Elements of Theater/Drama
CHS English I
March 25, 2013
Pick up a
DRAMA PACKET
here. It includes
your Bell-Ringer
sheet.
Elements of Theater/Drama
• This worksheet will be included in the packet
of materials you will submit to me when we
complete the unit.
• I will also provide you with a checklist to
maintain on your own as we move through
the unit.
• DO NOT lose these papers!
• The final project for this unit will be a written
analysis of the play, Our Town.
• The elements of theater/drama will be
included on your FINAL EXAM.
Elements of Theater/Drama
• Plays were one of the earliest
forms of entertainment.
• For centuries, attending the
theater to see a comedy or
tragedy was considered a privilege
and custom.
• People attended plays much like
we see movies today.
Aristotle’s SIX Elements of Drama
1.
Diction: Specific words the playwright chooses to use.
2.
Spectacle: All the visuals represented in the play.
Represents everything you see: set, costumes, lights,
etc.
3.
Thought: What the audience learns - the moral of the
play. (THEME)
4.
Characters: The play must be about someone or
something - can be human or non-human.
5.
Melody: Everything you hear - music, sound effects,
silence are all examples of this.
6.
Plot: Show must have a beginning, middle and end.
Something needs to happen and a character must be
challenged.
Literary Elements of
Theater/Drama
• Character: a person portrayed in a drama, novel,
or other artistic piece.
• Conflict: the internal or external struggle
between opposing forces, ideas, or interests that
creates dramatic tension.
• Suspense: a feeling of uncertainty as to the
outcome, used to build interest and excitement
on the part of the audience.
• Theme: the basic idea of a play; the idea, point of
view, or perception that binds together a work of
art.
Technical Elements of
Theater/Drama
• Act: a major division in a play
• Scene: a real or fictional episode; a division of an act in a
play.
• Lighting: the arrangement of lights to achieve particular
effects in order to help create mood or tone in a play.
• Sound: the effects an audience hears during a performance
to communicate character, context, or environment.
• Set Design: everything on the stage including furniture and
props, and environment in which the action of a play
occurs.
• Costumes: the clothing worn by the actors who play the
characters. Oftentimes, these help to establish
characterizations, mood, and tone.
Stage Scenery
Scenery/Props
Lighting
Costumes/Make-Up
Technical Elements of
Theater/Drama: Performance
• Acting: use of face, body, and voice to portray
character.
• Monologue: a long speech made by one actor;
may be delivered alone or in the presence of
others.
• Character Motivation: the reason or reasons for
a character's behavior; an incentive or
inducement for further action for a character.
• Empathy: the ability to relate to the feelings of
another.
Technical Elements of
Theater/Drama: Performance
• Breath Control: proper use of the lungs and
diaphragm muscle for maximum capacity
and efficiency of breath for speaking.
• Inflection: change in pitch or loudness of
the voice.
• Projection: how well the voice carries to the
audience.
• Facial Expression: physical and vocal
aspects used by an actors face to convey
mood, feeling, or personality.
Types of Performance Stages:
• Proscenium Stage:
A performance
space in which the
audience sits in
front of the stage
and views as if
through a picture
frame
Types of Performance Stages:
• Thrust Stage:
a theater stage
that extends out
into the
audience's part
of a theater and
has seats on
three sides.
Types of Performance Stages:
• Arena Stage:
a stage
constructed so
that the audience
can sit on all
sides; also known
as "theatre-inthe-round".
Technical Elements of
Theater/Drama: Stage Directions
• Apron: the front area of the stage extending past the
main act curtain.
• Wings: the offstage areas directly to the right and left of
the performance space.
• Center Stage: the middle point of the performance
space.
• Upstage: the area of the performance space that is
farthest away from the audience.
• Downstage: the area of the stage that is nearest to the
audience.
• Cue: a signal or line that prompts the next action of
stage business during a performance.
• Blocking: the path formed by the actor’s movement on
stage, usually determined by the director, playwright,
and/or actor.
Technical Elements of
Theater/Drama: Stage Directions
Drama:
Bell-Ringers & Exit Slips
March 25-28, 2013
Bell-Ringer: 3-25-2013
1.
