The Basic Elements of a Dramatic Production
An Introduction to Our Town NOTES
Terms of a Dramatic Production
______
A story told by means of a ______and action which presents a single and simple problem that is settled during the play – a few characters.
It is divided into acts which are divided into ______which are made up of actions and words.
Purposes are:
(1) ______
(2) ______
(3) ______
(4) ______
(5) ______
______– the action of the play, what happens; has ______parts
Exposition – ______
Sets the action ______
Acquaints the ______with the characters
Reveals and begins the ______
May foreshadow the ______
Complication – ______; climax
______– the falling action – the resolution, it follows the climax. At this point, all loose ends are tied up and the play is “rounded out and finished.”
______– the point in the play where the outcome becomes inevitable. The highest point of action. The most exciting part of the action or the most important. The particular moment where the antagonist and the protagonist finally dash for the last time.
Characters
Protagonist - ______
______– the character representing the conflict
Motivation – The reasons for the actions in the play. It is expected to be logical, the actor is expected to be “in character.”
Conflict - ______
Interpersonal Conflict
Man v. Man - ______
Man v. Nature - ______
Man v. Society- ______
Internal Conflict
Man v. Self - ______
Types of Drama
Two main categories are:
______– in which the characters undergo embarrassments or discomfitures which are on the whole so managed that they interest and amuse without engaging our profoundest sympathy, and in which the action turns out well for the chief characters
______– generally applied to the representation of serious actions (Romeo & Juliet) which turn out disastrously for the chief character(s).
Melodrama - ______
(1) has too many ups and downs
(2) ______
(3) characters are too one dimensional --- ______
(4) situations are highly impossible; solutions are incredible or conflicts are overemphasized (You Can’t Take it With You)
Setting
Definition: ______
It can:
______
______
______
______
Characters/Characterization - ______
We get to know them:
______
By their speech, what they say and how they say it
By the setting or surroundings in which we see them
______
Through their thoughts if they have a soliloquy
Soliloquy – ______
Dialogue – what we read, ______. It does several things:
It must advance the action of the play, it must have relevance to the action
It can ______, predict coming events, given information, give hints, reveal character.
It should be distinct from that of other characters. You should be able to tell who is talking without having to look at the name.
The speech should be ______. It shouldn’t sound put-on or fake.
Stage Directions
Back wall of stage
Audience
Terms concerned with dramatic production
Backer – ______
Props – ______
Producer – ______
Director – ______
Critic – ______
Billing – ______
Cast – ______
SRO – ______
Dramaturgy – ______
Stage space – ______
Farce – ______
Our Town Setting
Grover’s Corners, NH
Classic “Small Town, USA”
______
Based on ______, NH
Serves as a ______of the world at large
Microcosm – ______
Themes
______
______
______
______
Main Characters
Stage Manager
The Webbs (Emily’s family)
The Gibbs (George’s family)
Simon Stimson
Professor Willard
Louella Soames
Literary Elements & Techniques
Antirealism
Dramatic irony
Narrator
Pantomime
Staging
Style
Symbol
Things to Keep in Mind While Reading (or Acting) in a Play
- A play is very different from a story or novel. A play involves people and what they say and how they act. Usually, you see only stage directions and hear only dialogue. The author cannot interject his own comments, and you don’t have detailed descriptions of moods, scenery, or actions. A play leaves a lot up to your own imagination. The action usually moves a lot faster in a play because your characters always have to do something. Very rarely do you get inside of their minds. Clues to w hat they are thinking have to come from what they say or from what other characters say or guess about them.
- A play is different from a movie or television show. For one thing, (a) you don’t have the advantage of elaborate scenery, instant flashbacks, close-ups, and detailed actions by the actors. (b) When you see a play you can see only “the big movements” of the actors, you cannot see t heir facial expressions very clearly. (c) Do not have a camera, censorship by minority groups or commercial sponsors, color film processing or trick photography.
- Characterization is very important because almost everything is revealed through it.
- Pay attention to the setting, lighting, and what the narrator says. The first two set the mood and the narrator often adds important clues to what is happening.
- Stage directions are also important because they help you to place the characters and visualize the action.
- Try to keep in mind what the playwright’s purpose might be. Look for hints as to the outcome and identify as soon as possible the protagonist and the antagonist.