting effects, sound effects, visual effects, and the like from part of a dance performance
d. KINDS
i. ACCORDING TO THE NUMBER OF PERFORMERS
1. Alone
2. Pair
3. By group
ii.
ACCORDING TO SUBJECT OR CONTENT
1. War dance
2. Courtship dance
3. Communal dance:
a. In primitive early tribal cultures dance was a methodology for survival.
b. Confronted by an environment that could not be rationally controlled nor evaded, members of these tribes sought to transcend the
consciousness of self by achieving an ecstatic state, in which they would arrive at a mastery over evil spirits through their dance.
4. Primitive dance:
a. The search for magical mastery over nature through loss of self is the distinctive characteristics of primitive dance.
b. The ecstatic state was reached by the repetition of monotonous movements in powerful rhythms – the rhythmic beat to every
movement, usually accompanied by drums; the hard stamping of the feet upon the ground with bent knees; and the continuous,
prolonged repetition of the basic movements.
c. The purpose of this dance is to reach a mystical condition in which the individual could communicate directly with the supernatural
and in which the powers of the supernatural would work through the individual
d. E.g., harvest dance
5. Ritual dance:
a. Dance celebrated mythology rather than magic
b. Reflects the Greek aesthetic emphasis on harmony and on idealization of the human body in natural rhythmic movement.
iii.
ACCORDING TO THE NATURE OF THE DANCE
1. Imitative (tinikling, itik-itik, and maglalatik)
2. Interpretive
3. Religious
iv.
ACCORDING TO PURPOSE
1. Folk or Ethnic Dance
a. These are performed by members of a tribe or ethnic group to conduct their day-to-day activities.
b. Religious rituals are designed as hymns of phrase to a god, or to bring in good fortune in peace or war.
2
c.
E.g. Ifugao Dance, Mangyan Dance, Muslim Dance
2. Social or Ballroom Dances
a. These are performed by pairs or groups in ballrooms or in dance halls to socialize.
b. E.g. cha-cha, boogie, samba, mambo, salsa, tango, swing, waltz, fox trot, and other paired dances, as well as cotillion, rigodon de
honor
3. Spectacular or Theatrical
a. These are performed on stage as a spectacle to entertain the audience.
b. E.g. ballet, interpretive dances, modern dances
c. BALLET
i. The term ballet refers to a series of solo and concerted dances in which poses and steps are combined with light flowing figures,
accompanied by music and scenic accessories expressive of a dramatic story theme or atmosphere.
ii. Ballet dancers’ graceful motions seem airy and effortless, and much of the movement is focused upward, as if the dancers are
reaching for the stars.
iii. Toe or pointed shoes allow ballerinas to dance on their toes and appear to defy gravity.
e. PHILIPPINE FOLK DANCES
i. ALAY
1. Dance in the Tagalog Region which is performed to welcome or honor a guest.
2. It is derived from its name “alay” which means an offering.
3. The female dancer wears a balintawak-style costume and step-in, while the male partner wears barong-tagalog with white or colored
pants and slippers.
ii.
ESCOTIS
1. This is a Visayan folk dance during social functions by the people of Panay where the female dancer wears a siesgo skirt and the male
dancer wears a Camisa de Chino with pants of any color.
2. Both dancers are barefooted.
iii.
LAGUNDI
1. This is another Visayan dance
2. The name is derived from a lagundi medicinal plant – a cure from stomach aches and arthritis.
3. In this dance, the female performers wear patadyong, kimono, and soft panuelo over the left shoulder while the male partners wear
barong and colored loose pants.
iv.
SINGKIL
1. It is a dance originated from Lanao del Sur
2. It uses bamboo poles clapping rhythmically while the dancers weave expertly through criss-crossed bamboo and are dressed in elegant
and colorful Muslim costume, waving big fans, and the men flipping brightly colored handkerchief to their right and left with dignified
pose.
3. First the beat is slow and then later is progresses to faster tiempo.
v.
