What is DRAMA Elements of Drama plot sequence

What is DRAMA?

Elements of Drama • plot: sequence of events; "what happens" • characters: actors; people who act out a part/role in a play • theme: what the play means • language: how a character speaks and also word choice in dialogue • music/rhythm: sound and melody of the characters' speech • spectacle: the visuals of a play: scenery, costumes, special effects, lighting, etc.

Text features & Vocabulary of Drama • • play: written text of a dramatic piece performance: when the play is acted out production: series of performances dialogue: no quotation marks; speaker is listed (can be bold, bold italicized, underlined, ALL CAPS, etc. ) : words spoken follow • stage directions: what the actors DO or how they speak; sound effects; or other notes on "spectacle" for the producer (USUALLY in parentheses)

Text features & Vocabulary of Drama • arrangement: scenes &/or acts • character list : beginning (best if it is annotated) – Annotated means a short description of each character is given • background info listed or given at the beginning • setting is listed for each scene (usually at the beginning of each scene) • plot is the same as in a short story only is moved along by character dialogue and action

Dialogue in a play: CHARACTER: What the character says is written after with NO QUOTATION MARKS! (stage directions, sound effects, and other elements of spectacle are in parentheses)

Literary Devices in Plays/Drama • onomatopoeia: USUALLY in stage directions • simile: dialogue, annotations, & stage directions • metaphor: same as similes • hyperbole: same as similes • personification: characterization & stage directions

Literary Devices in Plays/Drama • alliteration: May be used, but not used unless the author chooses to use it freely. • repetition: the format of Character names is repeated and dialogue can be repeated for literary effect as well • rhyme: May be used, but probably not intentional • irony: used for plot twists just as in a short story

Elements of Drama (things that are Specific to drama) * plot: sequence of events; "what happens" * characters: part in a play * actors: people who act out a part/role in a play * theme: what the play means * scene: one unit of action in a play; usually limited to one setting (time & place) * act: group of scenes in a play; OR to perform in a play * spectacle: the visuals of a play: scenery, costumes, special effects, lighting, etc. Text Features/"THE PLAY" * play: written text of a dramatic piece * performance: when the play is acted out * production: series of performances * dialogue: no quotation marks; speaker is listed (can be bold, bold italicized, underlined, ALL CAPS, etc. ) : words spoken follow * stage directions: what the actors DO or how they speak; sound effects; or other notes on "spectacle" for the producer (USUALLY in parentheses) * character list @ beginning (best if it is annotated) * background info @ beginning * setting is listed for each scene Literary Devices (where we find them in drama) * onomatopoeia: USUALLY in stage directions * simile: dialogue, annotations, & stage directions * metaphor: same as similes * hyperbole: same as similes * personification: characterization & stage directions *alliteration: May be used, but not used unless the author chooses to use it freely. * repetition: the format of Character names is repeated and dialogue can be repeated for literary effect as well * irony: used for plot twists just as in a short story