The Elements of Drama

Guiding Questions

■ What is a drama queen?
■ Have you ever noticed what the

movie theater screen is
surrounded by?

■ Why is it that people would rather

watch a movie instead of reading
the book?

Drama

■ Comes from the Greek Word,

“Dran”

■ Means “To do” or “To Act”

■ The Doing/Acting Makes Drama

Drama…

■ …is a story told in front of an

audience

■ There are TWO main types

■ Tragedy-a sad ending; usually has a

downfall by a tragic hero ( a hero with
a flaw)

■ And Comedy- a happy ending

Elements of Drama

■ Playwright-the

author of a play

■ Actors-the people

who perform

■ Acts-the units of

action

■ Scenes-parts of the

acts

Elements of Drama

■ Plot- Exposition, Rising

Action, Climax, Falling
Action, and Resolution

■ Conflict

■ Many types of

Characters-Protagonist,
Antagonist, Foil, Major,
Minor, Static, Dynamic

■ Setting

Dramatic Speech

■ Dialogue-conversation

between or among
characters

■ Soliloquy- long speech by

one single character to
him/herself or to the
audience (inner thoughts)

■ Monologue- long speech

by one single character to
others

■ Aside- A short speech

that the audience can
hear but no character on
stage can hear it.

Stage Directions

■ Found in brackets [ ]

■ Describes scenery and

how characters speak

■ C, Center Stage

■ L, Stage Left

■ R, Stage Right

■ U, Upstage or Rear

■ D, Downstage or Front

Theater

■ Where a

play
takes
place

Set

■ Construction on

the stage that
shows time/place

■ Could be called

Scenery

Props

■ Small

movable
items
that the
actors
use to
make
actions
look real

The Audience

Finally, a play needs an audience to

● experience the performance

● understand the story and to respond to

the characters

Quiz Time

Use the Notes titled Elements of Drama

to answer the following questions.

Do your best this quiz is a GRADE.