Definition

and Nature
of Drama
 DRAMA
Is a literary work that is intended to
be presented on a stage in front of
an audience or a group of audience.
It involves a conflict between the
main character, antagonist, and
supporting characters
Popular genres are comedy and
tragedy
 DRAMA
It brings your imagination to life unlike
poetry and fiction
First form originated from Greece
from 2500 years ago
Difference of DRAMA and THEATER
Drama Theater
Actual written material or
the script

From Greek Word ‘draw’-to From Greek word

do or act ‘theastai’- to behold
Contains elements such as Actual enactment and
characters, plot, dialogue,
interpretation of the
and its usually the first to be
developed before doing written material
theater
Elements
of DRAMA
Categorized in Three ELEMENTS

Literary
Technical
Performance
Aristotle, a Greek philosopher,
first wrote about the essential
elements of drama around 2000
years ago. Below is his version of
the six (6) types of drama:
 PLOT
Is everything that is happening
on the play. It is action and the
basic story line of the story.
It serves as the skeleton of the
story that brings actions into a
cohesive and more organized
form
 theme
It refers to the main idea of the
play. It is the lesson that the
audience will eventually learn
after seeing the play.
It is called the soul of the story
 characters
These are people, and can
sometimes be animals or ideas,
that are portrayed by actors in
the play
 dialogue
These are storylines that are
spoken by the characters in the
play
 Music/rhythm
This refers to the sound of the
dialogue, musicality, pace, etc.
It helps in establishing the mood
of the play and builds impelling
force that may lead to the climax
 Spectacle
It is the visual elements of the
play that may come as costumes,
stage display, special effects, etc.
it is everything that you see while
watching the performance
In modern theatre,
convention and audience
were added to the list. This
acknowledges the fact that
these elemennts greatly
affect the plat when not
given due attention.
 convention
Different types of methods
and techniques used by the
director to create a specific
style or effect
 genre
Plays can be categorized
into different genres such as
tragedy, comedy, mystery
and historical type of play
 audience
The most crucial part is
keeping in mind your target
audience. They are the
reason for the creation of
such play.
Categorized in Three ELEMENTS

Literary
Technical
Performance
 Set/scenery
Technical equipment such
as curtains, flats, backdrops,
etc.
 costumes
Clothing and accessories
 props
Any movable objects that
appear on stage (i.e.
telephone, tables, etc.)
 lights
Choice of light colors,
intensity, and placement of
lights
 sound
The effects that audience
hears which provide
context, communicate
character, and establish the
environment
 Make up
Cosmetics and prosthetics
used to enhance/change a
person’s image
 Make up
Cosmetics and prosthetics
used to enhance/change a
person’s image
Categorized in Three ELEMENTS

Literary
Technical
Performance
 acting
The use of body, face and
voice to portray a certain
role or character
Character motivation
The force that influences
the behaviour of the
characters
Character analysis
The process used in
evaluating how the
elements in drama/play are
used to create impact to
the audience
 empathy
Is how you relate to the
experiences of other
people
Types of
DRAMA
Comedy- as a literary genre is dramatic and
amusing at the same time. In most comedy, the
ending results in a happy and successful
conclusion.
Tragedy- this is a type of drama that depicts
sadness, a human suffering, and misfortunes. In
literature, the most common plot for tragedy is
when the protagonist dies. This makes
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet a tragedy.
Melodrama is an exaggerated genre of
drama. It utilizes musi to draw emotion and
appeal to the feelings of the audience
Musical drama-this type of drama takes
advantage of the music. Instead if pure
dialogue and acting, musical drama makes
use of dancing and singing to tell a story
Historical drama is a type of drama that
attempts to relive famous historical events
that made a mark in the world. It can also be
based on stories of famous people in history.
Fantasy is a type of drama that
showcases magic, pseudo-science,
horror, and other themes that only
exist in human mind. This particular
type is famousamong children and
individuals who are young at heart.
In most cases, it utilizes a lot of
special effects