What element refers to a long, uninterrupted speech by ONE
character?
a)
b)
c)
2.
Which is not a form of dramatic conflict?
a)
b)
c)
3.
Monologue
Dialogue
Chit-Chat
Man v man
Man v nature
Man v beast
What is the easiest way we learn about characters in a drama?
a)
b)
c)
Action
Dialogue
Conflict
Exit: 3-25-2013
1.
2.
How many elements of drama made up Aristotle’s model of
theater?
a) Four
b) Five
c) Six
A feeling of uncertainty as to the outcome, used to build
interest and excitement on the part of the audience.
a)
b)
c)
3.
Conflict
Suspense
Plot
The reason or reasons for a character's behavior; an
incentive or inducement for further action for a character.
a)
b)
c)
Motivation
Dialogue
Plot
Bell-Ringer: 3-26-2013
1.
2.
Which of the following IS NOT one of Aristotle's six elements of
drama?
a) Diction
b) Action
c) Spectacle
Which type of stage extends out into, and is surrounded on
three sides by, the audience?
a)
b)
c)
3.
Proscenium
Thrust
Arena
A signal or line that prompts the next action of stage
business during a performance.
a)
b)
c)
Cue
Action
Wings
Exit Slip: 3-26-2013
1.
The ability to relate to the feelings of another.
a) Empathy
b) Sympathy
c) Action
2.
The middle point of the performance space.
a) Downstage
b) Upstage
c) Center Stage
3.
The area of the stage that is nearest to the audience.
a) Downstage
b) Upstage
c) Center Stage
Bell-Ringer: 3-27-2013
1. Where is Our Town set?
(A) Spoon River, Illinois
(B) Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire
(C) Amity Harbor, Washington
(D) Winesburg, Ohio
2. In what year does the play begin?
(A) 1860
(B) 1950
(C) 1913
(D) 1901
3. As the play begins, where has Dr. Gibbs been?
(A) Spending the night with his mistress in a motel room
(B) Delivering twin babies
(C) Visiting a dying woman
(D) At a medical convention in Manchester
Exit Slip: 3-27-2013
1. What does Mr. Webb do for a living?
(A) He is a selectman
(B) He is the editor of the local newspaper
(C) He is a duck hunter
(D) He is a surgeon
2. Where does Mrs. Gibbs want to take a vacation?
(A) Florida
(B) Rome
(C) New York City
(D) Paris
3. Which characters does the Stage Manager bring out to tell the
audience about the town?
(A) Professor Willard and Mr. Webb
(B) Professor Willard and Mrs. Gibbs
(C) George Gibbs and Mrs. Soames
(D) Dr. Gibbs and Constable Warren
Bell-Ringer: 3-28-2013
1. Which of the following does not get deposited in the time
capsule?
(A) A copy of Our Town
(B) A copy of the Bible
(C) A picture of the Stage Manager
(D) An issue of The Sentinel
2. What does George want to do after high school?
(A) Study at Harvard
(B) Take over his uncle’s farm
(C) Become a doctor
(D) Become a teacher
3. From what affliction does the choirmaster suffer?
(A) Alcoholism
(B) Cancer
(C) Insomnia
(D) Grief over his father’s death
Exit Slip: 3-28-2013
1. What is the name of the song the choir sings several times
during the play?
(A) “Blessed Be the Tie That Binds”
(B) “Happy Birthday”
(C) “The Hallelujah Chorus”
(D) “The Wedding March”
2. What is the weather like at the beginning of Act II?
(A) It is snowing
(B) It is raining
(C) It is sunny
(D) It is foggy
3. Who gets married in Act II?
(A) George and Rebecca
(B) Wally and Rebecca
(C) George and Emily
(D) Mr. Webb and Mrs. Gibbs
Drama:
Bell-Ringers & Exit Slips
April 8-12, 2013
Pick up a
BELL-RINGER
sheet here.