TINIKLING
1. This is performed by skipping between bamboo poles adapted from the movements of the “tikling” birds.
2. The dancers are dressed in the native costume – the female dancers in the “balintawak” and the male ones in “baring tagalog”
vi.
OBANDO DANCE
1. Named after a town in Bulacan.
2. The dancers are also garbed in native costume where the female dancers are in “balintawak” with “salakot” and the “barong tagalog" and
“buntal” hat are worn by male dancers.
vii.
PALAKIS
1. This is a courtship dance from Western Bontoc and are performed during wedding celebrations (Cañao) and planting/ harvesting seasons
(Begnas)
2. The performers are dressed in the traditional Bontoc costume where each dancer has a piece of brightly colored cloth about a square
meter held and shaken to convey emotions like an appeal or flirtation.
viii.
PANDANGGO SA ILAW
1. It is a skillful and graceful dance because it requires a sense of balance in order to hold in place the lighted candles inside a glass of water
held by dancers while performing the dance sequence.
ix.
IFUGAO DANCE
1. Executed by the mountain people as part of their ritual using gangsa (a flat brass gong)
x.
ATI-ATIHAN
f. HISTORY
i. Prehistoric Period
1. Egyptians
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a.
b.
c.
d.
The Egyptians were the first great culture to infuse its society with the magic of dance, which evolved from the simplest rituals used
by hunters to find their prey.
A priest-dancer, the leader, saw to it that the dances were performed correctly so that the hunt would be successful.
Movements of Egyptian dances were named after the motion they imitated.
Many of the poses and movements were highly acrobatic, Egyptian dance steps looked remarkably like steps in classic ballet.
ii.
Greek Period
1. Greek dance evolved from the basic dramatic form which incorporated dance, music, spoken words, and costumes.
2. There was a chief leader of these presentations, who later on assumed the role of a choreographer, while the other participants assumed
the role of an audience.
3. Participation in dance and drama festivals was a religious exercise, not merely an amusement.
4. There were more than 200 Greek dances designed for every mood and purpose (comic pieces, warlike works, athletic dances, spectacular
dances, religious dances, social dances as in weddings and funerals)
iii.
Roman Period
1. Rome imported entertainers from Greece to perform theatrical pieces in honor of the gods and to amuse a population weary from a
plague.
a. These performers inspired the Roman viewers to produce their own plays – mimes and bawdy farces that included elements of
dance.
b. While the Romans were influenced by Grecian models, the former (Romans) distorted the balance and harmony that characterized
the Greek dances, putting the most emphasis on spectacle and mime to the extent that dancing itself almost disappeared.
2. Social and domestic dances were also performed to a limited extent and were mostly of a religious or ritualistic nature.
a. They prophesied events or appeased the gods.
b. Dances were also designed to entertain the audience; the most common of these were the battle pieces.
iv.
Medieval Period
1. Originally, dance movements were part of dramatic rituals (e.g., Latin Mass).
2. Dance of Death (danse macabre)
a. It was a sort of danced parade that was led by a figure representing death, particularly Black Death (a bubonic plague that swept
across Europe beginning in 1373)
b. The dance of death reflected the rituals performed by primitive people, who had also danced to acknowledge the passing of the
seasons of the year and of human life on earth.
c. Dances were performed that celebrated the greening of the countryside and the fertility of the land.
v.
Renaissance Period
1. This period saw the birth of the theater dance in the courts of Italian City States, where such dance was used as a political machinery, to
show splendor, wealth, and power.
2. The pageants and the masquerades became the more common forms of entertainment.
3. The rustic dance was replaced by the more refined and restrained court dance.
4. During this period, the most popular of all dances was the bassa danza (slow dance) or the basse dance, considered the queen of all
dances.
vi.
Classic Period
1. During the middle 17th century, ballet became a spectacle in every court.
2. Public ballet performances involved more than just dancing because they were a mixture of poetry, music, dialogue, and elaborate design.
a. Such ballet performance was known as ballets a entrees.
