“All the world’s a stage—

and all the men and women—merely

players”
- William Shakespeare
DRAM
A
 CONTENTS

TYPES OF ELEMENTS OF
STAGES DRAMA
 01
STAGE
TYPES
 PROSCENIUM ARCH
● A stage where the audience sits on STAGE
one side only is called a proscenium
stage (you might know this as end-on
staging).
● The audience faces one side of the
stage directly making up the forth
wall.
● A proscenium Arch is also like a
picture frame because it is shaped in
such a way that the audience watches
the play as it would regard a picture
 PROSCENIUM ARCH
● While the stage is illuminated during STAGE
the performance, the auditorium remains
dark, which also turns the audience into
an anonymous mass
● Since the audience is thus not
disturbed from watching the play and
can fully concentrate on the action on
stage, it becomes easier to create an
illusion of real life in play
 THRUST STAGE
● A thrust stage is one that extends into
the audience on three sides and is
connected to the backstage area by its
upstage end.
● A thrust has the benefit of greater
intimacy between the audience and
performers than a proscenium, while
retaining the utility of a backstage area.
 THRUST STAGE
● Entrances onto a thrust are most readily
made from backstage, although some
theatres provide for performers to enter
through the audience using monitory
entrances.
● The audience in a thrust stage theatre
may view the stage from three or more
sides. If a performance employs the fourth
wall, that imaginary wall must be
maintained on multiple sides.
THRUST STAGE
 THEATER-IN-THE-
● An in-the-round stage is positionedROUND
at the centre of the audience - i.e.
there is audience all around the
whole stage.
● This type of stage creates quite an
intimate atmosphere, and is good for
drama that needs audience
involvement.
 THEATER-IN-THE-
● It allows the audience to sit closer to ROUND
the action.
Because of its shape, this type of stage
makes it difficult for the scenery and
large props to be changed in the middle
of a performance. It is not possible to use
a back drop for effect.
The space does not have any curtains to
enhance the ‘illusion’ of theatre.
THEATER IN THE ROUND
 TRAVERSE STAGE
●The audience sits on two sides of the stage,
facing towards each other. ● This type of staging
is also commonly known as an alley or corridor
stage.
There are many practical implications for the
actor performing on a traverse stage, such as the
need for greater projection of voice (when the
actor faces one audience, he turns his back to
the other) and to make sure that every action is
visible to both sides of the audience. From a
design perspective, staging is very limited so as
not to block sight lines across the stage
TRAVERSE
TRAVERSE
The Japanese
employs a type of
Traverse Stage called
HANAMICH
traditionally used for
Kabuki and NOH
plays.
 AMPITHEATHER
Ancient Roman amphitheaters
were large central performance
spaces surrounded by ascending
seating, and were commonly
used for spectator sports; these
compare more closely to modern
open-air stadiums. ● They were
given this name because their
shape resembled that of two
theatres joined together.
 AMPITHEATHER
● Contemporary amphitheaters
often include standing
structures, sometimes curved or
bowl-shaped, both behind the
stage and behind the audience,
creating an area which echoes or
amplifies sound, making the
amphitheater ideal for musical or
theatrical performances.
AMPITHEATE
R
 ARENA
Arena theatres are large
scale auditoria and have a
central stage area with
audiences on all sides,
similar to theatres in-the-
round. The stage area is
usually rectangular, more
like a sports arena, with
tiered seating.
ARENA
02
ELEMENTS
Comes from the Greek Word, “Dran” •
Means “To do” or “To Act”
DRAMA
The Doing/Acting Makes Drama
The elements of drama, by which
dramatic works can be analyzed and
evaluated, can be categorized into
three major areas:
Literary elements
Technical elements
Performance elements
What Makes Drama Unique?
Drama has one characteristic peculiar
to itself—it is written primarily to be
performed, not read.
Drama is a Presentation of Action… …
through actors (the impact is direct
and immediate)
Drama is a Presentation of Action… …on
a stage (for a captive audience)
Drama is a Presentation of Action… …
before an audience (suggesting a
communal experience)
Aristotle (384-322 BC) was a Greek
philosopher whose writings still
influence us today. He was the
first to write about the essential
elements of drama more than
2,000 years ago. While ideas have
changed slightly over the years,
we still discuss Aristotle's list
when talking about what makes
the best drama.
 ARISTOTLE’S SIX ELEMENTS
01 02 03
PLOT THEME CHARACTERS
THE STORY WHAT IS THE STORY THE PERFORMERS
ALL ABOUT

04 05 06
DIALOGUE MUSIC & SPECTACLE
THE LINES THE RHYTHM
MUSIC AND SPEECH WHAT YOU SEE ON
PLAYERS SAY STAGE
● Plot: This is what happens in the play. Plot refers to
the action; the basic storyline of the play.

