Drama vs. Short StoriesDrama vs. Short Stories

DramaDrama

When we were young, we all loved to dress up in When we were young, we all loved to dress up in

costumes and outfits, say as cowboys, or as Darth costumes and outfits, say as cowboys, or as Darth Vader from Vader from Star WarsStar Wars, or as Dorothy from , or as Dorothy from The Wizard The Wizard of Ozof Oz. We sang and danced or defeated the bad guys. . We sang and danced or defeated the bad guys. We were the characters, the heroes and villains. We were the characters, the heroes and villains.

Drama—acting or simply reading characters’ words—Drama—acting or simply reading characters’ words—allows us to step into characters’ shoes and act like allows us to step into characters’ shoes and act like them.them.

As we read, we can visualize what they’re doing, As we read, we can visualize what they’re doing, thinking, and feeling because we can hear their words thinking, and feeling because we can hear their words as we interpret their emotions. as we interpret their emotions.

DramaDrama

Comes from the Greek Word, Comes from the Greek Word, “Dran” “Dran”

Means “To do” or “To Act”Means “To do” or “To Act”The Doing/Acting Makes The Doing/Acting Makes

Drama Drama

Purpose and DefinitionPurpose and Definition

A A dramadrama is a story written to be is a story written to be performed by actors, using speech and performed by actors, using speech and movements in front of an audience movements in front of an audience

Purpose of other genresPurpose of other genres

Short story?Short story?Speech?Speech? Informational text?Informational text?

Elements of DramaElements of Drama

PlaywrightPlaywright-the -the author of a playauthor of a play

ActorsActors-the people -the people who performwho perform

ActsActs-the units of -the units of action action

ScenesScenes-parts of -parts of the actsthe acts

GenresGenres

Short storiesShort stories Fiction or nonfictionFiction or nonfiction Realistic FictionRealistic Fiction Historical FictionHistorical Fiction Science FictionScience Fiction Etc.Etc.

DramasDramas for the stage (play)for the stage (play) For the movies For the movies

(screenplay)(screenplay) For television For television

(teleplay)(teleplay)

Elements of DramaElements of Drama

Plot Plot CharactersCharacters SettingSetting ActsActs ScenesScenes

The related events that The related events that take place in a drama take place in a drama are separated into are separated into actsacts.. Most plays have Most plays have two or three acts, but two or three acts, but there are many there are many variations. variations. Within an Within an act, there are shorter act, there are shorter sections called sections called scenesscenes.. A play can have any A play can have any number of scenes.number of scenes.

Structure of a Drama – Structure of a Drama – Chronological OrderChronological Order

All the parts of All the parts of plotplot ExpositionExposition

characterscharacters Internal and Internal and

external conflictsexternal conflictssettingsetting

Rising Rising Action/ComplicatioAction/Complicationsns

ClimaxClimax Falling ActionFalling Action ResolutionResolution

Structure of other genresStructure of other genres

Short story?Short story?Speech?Speech? Informational text?Informational text?

CharacterizationCharacterization

CharacterizatiCharacterizationon--playwright’s playwright’s technique for technique for making making believable believable characterscharacters

DialogueDialogue

An author tells a story mainly through a narrator and An author tells a story mainly through a narrator and some description and dialogue between characters.some description and dialogue between characters.

A playwright tells a story primarily through dialogue A playwright tells a story primarily through dialogue of the characters.of the characters.

DialogueDialogue is conversation between two or more is conversation between two or more characters. characters.

Dialogue in a short story= partly responsible for Dialogue in a short story= partly responsible for revealing a character’s personalityrevealing a character’s personality

Dialogue in a drama = totally responsible for Dialogue in a drama = totally responsible for revealing the characters s and also carry the story revealing the characters s and also carry the story forward. forward.