3. Other dance forms that emerged during this period were the minuet from pas menu meaning small step and the waltz from the German
walzen meaning to roll or to turn.
vii.
Modern Period
1. During the 20th century, jazz and tap dance became popular as classic ballet continued to flourish.
2. Social dances such as the fox trot, two-step, Boston, Charleston, Castle walk, Castle polka, tango, conga, and rumba were introduced and
became popular in the first half of the 20th century.
3. Boogie, cha-cha-cha, calypso, twist, and swing became hit in the second half of the same century.
II. DRAMA
a. DEFINITION
i.
Drama is a form of art that depicts life’s experiences through the reenactment of events that take place in the real world or happen in the
mind of the writer.
1. It mirrors life.
2. It serves to inform and entertain
3. It serves to persuade because it can be used as propaganda.
4. It helps conserve a country’s legends
ii.
Derived from the Greek word “dram” meaning to act or to do
iii.
Drama is performed on stage or in front of the camera by actors and actresses under the supervision of the director.
i.
b. ELEMENTS OF PLAY PRODUCTION
NOTE:
1. Editing and cinematography do not apply to a stage play
2. Lighting effects and visual effects do not apply to a radio play.
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ii.
LITERARY ELEMENTS (ELEMENTS OF PROSE: prose is that broad genre of literature that is written in paragraph form. It is an expression that
does not have a regular rhythmic pattern. It does not have measure and rhyme.)
1. SETTING
a. This refers to the time and locale of the story.
2. CHARACTERS (persons who appear in the play)
a. The movement of the characters may be:
i. Dynamic: change their traits as the story progresses
ii. Static: remain the same throughout the story
b.
The traits of the characters are revealed:
i. By their speech and actions
ii. By the author’s descriptions
iii. By what other characters say about them
iv. By their juxtaposition with other characters
c.
Their characterization is divided into 4 levels:
i. PHYSICAL: gender, age, size, color, race
ii. SOCIAL: economic status, profession, trade, religion, family, language, and social environment
iii. PSYCHOLOGICAL: mindsets, attitudes, behaviors
iv. MORAL: dilemma faced by the character
d.
PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS:
i.
PROTAGONIST
1. The hero is the main character around whom the story revolves
2. The protagonist is a good hero
3. If the protagonist is a bad one or does not possess the traits of a conventional hero, he is described as an anti-hero.
ii.
e.
PRIMARY ANTAGONIST
1. The villain is the main or the supporting character who opposes the protagonist.
2. If the antagonist is not a human being but a natural force, the villain is called an antagonistic force (e.g., fire or a cyclone)
SUPPORTING CHARACTERS:
i. SUPPORTING ANTAGONISTS
1. Supports the objectives of the primary antagonist
ii.
CONFIDANT
1. This is the supporting character upon whom the protagonist confides.
2. He is the sidekick of the hero
3. He is a constant companion of the hero and knows almost everything about the hero.
iii.
FOIL
1. This is the supporting character who serves as a contrast to the hero but does not necessarily oppose him.
2. The traits of the foil balance those of the hero.
iv.
BACKGROUND CHARACTER
1. This character provides reality to the story by their mere presence
v.
UNSEEN CHARACTER
1. The unseen character is an absent character who, even in his absence affects the development of the story
3. THEME
a. The theme is the controlling idea or central concept of the author expressed in a concise statement. It can be:
i. A revelation of human character
ii. It is not the moral of a story
iii. A theme must be stated as a generalization about life
b. This referred to as the message of the story, it concretizes the abstract idea the writer wants to impart
c. It may be ferreted out from the title of the story, the plot, the atmosphere, the dialogue of characters, the recurrent use of imagery,
and the use of symbols.
4. PARTS OF A PLOT
(PLOT: the chronological sequence of events in the story)
a. EXPOSITION
i.
