DRAMA

OBJECTIVES:
The Western Concept of
Drama
Stage Play – is a play with dialogue and
performance by actors for the stage.
Theater – is a performance or a place
where actors perform.
Drama – is a play not only performed on
stage, but also on television, radio, and
other platforms.
Stage Play
Drama (television)
Vicente Barrantes in his book “ El Teatro
Tagalo” (1889) – the first Spaniards who
wrote about plays in the country,
proclaimed that all tagalog plays were
only copied from Spaniards play.
 Doreen Fernandez “Palabas: Essays on
Philippine Theater History” – it has to satisfy
three demands.
1. It has to be performed onstage and it has to
be based on script.
2. A play should be written first before it is
performed.
3. The actors have to have elegant costumes like
the ones that were used in the comedia and
auto sacramentales of the Spaniards.
Elements of Drama
Plot

 Is one element of drama. Dramatic structure includes, Freytags pyramid

the exposition, to the rising action, reaching the climax, then sliding
down to the falling action, and to close the story, the denoument. This
formula is always used in drama.
 Tripartite division of plot (beginning, middle, end) is evident in the
three-act-play. A play can be divided into acts (mga yugto). The shorter
one is called one-act-play, while the longer one is the full-length play or
three-act-play.
Setting
 Another element of drama. The setting should be clear in your script.
Your script must specify the details of the place where the story is
happening and the time when it is happening.
 When you write the script, you do not just say, for example, that the
scene happens at a house. Keep in mind the following:
1. Mention what part of the house the scene is taking place.
2. Mention where the house is located.
3. Mention the time of the day and the date.
Characters

 Another element of drama. A short description of each character – what

they are or how they are related to each other. This is a big help for the
director and the actors. The actors will be able to “internalize” their role.
Other Forms of Theatrical
Performance
 Skit – ranges from a one-minute to a ten-minute
performance. Skits can be performed anywhere; in-between
acts or at a cosplay (costume play) contest.
 Monologue – does not have a specific length. Long form
monologues can take as long as two hours to perform. If an
actor needs to perform a monologue for an audition, he or
she may choose a script that can be performed in three
minutes, with words that will showcase his or her acting
prowess in less than a minute. You can make a monologue
out of a part of a play, a poem or another monologue.
2 Types of Monologue

1. Internal Monologue – when the actor expresses

his or her innermost thoughts and feelings.
2. Dramatic Monologue – when the actor is talking
to another individual, may it be an imaginary
character or a part of the audience.
 Improv – another short form of theatrical performance. The
improvisation method does not use a formal script; just an outline of
the dramatic situation. While in the usual set up, only the director
interprets your script, the improve lets the actors participate in the
creation of the play.