DRAMA

Origin and Elements of a Good Drama

The terms “Drama” is from a Greek word dran, meaning “to do” or “to act.” It is
performed by actors and actresses on radio, television or stage before an audience.
Often, it combined with music and dances (Clark, 1965; Banham, 1998). Drama is a
play that is acted out. It is a reflection of the everyday lives of people. It shows how
people seriously or humorously experience some eventful period in their lives. It
combines the arts of the actor, author, director, designer, and others (Bain et al., 1973).
Drama is writing the scene that is intended to be performed by the artists for an
audience. The script consists of dialogue, the words the actors say, and the stage
directions on how and where the actors move and speak. In a drama, the artist should
start with characters that are full, rich, interesting, and different enough from each other
to come up with a good story. Engaging characters are at the heart of all good drama.
Characters should be realistic, even if they are in an incredible situation. We should be
able to empathize or engage with the main characters, even if we don’t necessarily like
them.
A good drama is something that is cool which we always wanted to watch. It is
something that appeals to our emotions, has proper character development, and leaves
us wanting to come back for the next episode to find out what’s going to happen next.
Drama is a favorite form of entertainment for many people. The following are its
elements:
1. Audience. The audience is the body of theatre-goers that the writer always had in
mind when he/she wrote the play. The role of the audience is to witness the production
and to encourage the actors through their applause and appreciation.
2. Dialogue. The dialogue is a technique in which playwright used two or more
characters to be engaged in conversation with one another. It has two parts: Inner
Dialogue (the characters speak to themselves and reveal their personalities like a
monologue) and the Outer Dialogue (a simple conversation between two characters in a
play).
3. Plot. It refers to the order of events or story that occurred in a play. 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, constitutes the plot.
4. Stagecraft. It refers to the technical aspects of theatrical production, which include
costume design, lighting, scenic design, stage machinery, sound, and makeup.
5. Convention. It refers to the technique of actions established by the director to the
actors to create a desired dramatic effect.
6. Genres. It refers to the types of acts used in a drama in showing an emotional and
relational development of realistic characters.
7. Characterization. It is a writer’s ability to match the Protagonist against an Antagonist.
The protagonist is the main character in a story while the antagonist is the opposition.
Other Dramatic Elements
Dramatic elements are the center of all drama. They can be used in isolation and are
manipulated by a performer for a spectacular result. The following are the other
dramatic elements:
Climax. It is the highest point of dramatic tension or conflict in a story or play. Without
the climax, a story will have lack of excitement or an overarching meaning.
Conflict. It is a vital element of drama and script writing. It is an essential ingredient for
all dramatic performances. It can be between two or more characters, or just one (inner
conflict). It can be verbal (physical) or non-verbal (psychological).
Contrast. The use of variation in a drama is a useful way to focus the audience
attention. Without the careful use of contrast, a performance is dull and lacks tension. A
prominent example of contrast is a sad scene followed by a happy one.
Focus. It is used interchangeably with the terms concentration and engagement in
assisting the performer in the portrayal of believable personae. It also suggests
memorization of word, moves, gestures, and requires channeling (focusing) of all the
performer’s energies into achieving the given goals of a character.
Language. It is the written script that helps achieve any performance. The use of words
in performance can be verbal (vocal) or non-verbal (body language). It can also be sung
or chanted as a major means of communicating the story of the drama to the viewers.
Mood. It refers to the emotion or tone of a performance through a combination of
several stagecrafts and dramatic elements that harmoniously work with each other. The
mood of production is linked with common feelings such as anger, desire, frustration, or
pity. It can also be through lighting, sound, movement, setting, rhythm, contrast, or
conflict.
Rhythm. It refers to the speed and timing (beat or tempo) of the play that follows the
emotional state of one or more characters of the performance.
Sound. It is a means of creating an atmosphere or mood in a play. Small props
sometimes produced sound effects that can be used live during a performance.
Space. It refers to the practical use of available area utilized by the actors, such as
crawling, bending over, sitting, or lying down.
Symbol. It refers to the objects or sets and props used in theatre performances. They
are intended to arouse some concept or emotion in the mind of the audience.
Tension. This can sometimes be similar to the term conflict. The tension form when
audience anticipates specific outcomes in the plot of the story. The development of
tension usually parallels the advancement of the plot, leading to the climax.
Timing. It refers to the dramatic phases or synchronization of movements and gestures
of the various parts of production for theatrical effect.