The exposition introduces the setting and the characters of the story.
ii.
It is also called the introduction or status quo.
iii.
When the story starts in the conflict or in the middle, it is called in medias res.
b.
RISING INCIDENTS
i.
The rising incidents are those incidents that lead to the complication.
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c.
COMPLICATION
i.
The complication is the longest part of the narrative in which the conflict develops.
d.
CRISIS
i.
The crisis is the problem of the story
e.
CLIMAX
i.
The climax is the highest point of the story, during which the readers/ audience know how the conflict is resolved.
f.
DENOUEMENT OR RESOLUTION
i.
The denouement or resolution is the part of the plot in which the conflict is resolved.
g.
FALLING INCIDENTS
i.
The falling incidents are those incidents that lead to the conclusion.
ii.
Shorter than the rising action, the falling action may still have some suspenseful moments but, for the most part, gives the
reader/ audience a sense of completion, with the various unsettled issues at work within the plot reaching some state of
resolution.
h.
CONCLUSION
i.
The conclusion is the last part of the story’s plot
ii.
It gives the story some finality.
iii.
There are times, however, when the story ends with a cliffhanger and the reader is left to make his conclusion.
5. CONFLICT (OPPOSITION): conflict is the motivating, driving force that involves both characters and readers in the narrative. It is a clash of
actions, ideas, desires or wills.
a. SOCIAL CONFLICT
i.
This exists when the protagonist and the antagonist are opposed to each other.
ii.
Known as “man vs. man” conflict
b.
PHYSICAL CONFLICT
i.
This occurs when the protagonist struggles against the physical forces such as natural calamities, illnesses, and the like.
ii.
Known as the “man vs. nature” conflict
c.
METAPHYSICAL CONFLICT
i.
This conflict exists when the protagonist fights supernatural beings such as gods and goddesses, vampires, werewolves, elves,
fairies, and the like.
ii.
E.g. Rowling’s Harry Potter Series, Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings Series
d.
PERSONAL OR INTERNAL OR PSYCHOLOGICAL CONFLICT
i.
This occurs when the character experiences a dilemma
ii.
E.g. the conflict exists within the person as what Rose encountered in “Titanic” when she was torn between two lovers, Jack and
her fiancé.
6. POINT OF VIEW (this is the angle of narration. The frame of reference the author takes in telling the story is either first person or third
person)
a. AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL POINT OF VIEW
i.
This is the first person or the “I” point of view
ii.
The narrator is either the principal character or any of the supporting characters who reports his experiences to the readers/
audience.
b.
OMNISCIENT THIRD-PERSON POINT OF VIEW
i.
This is employed by the author when the narrator does not take part in the story, but as an all-knowing (omniscient) observer.
ii.
The author sees all the events and knows the speech, actions, thoughts, and emotions (SATE) of the characters and reports them
to the audience
c.
OBJECTIVE THIRD-PERSON POINT OF VIEW
i.
This is used by the writer when the narrator does not take part in the story, but reports objectively the events in the story.
ii.
He states only what he observes, that is, the speech and actions of the characters, and not their thoughts and emotions.
d.
SELECTIVE THIRD-PERSON POINT OF VIEW
i.
This is used by the writer when the narrator does not take part in the story, but he knows the speech, actions, thoughts, and
emotions of some characters and reports them; however, with the rest of the characters, he reports only their speech and
actions.
7. TONE
a. This is the emotional climate inherent in the story
b. It can be tragic, angry, pathetic, condemning, condescending, accusing, satirical, cynical, romantic, sympathetic
8. ATMOSPHERE
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a.
It is either the psychological environment or the predominant tone or mood of the literary piece.
iii.
DIRECTION
1. The director is the overall in charge of the dramatic performance.
2. He instructs the actors and all the people involved in the production.
3. He is always present from the pre-production stage to the post-production of the play.
iv.
