Chapter 11:Drama

After practising the activities in this chapter, you should be able to:

1. Analyse the themes and techniques of plays and basic drama terminology.
2. Understand how drama skills and techniques are used to create characterisation, mood and atmosphere. 3. Analyse events in plays to deepen understanding of themes and
characters, and to enrich performance.

Introduction

In this chapter, you will learn about the different drama terms and techniques.
The literature appears in different genres, such as prose (novels and short stories), poetry and drama (plays). The author of a drama text is called, a playwright.

A drama text is also called a script.
Co-operation and self-directed learning, communication, creativity and innovation, critical thinking and problem-solving skills will all be developed in this chapter.

Drama differs from the other genres in that the text is written for actors who speak the words. The terms for the spoken words in a play is dialogue and monologue. When the characters speak to each other, it is dialogue. When the actor talks to him- or herself, it is a monologue. Actors do not read the words; they learn the words off by heart and perform it for an audience who watches and listens.

When a drama text is performed for an audience, we call it a play. Plays are usually performed in theatres or community halls, with the actors moving around on a stage. Drama is also recorded on video, and shown on television, or on the Internet.

Activity 3.1 Discuss a play
1. Work in a group of six to eight members. Tell each other what you remember about a play you have seen. Perhaps you saw it at school, or in a theatre, or somewhere else in your community. It can also be a drama you have seen on TV, or in a video on a computer, or on a phone.

2. Answer the questions in your discussion.
a) We use the term theme for the main idea or message in a play or drama. What was the theme of the play?
b) We use the term plot to describe what happens in a play or drama. Explain the plot of the play.
c) We call the people, or sometimes animals, who feature in a play the characters. Describe the characters from the play.
d) We use the term set to describe where a play takes place. Describe the setting of the play.

Stage directions

A play script usually includes some words, besides the dialogue itself. These words are called stage directions. Stage directions provide guidance for the way the play is performed. The directions include descriptions of how the characters move around on the stage and the emotions that they show on their faces and in their body language.

The stage directions also include a description of the set, which is how the stage gets set up for the play to suggest, for example, scenery or a building. The props are items on the stage that the actors use, for example, a chair or an umbrella. The stage directions sometimes include sounds to be produced off-stage, for example, traffic noise or thunder.

Activity 3.5 Read a play aloud
Work in groups of eight learners.

Read the whole play, The Bracelet Together. Take turns with the characters. While reading the dialogue, do not read the stage directions aloud. Use them to choose the appropriate facial expressions and tone of voice for the characters.

Remember your discussions in Activity 3.3 about how characters are revealed by how they move and speak.
The learners who are the audience are to give feedback about how they interpreted the characters.

Activity 3.6 Analyse the theme of a play
The theme of a play is the point it wants to make. The characters’ actions and words provide an audience with a direct experience, which leads them to seeing the point.

1. In pairs, decide which one of these sentences best describes the theme of The Bracelet. There is no right or wrong answer. Give reasons for your choice. When people do not appreciate each other, their relationship can fall apart.
The actions of a cold, cruel person can lead to personal tragedy. Without trust, human relationships are meaningless.
Wealth does not necessarily bring happiness.
2. Track how the theme you have identified develops throughout the play. a) Which characters help us to see the theme in all the different parts of the play?
b) How do the various characters contribute to the development of the theme? Include actions and words.
How are props used to support the theme?