PDF
573KB

Drama – The elements of dramatic form

The building blocks of drama from children’s pretend play to classic plays

Drama starts with:

The dramatic context

• A human situation
  • What’s happening?
  • Where?
  • When?
• Its characters and their roles
  • Who is involved?

Organised by:

Focus

• The dramatist's framing of the situation and characters in the human context
• The chosen distance of the human situation from the viewer or participant

Driven by:

Tension

• What's at stake?
  • Dilemmas faced by the characters
  • Conflict between the characters
  • Suspense about what may happen
  • Mystery of what is unrevealed
  • Tension of the task for the characters to achieve their aims
  • Surprise for the characters

Manifested in:

Space

• Embodied action
• Location and setting
• Light and darkness

Manifested over:

Time

• Plot and narrative
• Cause and effect

Expressed in:

Language

• Voice and words
• Non-verbal paralanguage
• Sound and silence

Embodied in:

Movement

• Gesture
• Physical relationships
• Movement and stillness

Combining to make:

Dramatic meaning

• Symbols
• Atmosphere
• Understanding
• Aesthetic effect

When performed to an audience it becomes:

Theatre

• Acting
• Design
• Directing
• Staging
• Production