ACTING
1. The members of the cast perform the roles assigned to them by the director
2. Actors read the script, memorize their lines, follow the instructions given by the director, and give justice to their assigned roles.
v.
EDITING
1. The editor sequences the scenes to be presented in such a way that they make up a coherent whole.
2. Like a newspaper editor who deletes unnecessary words from a news article, he takes out unnecessary scenes, particularly the obscene
and offensive ones.
vi.
SET DESIGN
1. The set designer does the layout of the set.
2. He determines what to place as backdrop and what to put in stage.
a. It is the arrangement of theatrical space
b. The set or setting is the visual environment in which a play is performed
c. Its purpose is to suggest time and place and to create the proper mood or atmosphere
3. Set designs are classified into realistic, abstract, suggestive, or functional.
vii.
CINEMATOGRAPHY
1. The cinematographer is the person who takes charge of the photography.
2. He looks for location that fits the story and, with the aid of the cameraman, shoots the scenes forming part of the drama.
viii.
PRODUCTION DESIGN
1. The production designer is tasked to do the overall design for a drama to be shown on the small screen or the wide screen.
2. Work is not limited to a studio, a room, or the stage but it covers an area as wide as a small community or a large province.
3. His work also involves designing costumes, determining the props to be used, and collaborating with the cinematographer.
ix.
COSTUME DESIGN
1. The costume designer creates the clothes to be worn by the actors and actresses.
2. Akin to a fashion designer who comes up with fashionable clothes appealing to his target market, he sees to it that the costumes suit the
characters to be portrayed by the performers.
a. Costume can indicate social class and personality traits
b. Costumes can simulate physical attributes as obesity or deformity
3. E.g. Star Trek and Star Wars
x.
MAKE-UP
1. The make-up artist beautifies or makes the actors unattractive based on the roles they portray.
2. Purpose:
a. To emphasize and reinforce facial features that might otherwise be lost under bright lights or at a distance
b. To alter signs of age, skin tone
3. E.g. Kampanerang Kuba, Linda Blair of the “Exorcist”
xi.
PROPERTIES (PROPS)
1. These are the things which the actors and actresses carry or bring with them as they perform on stage or in front of the camera in order to
establish their characters.
2. E.g., a driver brings with him a hand towel
xii.
LIGHT & LIGHTING EFFECTS
1. The lights man is in charge of determining the amount (bright or dark) and the sources (sun, lamp, flashlight, or candle) of light needed to
make scenes realistic and credible.
a. To illuminate the stage and the performers and to create mood and control the focus of the spectators.
b. Stage lighting may be from a direct source such as the sun or a lamp
c. Or it may be indirect, employing reflected light or general illumination
d. White light can be simulated by mixing red, blue, and green.
e. Designers attempt to balance “warm” and “cool” colors to create proper shadows and textures.
2. E.g. light effects of thunder when there is a raining scene
xiii.
SOUND EFFECTS
1. The sound effects man is in charge of determining the amount (loud/soft) and the sources (people, animals, objects, e.g., horns, and
others, e.g., thunder) of sound needed to make the scenes realistic and credible.
xiv.
VISUAL EFFECTS
1. The visual effects man is in charge of producing those views that are not usually captured by the camera in order to make the scenes
effective, exciting, and appealing to the viewers.
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2. E.g., Matrix
xv.
THEME SONG
1. This is the song composed to represent the theme or the subject matter of the drama.
2. Titanic’s “My Heart will go on”, A Walk to Remember’s “Only Hope”
xvi.
MUSICAL SCORE
1. These are songs played to set the mood, to excite the audience (scenes showing the protagonist chasing the antagonist, or vice versa), to
keep the viewers glued to their seats.
2. The musical scorer is tasked to arrange the music that forms part of the drama.
xvii.
STORY
1. The story is one of the most important aspects of a play for without it, there won’t be any production.
2. The story may be an adaptation or an original narrative.
xviii.
