1. Tragedy and Drama Comes from Greek word Dran (to do). It is, as Aristotle defined it, an imitation of action. Drama is different from fiction because it is a staged act. David Tennant and Patrick Stewart starring in Hamlet, 2011. Plays are written to be performed and viewed. Like fiction possess a narrative dimension

2. Dame Diana Rigg starring in Hedda Gabler, 1981. The Words In Plays You can read plays, but need to keep the literary and theatrical dimensions in mind. Plays will narrate a story in form of a plot. Like fiction it will rely on dialogue and description. 3. Drama is a mimetic art, which imitates or represents human life and experiences. Viewers have active engagement with the actors on stage through their speech and movements. Drama is primarily a verbal art. Drama and Experience 4. Drama Drama is immediate; even if a play has a flashback, it is brought into the present for viewers to see. The great pleasure of drama is its ability to show human life in a meaningful way. The interactions of characters and how they respond and relate to one another becomes the source of meaning for the play. 5. Drama is a composite art that makes use of other forms. Architecture, lighting, shadowing, etc can greatly change interpretation. Music and sound can be added. Drama and The Stage Katie Holmes and John Lithgow in All My Sons, 2008. 6. How To Read Drama Actually do the reading. Pay attention to elements of performance. Use imagination to hear voice, stage placement, and gestures. If you directed, how would you approach it? Eve Best and James Frain in The Homecoming, 2007. 7. How To Read Drama Actually do the reading. Pay attention to elements of performance. Use imagination to hear voice, stage placement, and gestures. If you directed, how would you approach it? Eve Best and James Frain in The Homecoming, 2007.