Daily Objective

 0701.8.14 Explain the purpose and use of structural elements particular to dramatic literature (e.g., scenes, acts, cast of characters, stage directions) in plays that are read or viewed.

 SPI 0701.8.3 Distinguish among different genres (e.g., drama) using their distinguishing characteristics.

Drama vs. Short Stories

Drama



Comes from the Greek Word, “Dran”



Means “To do” or “To Act”



The Doing/Acting Makes Drama

Purpose and Definition

 A

drama

is a story written to be performed by actors, using speech and movements in front of an audience

Purpose of other genres

 Short story?

 Speech?

 Informational text?

Elements of Drama

  Playwright -the author of a play Actors -the people who perform   Acts -the units of action Scenes -parts of the acts

     Plot Characters Setting Acts Scenes

Elements of Drama

 The related events that take place in a drama are separated into variations. called scenes.

acts

.

have any number of Most plays have two or three acts, but there are many Within an act, there are shorter sections A play can scenes.

 Short stories  Fiction or nonfiction     Realistic Fiction Historical Fiction Science Fiction Etc.

Genres

 Dramas  for the stage (play)   For the movies (screenplay) For television (teleplay)

Characterization



Characterization

playwright’s technique for making believable characters

Dialogue

  An author tells a story mainly through a narrator and some description and dialogue between characters.

A playwright tells a story primarily through dialogue of the characters.

Dialogue

is conversation between two or more characters.   Dialogue in a short story= partly responsible for revealing a character’s personality Dialogue in a drama = totally responsible for revealing the characters and also carry the story forward.

Monologue

 Playwrights may also use a

monologue

, which occurs when only one character speaks for a while. The character may be with others onstage or may be alone.

Christine from

Phantom of the Opera

In the written form of a play, dialogue appears without quotation marks.

Practice reading this dialogue from The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street: Mrs. Brand ( from her porch Steve? What was that?

). Steve ( raising his voice and looking toward porch ). Guess it was a meteor, honey. Came awful close, didn’t it?

Mrs. Brand. Too close for my money! Much too close.  from The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street by Rod Serling There are two characters in the conversation—Steve and his wife, Mrs. Brand.

The name at the beginning of each line tells who is talking. When you read dialogue, you need to keep track of individual characters.

Their words are important clues to their personalities.

Stage Directions

Mrs. Brand

( from her porch What was that?

).

Steve?

Steve

( raising his voice and looking toward porch ).

Guess it was a meteor, honey. Came awful close, didn’t it?

Mrs. Brand. Too close for my money! Much too close.  from The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street by Rod Serling  some lines have italicized words and phrases contained within parentheses. These are lines.

stage directions.

They are not meant to be spoken aloud. For the actors—and for a reader of the play— they offer guidance on what is happening and how to understand the meaning of certain



Stage Directions

Mary. Yes, I agree with you.

(She really doesn’t.)  As a reader, the stage direction “( that may occur later in the play. An actor delivering this line would show She really doesn’t helps you understand Mary’s feelings as well as events that Mary doesn’t mean what she says. The actor might pause before speaking or move in a way that shows she is not sincere. When you read a play, be alert to the stage directions. When you watch a play, pay attention to the action and to specific actors’ movements. These are important elements of drama that convey meaning.

.)”

Group Review Dialogue

 Describe what dialogue looks like in a short story  What does the dialogue reveal in a short story?  What does dialogue look like in a drama?

 What does dialogue reveal in a drama?

(look back at notes)

Group Work

1) 2) Create a Venn Diagram that shows how short stories and dramas are alike and different.

Remember the roles of the group

Presentations

 Reporters present the Venn Diagram to the class.

 Feedback – group to group

What did we learn today?

 0701.8.14 Explain the purpose and use of structural elements particular to dramatic literature (e.g., scenes, acts, cast of characters, stage directions) in plays that are read or viewed.

 SPI 0701.8.3 Distinguish among different genres (e.g., drama) using their distinguishing characteristics.

Exit Ticket

1.

2.

3.

4.

List one thing that short stories and drama have in common.

List one way that short stories and drama are different.

What is one thing you learned today?

What is one question that you still have?

Turn in your exit ticket to Mrs. Walters on your way out the door.