Bell-Ringer: 4-8-2013
1. Where is Our Town set?
(A) Spoon River, Illinois
(B) Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire
(C) Amity Harbor, Washington
(D) Winesburg, Ohio
2. In what year does the play begin?
(A) 1860
(B) 1950
(C) 1913
(D) 1901
3. As the play begins, where has Dr. Gibbs been?
(A) Spending the night with his mistress in a motel room
(B) Delivering twin babies
(C) Visiting a dying woman
(D) At a medical convention in Manchester
Exit Slip: 4-8-2013
1. What sport does George play in high school?
(A) Soccer
(B) Football
(C) Baseball
2. During the flashback in Act II, where does George take Emily
after she accuses him of being stuck up?
(A) Home to meet his parents
(B) To the field to watch him play baseball
(C) To get an ice-cream soda
3. Who gets nervous before the wedding?
(A) Both George and Emily
(B) Only George
(C) Only Emily
(D) George and Emily’s parents
Bell-Ringer: 4-9-2013
1. The front area of the stage extending past the main act curtain.
a) Apron
b) Wings
c) Blocking
2. The offstage areas directly to the right and left of the performance
space.
a) Apron
b) Wings
c) Blocking
3. The path formed by the actor’s movement on stage, usually
determined by the director, playwright, and/or actor.
a) Apron
b) Wings
c) Blocking
Exit Slip: 4-9-2013
1. Who acts as the minister at the wedding?
(A) The Stage Manager
(B) Constable Warren
(C) The Mayor
(D) Dr. Gibbs
2. What is Sam Craig’s relationship to Emily?
(A) He is her ex-boyfriend
(B) He is her cousin
(C) He is an old friend from school
(D) He is one of her high school teachers
3. What is the cause of Emily’s death?
(A) Old age
(B) Cancer
(C) A car accident
(D) Complications during childbirth
Bell-Ringer: 4-10-2013
1. During the flashback in Act II, where does George take Emily
after she accuses him of being stuck up?
(A) Home to meet his parents
(B) To the field to watch him play baseball
(C) To get an ice-cream soda
(D) To eat dinner at a restaurant
2. What day from her earthly life does Emily decide to revisit?
(A) Her wedding day
(B) The day of her first child’s birth
(C) Her twelfth birthday
(D) Her high school graduation
3. What happens when Emily goes back and relives the past?
(A) She is unable to bear it and returns to the cemetery
(B) She decides to remain there
(C) She realizes how boring life is
(D) She finds everything has changed
Exit Slip: 4-10-2013
1. Who leads Emily back to the cemetery?
(A) Mrs. Gibbs
(B) The Stage Manager
(C) Mr. Webb
(D) An angel
2. Who comes and lays prostrate (flat) beside Emily’s grave at the end of
the play?
(A) Mr. Webb
(B) Mrs. Webb
(C) The Stage Manager
(D) George
3. What is the Stage Manager’s final action?
(A) He bows to the audience
(B) He winds his watch
(C) He waves good-bye to the audience
(D) He draws the curtain across the stage
Bell-Ringer: 4-11-2013
1. George suggests a way to communicate between Emily’s window and
his so that:
a. He can send her his goals as class President
b. He can help her with her algebra homework
c. She can send him the notes that she took at the class meeting
d. She can help him with his algebra homework
2. When Dr. Gibbs comments on the fact that Mrs. Gibbs will be losing
one of her chicks, he is referring to the fact that:
a. George is getting married
b. Mrs. Gibbs shouldn’t forgets to feed the chickens
c. George is going to Agriculture School
d. Wally is going on a camping trip
3. When Act III begins, the Stage Manager says that __________ years
have passed.
a. 7
b. 8
c. 9
Exit Slip: 4-11-2013
1. According to Aristotle, this element refers to what the audience
learns - the moral of the play. (THEME)
(A) Diction
(B) Spectacle
(C) Melody
2. According to Aristotle, this element of drama refers to all the visuals
represented in the play. Represents everything you see: set, costumes,
lights, etc.
(A) Diction
(B) Spectacle
(C) Melody
3. According to Aristotle, this element refers to everything you hear music, sound effects, silence are all examples of this.
((A) Diction
(B) Spectacle
(C) Melody
Bell-Ringer: 4-12-2013
1. This technical element refers to the proper use of the lungs and
diaphragm muscle for maximum capacity and efficiency of breath for
speaking.
