ORIENTATION

A. What is drama?
According to the book Resource Books for Teachers written by
Alan Maley, drama is doing. Drama is being. Drama is such a normal
thing. It is something that we all engage in daily when we are faced with
difficult situations. So it can be said that we do drama when we pretend
to be something and face a problem. Drama is a show that we show to
the audience, in this drama we follow the scenario that has been given to
us, in drama the plot is very important because this plot is what the main
character does in the show, drama has many elements in the show such
as situation, problem, solution; surface daily. Background, emotions,
planning; underlying reality/foundation.
- Situation, The situation is the atmosphere and circumstances
that occur on stage, drama has lots of backgrounds and events
that occur, so when acting out these events, setting stage
conditions is very important so that the drama becomes
"alive".
- Problem, Problems are events experienced by the actor in a
drama, in this problem the actor will be faced with something
negative, and the actor will try to solve the problem to reach
the end of the story.
- Solution, The solution is the method used by the actor in
solving the problem he is facing, the solution is also what
happens when the actor succeeds in solving a problem.
- Background, A backstory, background story, back-story, or
background is a set of events invented for a plot, presented as
 preceding and leading up to that plot. It is a literary device of a
narrative history all chronologically earlier than the narrative
of primary interest.
- Emotions, Emotion is a spontaneous reaction to a situation
that is not necessarily well defined. On stage or screen, the
actor creates a life, re-creates, and re-tells a story. Without
living emotions, the audience wouldn't buy them. In simple
terms, acting involves two types of emotions: 1. self-
stimulated emotions and feelings, triggered and/or motivated
by the given circumstances of the play; 2. emotions that
represent reactions to other actors/characters' behavior
and /or actions, emotions, words, silences, etc.
- Plan is a plan of stages that is made when we want to present
a drama, in this plan we must consider all things well so that
the drama can run smoothly.

History of Drama

The earliest origins of drama are to be found in Athens where ancient hymns,
called dithyrambs, were sung in honor of the god Dionysus. These hymns were
later adapted for choral processions in which participants would dress up in
costumes and masks. That development came later in the 6th century BC, when
the tyrant Pisistratus, who then ruled the city, established a series of new public
festivals. One of these, the 'City Dionysia', a festival of entertainment held in
honor of the god Dionysus, featured competitions in music, singing, dance, and
poetry. And most remarkable of all the winners was said to be a wandering bard
called Thespis. According to tradition, in 534 or 535 BC, Thespis astounded
audiences by leaping onto the back of a wooden cart and reciting poetry as if he
was the characters whose lines he was reading. In doing so he became the
world's first actor, and it is from him that we get the word thespian.
What is English Drama?

English drama is a written work that tells a story through action and
speech and is meant to be acted on a stage. There is no significant difference
between Drama and English drama except in the presentation of the language
and setting of the drama shown.

History of English Drama

English drama developed from the 10th to the 16th century, reaching the
height of its popularity in the 15th century before being rendered obsolete by the
rise of professional theatre. There is no clear origin for the emergence of English
drama, but if we trace back to the past, English drama began to appear during
the Norman conquest of England in 1066. Some experts believe that when the
Norman conquest, English drama began to develop, the word drama comes from
Greek. i.e. "action" or "to act' or "to do". In the past, drama was used by the
church in the form of their ministry, the first drama in the church was Quem
Quarritis which means whom are you seeking? From the liturgical, drama evolved
into Miracle and Mystery plays. In France, miracles are used to represent the life
of the saints and Mystery is used to represent any scene taken from the scripture.
Meanwhile, in England, there was no distinction between these two. The term
Miracle play was used to represent any story taken from the scripture or the bible
and the life of the saints. In 1311, the Council of Vienne revived the feast of
Corpus Christi. This festival is held in June every year and last for three or four
days, sometimes extending to six days. The Miracle plays were presented in all
large town cities in England. It was arranged to exhibit the whole story from
creation to the Day of Judgment in a cycle. Four famous cycles existed in
England. The York with 48 plays, the Chester with 25 plays, the Wakefield with
32 plays, and the Coventry with 42 plays. During this religious period, the drama
was written according to the Bible and no change was tolerated. This religious
performance lasted till the sixteenth century. Along with the development of the
drama that is growing in England, which is divided from the first drama, namely
Who are you seeking? then more and more dramas appear with various stories,
and these developments are still developing to this day with very different stories.
Elements of Drama

A drama must be equipped with several elements so that the drama can
give a good impression and effect to the audience, these elements will make it
easier for the audience to understand the story in a drama, these elements are:

1. Theme
The theme of a drama depends on the main idea of the drama, we
can know the theme of the drama after watching the drama to the end,
the theme contains the message of a drama.
2. Plot
The order of events occurring in a play is a plot. Essentially, the
plot is the story that the play narrates. The connection between the
events and the characters is a part of the plot. What the characters do,
how they interact, the course of their lives as narrated by the story, and
what happens to them in the end, constitute the plot. The story unfolds
through a series of incidents that share a cause-and-effect relationship.
Generally, a story begins by exposing the past or background of the main
and other characters, and the point of conflict then proceeds to give the
central theme or climax.
3. Character
Characters are people who play a role in a drama, there are several types of
characters, some characters usually play an active role in carrying out a drama, they
must carry out their roles until the drama ends. While some characters play an active
role throughout the story, some are only meant to take the story forward and some
others appear only in certain parts of the story and may or may not have a significant
role in it. Sometimes, these characters are of help in making the audiences focus on
 the play’s theme or main characters. How the characters are portrayed and developed
is known as characterization.

4. Dialogue
Dialogue is a written or spoken conversational exchange between
two or more people, and a literary and theatrical form that depicts such
an exchange. Dialogue will reveal character, both in what is said and how
it's said. The dialogue will reveal immediate needs and desires, but it also
reveals background, education, social class and a host of other attributes.
The interplay between the characters will reveal their relationship and
power balance.
5. Setting
The setting is where and when a story or scene takes place, setting
is also a very important element in a drama. A setting can be a real time
period and geographical location or a fictional world and unfamiliar time
period. Setting also includes the physical landscape, climate, weather,
and the societal and cultural surroundings that serve as a backdrop for
the action.
6. Performance
A performance involves entertaining an audience by doing
something such as singing, dancing, or acting. The performing arts play an
important role in lifting spirits, bringing people together, and inspiring us
all, especially during difficult times.

Types of Drama

Drama has several types such as comedy, tragedy, farce, melodrama, and
musical drama. each type of drama is very different from the other types:

a. Comedy Drama
 A dramedy is a movie or program that balances the elements of a
drama and a comedy. Also known as a comedy drama, this hybrid genre
often deals with real life situations, grounded characters, and believable
situations. The Greeks and Romans confined their use of the word
"comedy" to descriptions of stage-plays with happy endings. Aristotle
defined comedy as an imitation of men worse than the average (where
tragedy was an imitation of men better than the average).
b. Tragedy
What is tragedy drama and examples? Tragedies should take place
around a noble and powerful figure, such as a king, who faces the loss of
his position, loved ones, and life due to his own flaws and failings. This
archetype is referred to as the "tragic hero." The plot builds to a
catastrophe, or a disastrous final outcome, that usually involves the death
of the hero and many others.
c. Farce
A farce is a type of comedy in the literary genre. It is a
subcategory of dramatic comedy that uses improbable, humorous
situations, extensive exaggeration, and violent physical humor to entertain
the audience. The term "farce" was first applied to comic plays during the
late Middle Ages. The word derives from a French word meaning "to stuff"
and was used to describe comic bits inserted ("stuffed") in between
scenes in religious plays. The purpose of a farce is to make the audience
laugh as a result of the bizarre situations and characters that are
portrayed within the drama.
d. Melodrama
The term comes from the Greek “melos” (music) and “drama”,
from which we also get the word “dramatic”, and it refers to drama or
literature characterized by extreme emotion, often accompanied by
extravagant gestures. Melodrama is a dramatic work in which events,
plot, and characters are sensationalized to elicit strong emotional
 reactions from the audience. The aim of Melodrama was to entertain
audiences through the use of music, stock characters, exaggerated acting
style and comedy. They were a mixture of violence, romance and
sentimentality, with short scenes full of action.
e. Musical Drama
Musical dramas refer to plays in which characters engage in
dialogue but also include scenes in which the passion of the character is
so great he expresses himself in song. Armstrong explains that musical
theater got its start following a huge wave of Irish immigration in the late
1800s. Of particular importance was Irish immigrant George M. Cohan, a
writer, director, producer, and performer who launched musical theater
as a distinct genre in the early 1900s.
 References

Nicoll, Allardyce. A History of English Drama 1660-1900. Vol. 4. Cambridge

Hughes, Derek. "English Drama 1660–1700." (1996).

Cartwright, Kent. Theatre and humanism: English drama in the sixteenth

Wessels, Charlyn. Drama. Vol. 3. Oxford, 1987.

Williams, Raymond. Drama in performance. McGraw-Hill Education (UK),

Styan, John Louis. The English stage: a history of drama and performance.