1. Chapter 3

2. 2© 2013 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

3.  Theatre productions typically begin with
the script, or text
 Provides a plan for a production
3© 2013 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

4.  Selecting the specific
subject of the play
 The subject matter
for drama is always
human beings
 Determine what
aspect of human
existence
to write about
4© 2013 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

5.  Determining focus
 Decide who and
what to focus on
 How to interpret the
characters and events
5© 2013 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

6.  Establishing purpose
 Purpose may be:
▪ Casual or unconscious, or
▪ Conscious and deliberate
6© 2013 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

7.  Establishing purpose continued
 Different purposes:
▪ To entertain
▪ To probe the human condition
▪ To provide an escape
▪ To impart information
7© 2013 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

8.  Developing dramatic structure
 Every work of art has some type of structure
 The structure of a play is analogous to that of
a building
 Creating dramatic characters
 Establishing point of view
© 2013 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 8

9.  Essentials of Dramatic Structure
 The story must be turned into a plot
 The plot involves action
 The plot includes conflict
 There are strongly opposed forces
 A reasonable balance is struck between the
opposed forces
9© 2013 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

10.  Sequence in Dramatic Structure
 Begin with the opening scene
▪ Starts the action and sets the tone and style
▪ Tells whether we are going to see a serious or a
comic play and whether the play will deal with affairs
of everyday life or with fantasy
 Obstacles and complications block
a character’s path
 Crises and Climaxes
© 2013 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 10

11.  Climactic Plot Construction
 First used in 5th century B.C.E. Greece
 Also called intensive
 The Plot Begins Late in the Story
 Scenes, Locales, and Characters Are
Restricted
 Construction Is Tight
11© 2013 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

12.  Episodic Plot Construction
▪ Emerged during the Renaissance in England and
in Spain
 People, Places, and Events Proliferate
 There May Be a Parallel Plot or a Subplot
 Contrast and Juxtaposition Are Used
 The Overall Effect Is Cumulative
 Combinations of Climactic and Episodic
12© 2013 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

13.  Other Forms of Dramatic Structure
 Ritual as Structure
 Patterns as Structure
 Cyclical Structure
 Serial Structure
13© 2013 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

14.  Other Forms of Dramatic Structure continued
 Avant-Garde and Experimental Structures
▪ Interest in ritual and ceremony
▪ Emphasis on nonverbal theatre
▪ Reliance on improvisation
▪ Stress on the physical environment of theatre
▪ Stress on each audience member’s developing
his or her own interpretation of the work being
presented
 Segments and Tableaux as Structure
14© 2013 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

15.  Types of Dramatic Characters
 Extraordinary Characters
▪ Heroes and heroines
▪ Larger than life
▪ Historically, have been kings, queens, generals,
members of nobility
▪ Present some form of extreme of human behavior
15© 2013 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

16. 16© 2013 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

17.  Types of Dramatic Characters continued
 Representative or Quintessential Characters
▪ Three-dimensional, highly individual, ordinary
▪ Embody the characteristics of an entire group
 Stock Characters
▪ Symbolize a particular type of person to the
exclusion of virtually everyone else
▪ Appear particularly in comedy and melodrama
17© 2013 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

18.  Types of Dramatic Characters continued
 Characters with a Dominant Trait
▪ One aspect of this character dominates, making for
an unbalanced, and often comic, personality
 Minor Characters
▪ Play a small part in overall action
▪ Appear briefly and serve to further the story or to
support more important characters
18© 2013 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

19.  Types of Dramatic Characters continued
 Narrator or Chorus
▪ Generally, a narrator speaks directly to the audience
▪ Comments on the action
▪ Greek drama used a chorus that commented, in
song and dance, on the action
 Nonhuman Characters
▪ Often animals that are supposed to draw parallels
with the human experience
19© 2013 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

20.  Juxtaposition of Characters
 Protagonist: leading character, chief or
outstanding figure in the action
 Antagonist: character who opposes the
protagonist
 Foils or counterparts to the main characters
20© 2013 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.