(A) Inflection
(B) Projection
(C) Breath control
2. This element refers to an actor’s change in pitch or loudness of the
voice.
(A) Inflection
(B) Projection
(C) Breath control
3. This element refers to how well the actor’s voice carries to the
audience.
(A) Inflection
(B) Projection
(C) Breath control
Exit Slip: 4-12-2013
1. According to Aristotle, the specific words the playwright chooses to
use is referred to as what:
(A) Diction
(B) Characters
(C) Thought
2. According to Aristotle, this element of drama refers to the idea that a
play must be about someone or something - can be human or nonhuman.
(A) Plot
(B) Characters
(C) Thought
3. According to Aristotle, this element refers to the idea that a show
must have a beginning, middle and end. Something needs to happen
and a character must be challenged: .
(A) Plot
(B) Characters
(C) Thought
(SS): Exit Slip: 4-8-2013
1. What does Mr. Webb do for a living?
(A) He is a selectman
(B) He is the editor of the local newspaper
(C) He is a duck hunter
(D) He is a surgeon
2. Where does Mrs. Gibbs want to take a vacation?
(A) Florida
(B) Rome
(C) New York City
(D) Paris
3. Which characters does the Stage Manager bring out to tell the
audience about the town?
(A) Professor Willard and Mr. Webb
(B) Professor Willard and Mrs. Gibbs
(C) George Gibbs and Mrs. Soames
(D) Dr. Gibbs and Constable Warren
(SS): Bell-Ringer: 4-9-2013
1. The front area of the stage extending past the main act curtain.
a) Apron
b) Wings
c) Blocking
2. The offstage areas directly to the right and left of the performance
space.
a) Apron
b) Wings
c) Blocking
3. The path formed by the actor’s movement on stage, usually
determined by the director, playwright, and/or actor.
a) Apron
b) Wings
c) Blocking
(SS): Exit Slip: 4-9-2013
1. Which of the following does not get deposited in the time
capsule?
(A) A copy of Our Town
(B) A copy of the Bible
(C) A picture of the Stage Manager
(D) An issue of The Sentinel
2. What does George want to do after high school?
(A) Study at Harvard
(B) Take over his uncle’s farm
(C) Become a doctor
(D) Become a teacher
3. From what affliction does the choirmaster suffer?
(A) Alcoholism
(B) Cancer
(C) Insomnia
(D) Grief over his father’s death
Bell-Ringer: 4-10-2013
1.
The ability to relate to the feelings of another.
a) Empathy
b) Sympathy
c) Action
2.
The middle point of the performance space.
a) Downstage
b) Upstage
c) Center Stage
3.
The area of the stage that is nearest to the audience.
a) Downstage
b) Upstage
c) Center Stage
(SS): Bell-Ringer: 4-10-2013
1. What is the name of the song the choir sings several times
during the play?
(A) “Blessed Be the Tie That Binds”
(B) “Happy Birthday”
(C) “The Hallelujah Chorus”
(D) “The Wedding March”
2. What is the weather like at the beginning of Act II?
(A) It is snowing
(B) It is raining
(C) It is sunny
(D) It is foggy
3. Who gets married in Act II?
(A) George and Rebecca
(B) Wally and Rebecca
(C) George and Emily
(D) Mr. Webb and Mrs. Gibbs
(SS): Exit Slip: 4-10-2013
1. What sport does George play in high school?
(A) Soccer
(B) Football
(C) Baseball
2. During the flashback in Act II, where does George take Emily
after she accuses him of being stuck up?
(A) Home to meet his parents
(B) To the field to watch him play baseball
(C) To get an ice-cream soda
3. Who gets nervous before the wedding?
(A) Both George and Emily
(B) Only George
(C) Only Emily
(D) George and Emily’s parents
(SS): Bell-Ringer: 4-11-2013
1. According to Aristotle, the specific words the playwright chooses to
use is referred to as what:
(A) Diction
(B) Spectacle
(C) Melody
2. According to Aristotle, this element of drama refers to all the visuals
represented in the play. Represents everything you see: set, costumes,
lights, etc.