● Theme: While plot refers to the action of the play, theme

refers to the meaning of the play. Theme is the main idea or
lesson to be learned from the play. In some cases, the theme
of a play is obvious; other times it is quite subtle.

● Characters: Characters are the people (sometimes

animals or ideas) portrayed by the actors in the play. It
is the characters who move the action, or plot, of the
play forward.
● Dialogue: This refers to the words written by the
playwright and spoken by the characters in the play.
The dialogue helps move the action of the play along.

● Music/Rhythm: While music is often featured in drama, in this

case Aristotle was referring to the rhythm of the actors'
voices as they speak. •
● Spectacle: This refers to the visual elements of a play:
sets, costumes, special effects, etc. Spectacle is
everything that the audience sees as they watch the
play.
MODERN DRAMA
In the modern theater, this list has
changed slightly, although you will
notice that many of the elements remain
the same. The list of essential elements
in modern theater is as follows: •
Characters • Plot • Theme • Dialogue •
Convention • Genre • Audience
Convention: These are the techniques and
methods used by the playwright and
director to create the desired stylistic
effect.

• Genre: Genre refers to the type of play.

Some examples of different genres include
comedy, tragedy, mystery and historical
play.

• Audience: This is the group of people

who watch the play. Many playwrights and
actors consider the audience to be the
most important element of drama, as all of
the effort put in to writing and producing
a play is for the enjoyment of the
 03
Literary Elements
● Language: In drama, the particular manner of
verbal expression, the diction or style of
writing, or the speech or phrasing that suggests
a class or profession or type of character

● Style: the shaping of dramatic material,

settings, or costumes in a deliberately non-
realistic manner

● Soliloquy: A speech by a single actor who is

ALONE on stage

● Monologue: A long speech made by one actor (a

monologue may be delivered alone or in the
presence of others.)
Playwright-the author of a play
(script)

Acts- long sections of a play, made

up of multiple scenes, usually
designed to separate the play into
its main parts and to give the
audience a “break” from the
performance.

Scenes- shorter sections of a play,

usually each scene occurs in one
location at a specific time.
Technica
l 04
Element
s
 The theatrical equipment,
such as curtains, flats,
backdrops, or platforms, PROPS
used in a dramatic
production to communicate
SCENERI Short for properties;
environment ES/SET any article, except
costume or scenery,
used as part of a
COSTUME dramatic production;
Clothing and any moveable object
accessories that appears on stage
worn by actors during a performance,
to portray from a telephone to a
character and train
period.
LIGHTS: The placement, intensity, and
color of lights to help communicate
environment, mood, or feeling
SOUND: The effects an audience hears
during performance to communicate
character, context, or environment
MAKE-UP: Costumes, wigs, and body
paint used to transform an actor into a
character.
05 PERFORMAN
CE
ELEMENTS
● Acting: Use of face, body, and voice to portray
character

● Character motivation: The reason or reasons for a

character’s behavior; an incentive or inducement for
further action for a character
● Character analysis: In responding to dramatic art,
the process of examining how the elements of drama
– literary, technical, and performance – are used

● Empathy: The capacity to relate to the feelings of

another
Speaking: The mode of expression or
delivery of lines
Breath control: Proper use of the lungs and
diaphragm muscle for maximum capacity
and efficiency of breath for speaking
Vocal expression: How an actor uses his or
her voice to convey character
Inflection: Change in pitch or loudness of
the voice.
Projection: How well the voice carries to
the audience
● Speaking style: The mode of expression or
delivery of lines
● Diction: Selection and pronunciation of words;
clarity of speech.

● Nonverbal expression
● Gestures: Any movement of the actor’s head,
shoulder, arm, hand, leg, or foot to convey
meaning

● Facial expression: Physical and vocal aspects used

by an actor to convey mood, feeling, or
personality