Types of Drama
1. Tragedy: It is a simulation of an action that is serious, complete, and of absolute
magnitude in a play. It usually depicts the downfall of the protagonist.
2. Comedy: It is a type of dramatic work that is amusing and humorous in its tone,
mostly having a cheerful ending.
3. Problem Play- It is a type of drama that deals with controversial social issues in a
realistic manner. It exposes social ills and stimulates thought and discussion on the part
of the audience.
It is a type of drama that deals with controversial social issues in a realistic manner. It
exposes social ills and stimulates thought and discussion on the part of the
4. Farce-It is a comedy that turns around impossible and exaggerated events.
5. Fantasy- This type of drama is often romantic and contains the elements of the
supernatural,ma gic, secret societies, and revenge.
6. Melodrama- It is a dramatic work in which the plot is designed to appeal strong
emotions and takes precedence over detailed characterization.
The Drama of Historical Interest
1. Ancient Drama- Drama existed in religious ceremonies for the worship of the different
gods.
2. Medieval Drama- It dealt with Bible stories and allegorical mysteries.
3. Renaissance Drama- During this period, the Greek and the Roman dramatist were
imitated in Italy, France, Germany, and England. Mask and costumes become popular
also during this time.
4. Modern Drama- it was during the last two decades of the 19 th century and the first
half of 20 th century that witnessed a great variety of trends in a stage play. Romanic
fantasy, symbolism, expressionism, impressionism, comedy, and poetic drama reached
new heights during this period.
Benefits of Drama and the Role of Artist
Drama is a form of self-expression that exists in every culture of the world. As a unique
skill in itself, it is a topic that is discussed by many colleges and universities. As a
versatile, Drama can be in other areas of the curriculum in the form of activities. Hence,
by incorporating these activities into
the program, the students have of play-acting. He/she should have technical equipment
in his /her
facial expression, bodily poise, gesture, voice, and by-act that enables him /her to
perform the character (Putatunta, 2012). Other benefits of drama are as follows:
1. It develops imagination, creativity, and flexible ways of thinking
2. It promotes concentration, focus, and the ability to pay attention to detail.
3. It helps to master body language, blending body movement and facial expression,
coupled with spoken language to convey oneself.
4. It helps to explore feelings, inner values, and thoughts.
5. It develops the ability to interact and work with others.
6. It helps in building self-confidence and self-esteem.
Drama Forms
Drama forms are composed of specific structures that define, differentiate, and shape
ways in which it is explored. Often, its forms are the improvisation, movement, scene
work, and speech.
a. Movement
1. Clowning- It is the act that draws skill-based exaggerated movements and gestures,
to
create humor for the viewers.
2. Dance- It is the execution of a creative, free, and exploratory series of actions
performed with or without music.
3. Mask Work- It is the exploration of movement using a mask to bring the focus to the
physical expression of the body.
4. Mime- It is pantomime acting without words and is through facial expression, gesture,
and movement.
5. Stage Fighting- It is a choreographed movement designed to simulate fighting
between actors.
6. Tableau- It is a silent and motionless scene created by actors to draw focus to the
central theme of the drama.
b. Improvisation
1. The character in Role- It is a person role-playing character in a particular situation.
2. Improvisational Drama- It is a spontaneous style of theatre in which there is no set of
script and scenes are created without advance preparation
3. Role Play- It is an activity in which individuals assume identities other than their own
4. Spontaneous Stories- It is a verbal warm-up activity in which narratives are made.
c. Speech
1. Choral Work- It refers to the ensemble speech or singing.
2. Monologues- It is a long speech by a single character.
3. Radio Drama- It is a drama that is intended to be listening instead of viewing.
4. Reader’s Theatre- It is a performance created by actors through reading a script.
5. Recitation- It is the oral presenting of a scripted piece of work that often involves
ballads, monologues, and rhymes.
6. Soundscape- It is the use of various overlapping sound to create an atmosphere
7. Storytelling- It refers to relating stories to an audience.
d. Scene Works
1. Collective Creation- It is a group process of writing an original script
2. Docudrama- It is the use of dramatic devices to illustrate a real-life situation through
performance
3. Puppetry- It includes an extensive variety of props that almost anything brought to life
by human hands to create a performance.
4. Story Theatre- It refers to a theatrical production of an existing story where the
characters speak every line of the story.