Drama and performance

In a nutshell

Plays have different features such as acts, scenes, stage directions, characters, drama and performance. This summary will help you understand the elements of modern plays.

Drama

Drama is the presentation of plays which includes and requires acting skills, theatre performance and stagecraft.

Features of plays

Plays are works of fiction and are written to be performed on stage by actors. In addition, plays are written in script format with stage directions and usually include information about the set, lighting, costumes and props. Actors (characters) generally perform main or minor roles and all the actors in the play are collectively referred to as the cast.

A play is divided into acts and scenes. Acts are the broader sections of the play, similar to an episode of a TV series: many things occur but it is part of the whole story. Acts are divided into smaller sections called scenes: these split up events according to the passage of time or a change in location.

Example

Jack enters with a strange walk.

Sally: (despondent) Why did you ever go to battle?!

Jack: (falling to his knees) Please, forgive me.

Dialogue and monologue

A large part of the play's text is composed of dialogue. The speech of modern plays intends to be natural, informal and realistic. In order to give insight into a character's feelings, play scripts might also feature one or many monologues. Monologues usually contain emotive language and they reveal the character's thoughts.

Note: A monologue is not the same as an aside comment. An 'aside' lets the audience know things that other characters don't.

Example

'To be, or not to be, that is the question:

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles

And by opposing end them. To die - to sleep'

William Shakespeare, Hamlet

Performance

Plays have long been a source of entertainment, thanks in no small part to the elements linked to performance, such as the set, lighting, props, costumes and music.

Staging
Staging refers to the following elements:

The set: the scenery on stage which shows where the action is taking place.

Lighting: lights are used to divert the attention of the audience towards a certain place or character on stage.

Props: actors may use objects (called props) to perform with more clarity.
Music: music and other sound effects can change or give a specific mood to a scene.

Example

The scene starts with an empty forest, almost pitch-black.	This scene is set in a dark forest to create suspense.
The Pharaoh enters holding a torch, attempting to find the treasure.	The character enters on stage with props to illustrate the context of the play.
The volume of the music increases and the lighting becomes brighter. The Pharaoh: FOUND IT! (the Pharaoh discards the torch, holds the treasure with both hands and lifts it above his head)	Music and lighting amplify the climax of the scene: the Pharaoh finds the treasure he was looking for.