SCRIPT (DIALOGUE)
1. This contains the dialogue or the lines to be memorized by the performers.
a. Each word uttered by the character furthers the business of the play and contributes to its effect as a whole.
b. Exposition establishes the relationships, tensions or conflicts from which later plot developments are derived.
2. It also contains the director’s instructions.
3. The author of the story is oftentimes the scriptwriter.
i.
c. KINDS OF DRAMA
TRAGEDY (unhappy ending)
1. A tragedy is a drama in which the hero fails to fulfill his goal or goals.
a. His failure is attributed to his tragic flaw, a fatal mistake.
b. The protagonist cannot overcome an inevitable failure although he may show courage along the way.
2. The narrative ends unhappily for the hero with whom the viewers sympathize; thus, it is regarded as a sad-ending story.
a. A tragedy does not necessarily end with the hero’s death.
3. Domestic Tragedy:
a. Concerns the lives of ordinary people brought low by circumstances beyond their control.
4. Catharsis:
a. Tragedy acts as a purge
b. It arouses our pity for the stricken one and our terror that we ourselves may be struck down.
c. As the play closes, we are washed clean of these emotions and we feel better for the experience.
ii.
COMEDY (happy ending)
1. This is a drama in which the hero succeeds in fulfilling his goal or goals.
2. Sometimes, it is comic al throughout as a comedy of manners or a slapstick comedy such that the viewers laugh as they watch the
performance.
3. They are considered as comedies because they focus on the protagonist who is successful in his plans.
4. Because the narrative ends happily for the hero, it is considered a happy-ending story.
5. Comedies are classified into:
a. Situational comedy (sitcom)
b. Romantic Comedy
i. A love story
ii. The main characters are lovers; the secondary characters are comic
iii. In the end, the lovers are always united
c. Comedy of Idea
d. Comedy of Manners
iii.
TRAGICOMEDY
1. A tragicomedy is a drama in which the hero fails with respect to some goals but succeeds with respect to other goals.
2. It is a combination of a tragedy and a comedy.
iv.
FARCE
1. This is a drama written by an author whose intention is to poke fun at the hero, his subject.
2. The hero, oftentimes symbolizing a public official or a person of authority, is rendered ridiculous.
3. The dramatic tone is satirical.
a. The comedy is witty and often mocking
v.
MELODRAMA
1. This is a drama that focuses not on the protagonist, but on the action or the situation.
2. It is characterized by a sentimental love story, sensational actions, extravagant emotions, and a happy ending.
a. It has a plot filled with pathos and menacing threats by a villain, but it does include comic relief and has a happy ending.
vi.
RELIGIOUS PLAY
1. This is a drama that serves to re-enact a biblical event or to teach a truth pertaining to a certain religion.
2. E.g., Cenaculo (passion play), Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ”
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vii.
HISTORICAL PLAY
1. This serves to re-enact a historical event that plays an important role on the lives of the viewers.
2. E.g., Rizal the Movie, El Presidente, Ang Supremo, Joan of Arc
viii.
MUSICAL PLAY (also known as Opera)
1. This is an art form that combines music and drama.
2. Performers do not say their lines, but sing them. This involves dances too.
3. The performers here must not only be good actors, but also be good singers.
4. Elements:
a. Overture (introduction)
b. Aria (performance by a solo singer)
c. Duet (performance by two singers)
d. Trio (performance by three singers)
e. Quartette (performance by four singers)
f. Intermezzos and interludes (orchestral pieces played between acts and scenes)
g. Recitative (recited part)
h. Chorus (choral or group singing)
i.
Dance
i.
d. MEDIA
STAGE PLAY
1. This is a drama performed on stage
2. The dramatic performers perform live before an audience
3. E.g., New Yorker in Tondo
ii.
RADIO PLAY
1. This is a drama aired over the radio
2. The dramatic performers perform live in the studio but not before an audience
3. E.g., Ito and inyong Tiya Dely
iii.
