SPEECH & THEATER ARTS

JASON A. ROMERO
INSTRUCTOR
Drama
Prose or verse telling a story intended for
representation by actors through dialogue
or action.
 DRAMA

Consists of two types Can be presented in

of writing two ways

The stage directions

that tell the actors As performance, the
The dialogue that the As literature, the text
how to move and production of the play
characters speak of the play itself
speak, describing the in a theater
sets and props
TYPES OF DRAMA - TRAGEDY

⚫ Tragedy: A play in which the main character

experiences disaster, but faces this downfall in such
a way as to attain heroic stature.*
⚫ Even though Tragedies are “gloomy” they are
triumphant, because they inspire exaltation at the
greatness human beings can attain even in defeat.
COMEDY
⚫Comedy closes with a peaceful resolution of the main
conflict.

⚫High Comedy: The humor arises from subtle

characterization, social satire, and sophisticated wit.
⚫Low Comedy: Emphasizes absurd dialogue, bawdy
jokes, visual gags, and physical humor.*
 TYPES OF COMEDY

⚫Romantic Comedy: The main characters are lovers, and

the plot tends to follow the pattern of “boy gets girl, boy
loses girl, boy gets girl again.”

⚫Satiric Comedy: Uses humor to ridicule foolish ideas or

customs with the purpose of improving society.
⚫Comedy of Manners: Satirizes the vices and follies of
the upper class.*
 ADDITIONAL FORMS OF DRAMA

⚫Farce: Relies on exaggeration, absurdity, and

slapstick
⚫Straight Drama or Drama: Deal with serious
subjects, but do not always end in disaster.
Play
Play can be understood as the dramatic work,
characterized by direct interaction between the
characters. It is designed for theatrical
performance, which is arranged into dialogue,
acts and scene. It is meant for a particular
audience, i.e. it can be a stage play, screenplay
or radio play.
 The Play
Playwright : person who writes plays.

Script : printed copy of a play.

Acts : the major sections of a play.

Scene : small section or portion of a play.

 The Play
Playwright : person who writes plays.

Script : printed copy of a play.

Acts : the major sections of a play.

Scene : small section or portion of a play.

SCRIPT
 The People
Actor: male performer

Actress: female performer

Cast: all performers selected to

portray characters.
Director: instructs actors on how to
portray characters.
Theater

A building where a play is performed

containing the stage and seating area for
the audience.
 Areas of the Stage
Backstage: area behind scenery not visible
to audience.
Center stage: area in the center of the
stage.
Downstage: area closest to the audience.

Stage left/right: area to actor’s left or

right as he/she faces the audience.
Upstage: area furthest away from the
audience.

Backdrop: painted curtain without

fullness.
Flats: canvas-covered wooden frames
used for scenery.

Set: all sets and props that help define the

action.
B Upstage BA
A CK
C ST
KS AG
TA E
G
Center Stage Stage Left
E Stage Right

Down Stage

Audience
 AUDIENCE

Downstage Left Downstage Center Downstage Right

Stage Left Center Stage Stage Right

Upstage Left Upstage Center Upstage Right

 Stage Directions

Cue: something that precedes the next

action.
Cut: to stop the action.

Exit: to leave the stage.

 Elements of Drama
Plot: the main storyline

Theme: the basic idea of the play

Character: person, animal or thing in the

story
Language: formal setting or dialect

Dialogue: conversation between two or

more characters.
Monologue: one person speaking
Spectacle: visuals involved on stage
⚫External Conflict: Pits a character against nature or
fate, society, or another character
⚫Internal conflict: Between opposing forces within a
character.
⚫Protagonist: The central character of the play and often
undergoes radical changes as the action progresses.*
⚫Antagonist: The character who opposes the main
character*
⚫Foil: A minor character whose traits contrast sharply
with those of the protagonist