MonologueMonologue

Playwrights may also use a Playwrights may also use a monologuemonologue, which occurs when only , which occurs when only one character speaks for a while. The one character speaks for a while. The character may be with others character may be with others onstage or may be alone.onstage or may be alone.

Christine from Phantom of the Opera

In the written form of a play, dialogue appears In the written form of a play, dialogue appears without quotation marks.without quotation marks. Practice reading this Practice reading this dialogue from dialogue from The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street:The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street:

Mrs. BrandMrs. Brand ( (from her porchfrom her porch). ). Steve? What Steve? What was that?was that?

SteveSteve ( (raising his voice and raising his voice and looking toward porchlooking toward porch). Guess ). Guess it was a meteor, honey. it was a meteor, honey. Came awful close, didn’t it?Came awful close, didn’t it?

Mrs. BrandMrs. Brand. Too close for my . Too close for my money! money! Much too close. Much too close.

from from The Monsters Are Due The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street on Maple Street by Rod Serlingby Rod Serling

There are two characters in There are two characters in the conversation—Stevethe conversation—Steveand his wife, Mrs. Brand.and his wife, Mrs. Brand.The name at the beginningThe name at the beginningof each line tells who isof each line tells who istalking. When you readtalking. When you readdialogue, you need to keepdialogue, you need to keeptrack of individualtrack of individual

characters.characters. Their words Their words areare

important clues to theirimportant clues to theirpersonalities.personalities.

Stage DirectionsStage Directions

some lines have some lines have italicized words and italicized words and phrases contained phrases contained within parentheses. within parentheses. These are These are stage stage directions.directions. They They are not meant to be are not meant to be spoken aloud. For spoken aloud. For the actors—and for the actors—and for a reader of the a reader of the playplay—they offer —they offer guidance on what is guidance on what is happening and how happening and how to understand the to understand the meaningmeaning of certain of certain lines. lines.

Mrs. BrandMrs. Brand ((from her porchfrom her porch).). Steve? What was that?Steve? What was that?

SteveSteve ((raising his voice and raising his voice and looking toward porchlooking toward porch).). Guess it Guess it was a meteor, honey. Came was a meteor, honey. Came awful close, didn’t it?awful close, didn’t it?

Mrs. BrandMrs. Brand. Too close for my . Too close for my money! money! Much too close. Much too close.

from from The Monsters Are Due on The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street Maple Street by Rod Serlingby Rod Serling

Stage DirectionsStage Directions Mary.Mary. Yes, I agree with Yes, I agree with

you.you.(She really doesn’t.)(She really doesn’t.)

As a reader, the stage direction “(As a reader, the stage direction “(She really She really doesn’tdoesn’t.)” helps you understand Mary’s feelings .)” helps you understand Mary’s feelings as well as events that may occur later in the as well as events that may occur later in the play. An actor delivering this line would play. An actor delivering this line would show show that Mary doesn’t mean what she says. The actor that Mary doesn’t mean what she says. The actor might pause before speaking or move in a way might pause before speaking or move in a way that shows she is not sincere. that shows she is not sincere. When you read a When you read a play, be alert to the stage directions. When you play, be alert to the stage directions. When you watch a play, pay attention to the action and to watch a play, pay attention to the action and to specific actors’ movements. These are important specific actors’ movements. These are important elements of drama that convey meaning.elements of drama that convey meaning.

Group Review DialogueGroup Review Dialogue

Describe what dialogue looks like in a Describe what dialogue looks like in a short storyshort story

What does the dialogue reveal in a short What does the dialogue reveal in a short story? (hint: look back at notes)story? (hint: look back at notes)

What does dialogue look like in a drama?What does dialogue look like in a drama?What does dialogue reveal in a drama?What does dialogue reveal in a drama?

(look back at notes)(look back at notes)

ReviewReview

1)1) Create something Create something to show how short to show how short stories and stories and dramas are alikedramas are alike

2)2) Design something Design something to show how short to show how short stories and stories and dramas are dramas are differentdifferent