TELEVISION PLAY
1. A television play is a drama shown on television
2. The dramatic performers tape the play days before it is presented to the public.
3. E.g. “Maalaala mo Kaya”
iv.
MOVIE OR FILM
1. This is a drama shown on the wide screen.
2. The dramatic performers shoot the film months before it is presented to the public.
i.
e. HISTORY
PREHISTORIC PERIOD
1. Greece
a. The poet Thespis;
i. developed a new musical form in which he impersonated a single character and engaged a chorus of singer-dancers in dialogue
b. Aeschylus:
i. Created the possibility of developing conflict between characters by introducing a second actor in the format.
ii. His plays have ambiguous inquiries into the paradoxical relationship between humans and the cosmos, in which people are made
answerable for their acts, yet recognize that these acts are determined by the gods.
2. Roman
a. Theatrical performances lost their religious association and became mere entertainment.
i. Actors were slaves and despised members of the community
ii. The amphitheatre was the only thing new in the Roman Theatre.
ii.
MEDIEVAL PERIOD
1. Bits of chanted dialogue, called tropes, were interpolated into liturgy
2. Priests, impersonating biblical figures, acted out miniscule scenes from the bible stories.
3. Glorification of God and the redemption of humanity remained prime concerns
iii.
RENAISSANCE PERIOD
1. William Shakespeare
iv.
MODERN PERIOD
1. Importance of drama as a civic institution, and its responsibility to the society
2. Universality of its themes: individual vs. society, true vs. false, reality vs. fantasy
i.
f. PHILIPPINE DRAMA
CENACULO
1. This is the dramatization of the passion and death of Christ presented during Maundy and Good Friday.
2. It is usually staged from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday.
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3. Cenaculo players either speak their lines in a slow deliberate way (hablada) or chant their lines in the manner of pasyon singing (cantada).
ii.
TIBAG
1. Means to tear down. This is the re-enactment of Emperor Constantine’s or Empress Helena’s search for the true cross.
2. A procession during the Santacruzan is the climax of the performance.
iii.
SALUBONG
1. An Easter presentation re-enacting the meeting of Mary and resurrected Christ.
iv.
CARILLO OR SHADOW PLAY
1. Held before a lamp, are shadows of cardboard figures projected on screen.
v.
PANUNULUYAN
1. A street-play dramatizing the rooming-in of Mary and Joseph for shelter in Bethlehem during Christmas Eve.
vi.
MORO-MORO
1. It is a cloak-and-dagger play which depicts the wars between Christians and Muslims, with the Christians always on the winning side.
vii.
ZARZUELA
1. It is melodrama with songs and dances that has a three-in-one act play.
a. It is a musical comedy.
2. It is intended to make the mass feeling towards love, fear, grief, sorrow or any emotional reactions sublime.
3. It sometimes shows the political and social conditions of our country.
viii.
MORIONES
1. This festival is celebrated every holy week in Marinduque.
2. Moriones refers to the participants dressed as Roman soldiers, their identities hidden behind colorful, sometimes grotesque, wooden
masks.
3. Legends has it that Longinus, a one-eyed Roman Soldier speared the side of the crucified Christ.
a. As he did so, a drop of blood from the wound fell on his blind eye and miraculously restored his eyesight.
b. He then went around Jerusalem proclaiming his faith in Christ.
ix.
ATI-ATIHAN
1. It is a pagan ritual and is the most fantastic fiesta in the Philippines celebrated in Kalibo, Aklan every third Sunday of January in honor of
the Infant Jesus.
2. Ati-atihan derived from the word ‘atis’, the aboriginal Negritos of that area in the Visayas.
3. The Spaniards tried to do away with this pagan ritual, but when they found out that the tradition of the festival was very deeply rooted in
the people, they tried to give the celebration some Christian significance and meaning by dedicating it to the Sto. Nino because of the
victories won by the Spaniards in Kalibo against the Muslim attacks when they were forced to abandon Mindanao.
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