(A) Diction
(B) Spectacle
(C) Melody
3. According to Aristotle, this element refers to everything you hear music, sound effects, silence are all examples of this.
((A) Diction
(B) Spectacle
(C) Melody
(SS): Exit Slip: 4-11-2013
1. Who acts as the minister at the wedding?
(A) The Stage Manager
(B) Constable Warren
(C) The Mayor
(D) Dr. Gibbs
2. What is Sam Craig’s relationship to Emily?
(A) He is her ex-boyfriend
(B) He is her cousin
(C) He is an old friend from school
(D) He is one of her high school teachers
3. What is the cause of Emily’s death?
(A) Old age
(B) Cancer
(C) A car accident
(D) Complications during childbirth
(SS): Bell-Ringer: 4-12-2013
1. During the flashback in Act II, where does George take Emily
after she accuses him of being stuck up?
(A) Home to meet his parents
(B) To the field to watch him play baseball
(C) To get an ice-cream soda
(D) To eat dinner at a restaurant
2. What day from her earthly life does Emily decide to revisit?
(A) Her wedding day
(B) The day of her first child’s birth
(C) Her twelfth birthday
(D) Her high school graduation
3. What happens when Emily goes back and relives the past?
(A) She is unable to bear it and returns to the cemetery
(B) She decides to remain there
(C) She realizes how boring life is
(D) She finds everything has changed
(SS): Exit Slip: 4-12-2013
1. Who leads Emily back to the cemetery?
(A) Mrs. Gibbs
(B) The Stage Manager
(C) Mr. Webb
(D) An angel
2. Who comes and lays prostrate (flat) beside Emily’s grave at the end of
the play?
(A) Mr. Webb
(B) Mrs. Webb
(C) The Stage Manager
(D) George
3. What is the Stage Manager’s final action?
(A) He bows to the audience
(B) He winds his watch
(C) He waves good-bye to the audience
(D) He draws the curtain across the stage
Our Town Facts
• Written by: Thornton Wilder, from 1934-38.
• First Performed: January 22, 1938,
Princeton, NJ
• PBS Masterpiece Theater Performance:
–
–
–
–
–
Performed: 2002
Aired: October 5, 2003
Director: James Naughton
Venue: The Booth Theatre (NYC)
Theater Group: The Westport Country Playhouse
3rd Period: Bell-Ringer: 4-18
• You are the ONLY class who gets to
watch this video, if you would like to
remain as such, I suggest you sit, be
quiet, watch, and do the work
assigned to you. All will be well in this
world if you do.
• If you haven’t submitted your final
draft, guess what…
4th & 6th: Bell-Ringer: 4-18
• BEGIN YOUR WORK IMMEDIATELY.
• In the Literature textbook:
–
–
–
–
Read Silently: The Importance of Being Earnest, p. 898.
Answer: 1-5 (all parts), p. 905
Read Silently: The Inspector General, p. 884.
Answer: 2-4 (all parts), p. 888.
• Turn into your tray when you have completed your
work.
• The only thing I wish to hear is the sound of
silence.
• Tomorrow is Reading Workshop: bring something
to read. No one leaves.
(SS): Bell-Ringer: 4-18-2013
• IMMEDIATELY begin work on your PEER REVIEW
(Sheets are on the front table).
• Once you’ve finished, begin typing your final draft. I would
be happy to go over your rough draft with you first.
• Use my teacher website to locate the file “Format.” Open this
file, it is formatted exactly like I want you to format your
paper. Simply highlight and change the text.
– YOU WILL LOSE POINTS IF THE PAPER IS NOT FORMATTED CORRECTLY!
• Save your file as: lastname-our town review-period#
(With YOUR information!)
• This is the last day to work on your reviews…complete all
work today and this evening…you have until the start of class
tomorrow to submit your review through email:
Ben.davis@cville.kyschools.us
Bell-Ringer: 4-19-2013
• Take the first 5 minutes of class to gather
any and ALL materials that you must submit
to me.
• Staple the (small) checklist to the front of
your packets and turn them into your tray.
• Fill out and staple the “Communication
Folder” sheet to the FRONT of your final
copy.
• DO NOT staple your final copy to the
packet.