⚫Dialogue: Conversations between characters

⚫Monologue: A long speech spoken by a single character to

himself or herself, or to the audience

⚫Soliloquy: A monologue in which a character speaks his

or her private thoughts aloud and appears to be unaware of
the audience.
⚫Aside: a short speech or comment delivered by a
character to the audience, but unheard by the other
characters who are present.
 DIALOGUE
• Dialogue is what the characters say, and it is used to reveal
their personalities = Character Traits.
• The name of the character who is to speak is listed usually
in bold at the start of a line, followed by a colon.
• Every time the speaker changes, a new line is started.
Dialogue is necessary in order to develop conflict
and advance the plot.
STAGING A PLAY

• It is more than just the words on a page. The

production of a play involves directing the way
the characters move, what they wear, the lighting,
and the scenery.
• Staging is the practice of putting on the play.
Costumes: clothing worn by an actor on stage to help represent
characters.

Lights: the placement, intensity, and color of lights to help

communicate environment, mood, or feeling

Sound: the effects an audience hears during performance to

communicate character, context, or environment.

Makeup: costumes, wigs, and body paint used to transform an

actor
into a character.
SETS

• Sets are the scenery, backdrops, and

furniture that create the setting.
• A production may have different sets for
different scenes.
PROPS

• Props are things like books, telephones, dishes,

and other items that actors use onstage during
the performance to support the action.

Props: items used on stage to help

actors tell a story
 STAGE DIRECTIONS
• Stage directions are notes in the script usually
written in italics and enclosed in parentheses or
brackets.

• Stage directions may also describe sets, costumes,

props, lighting, and sound effects.

• Stage directions use certain terms to describe the

stage. Look at the following slide and see how.
 Creative Dramatics
Improvisation: to make up or perform
without preparation.
Pantomime: to communicate without
speaking using only facial and body
gestures.
Mimicry: to copy or imitate something
very closely.

Role Playing : to take on the

characteristics of someone or something.
 SIMILARITIES OF STORIES AND PLAYS
• Stories have • Plays have
• Characters carrying out a • Characters carrying out a
series of actions series of action
• driven by a conflict of some • driven by a conflict of some
kind kind
• Plot • Plot
 THEY DIFFER IN FORMAT
• Stories • Plays
• A prose narrative • Consist entirely of characters’
• Narrator describes characters, words and actions.
actions, settings • The playwright may describe
• The characters’ words are the characters and settings in
marked by “quotation marks” the script, but the audience
never hears these stage
directions.
• The audience sees and hears
only the actors’ interpretations
of them.
Sociological

Educational

Historical STORY CONCEPT

Historical

Spiritual

Philosophical
STORY CONCEPT
REBELASYON
Conflict
Confrontation
Third Party
Restaurant
Anniversary
THEATER ETIQUETTE

• All of the people involved in the production, both cast and

crew, work very hard to be sure they give a great performance.
• It is the job of the audience members to help the performers
give their best performance possible. The audience can do this
by practicing the rules of theater etiquette, which is how the
audience should behave when watching a play.
 RULES OF THEATER ETIQUETTE
 Be on time to the theater. Turn off cell phones upon arrival.
 Be quite so other around you can hear the performance
 You should use the restroom before the show begins, and not get out of
your seat while the show is being performed.
 You should not eat, chew gum, or drink any beverages while watching the
show.
 While it is appropriate to respond to funny, shocking, or entertaining
moments out loud, you should respect others around you and their
enjoyment of the play by not responding with loud, inappropriate reactions.
 WHEN SHOULD YOU APPLAUD?

• Stand and applaud if you really thought the show was great. That is a called
a standing ovation, and it honors the actors who worked so hard to give
a great performance.
• It is customary to applaud at the end of songs, and at the curtain call,
when the actors come out to take their final bows. Throughout the show,
audience members may choose to applaud when something particularly
0utstanding has just been performed. Do not whistle or scream out to the
performers except for a Bravo.
 THANK YOU

JASON A. ROMERO
09953111832

jaromero@[Link]