This is a division of a play or an act of a play where the action takes place in one location without a break in time.

• dialogue

• props

• scene

• intermission

The following are key elements of drama EXCEPT:

• conflict

• climax

• falling action

• resolution

Which of these is an example of a stage direction?

• GEORGE: I don't understand what's happening!

• [Both face front, shy throughout]

• Annabelle

  George

  Marion

• A Raisin in the Sun

This is the place in the theater where actors perform.

• backstage

• epilogue

• props

• stage

The collection of scenery, furniture, and other objects representing the location where a scene takes place in a play is called the _______.

• act

• scene

• set

• stage direction

A drama or a play is a story that is meant to be acted out in front of an audience. “Drama” comes from the Greek word for “action.” The action, or the doing, makes the drama. When a play is performed, the actors and the audience are all in the performance space together. This is what separates drama from movies or television: the performance happens live, in front of the audience’s eyes.

You can also enjoy and analyze a drama in its written form. Just remember while you’re reading that the author intended the words to be spoken out loud. This is the key difference between a drama and a story or novel. You can ask yourself, what would this play look like in performance? Why is it important that this piece be performed? What was the playwright trying to say that he or she felt would be communicated best by actors?

What can you do while reading a drama to analyze how it’s different from a story or novel?

• Imagine what a performance of the play would look like.

• Ask yourself why the playwright wrote it as a play and not a story or novel.

• Remember that you’re reading something that was meant to be performed.

• All of the above

There are several different parts of a play text or script. Plays are usually divided into parts called acts. Shakespeare wrote all his plays in five acts, while most modern plays have one, two or three acts. The time between acts is called intermission. Acts can be further broken up into pieces called scenes. Scenes are a little like chapters in a book: they usually show action that happens all in the same place at the same time. A change in scene can signal a change in location or a change in time. The playwright will usually put all the information you need to know about the setting and time at the beginning of the scene or act. Make sure to read everything so that you know when and where a scene or act takes place.

Imagine that you work for a theater company. The director tells you that she wants to produce a play with NO INTERMISSION. Which play would you suggest?

• Hamlet by William Shakespeare, which has five acts and takes place in different locations in and around Elsinore Castle

• “Master Harold”...and the Boys by South African playwright Athol Fugard, which takes place in one location and in one span of time

• Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda, which has two acts, each with multiple scenes, and covers many years of Alexander Hamilton’s life

• The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, which has three acts that take place in either a London apartment or an English country house

The passage below is from The Miracle Worker by William Gibson. The play is about Helen Keller and her teacher Annie Sullivan. This scene takes place when Annie gets off the train and meets Kate, Helen’s mother.

Annie: I changed trains every time they stopped, the man who sold me that ticket ought to be tied to the tracks...you didn’t bring Helen. I was hoping you would.

Kate: No, she’s home.

Annie: You--live far from town, Mrs. Keller?

Kate: Only a mile.

Annie: Well. I suppose I can wait one more mile. But don’t be surprised if I get out to push the horse!

Based on the dialogue, which of the following is TRUE?

• Annie is not eager to meet Helen and start working.

• Kate brought Helen with her to the station.

• Annie’s train ride was short and convenient.

• Annie is very impatient to meet Helen.

Read the following passage from the end of Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun.

Mama: Yeah--they something all right, my children…

Ruth: Yeah--they’re something. Let’s go, Lena.

…

Walter: Y’all come on! These people charges by the hour, you know!

Mama: All right, honey--go on down. I be down directly.

RUTH hesitates, then exits. MAMA stands, at last alone in the living room, her plant on the table before her as the lights start to come down. She looks around at all the walls and ceilings and suddenly, despite herself, while the children call below, a great heaving thing rises in her and she puts her fist to her mouth to stifle it, takes a final desperate look, pulls her coat about her, pats her hat and goes out. The lights dim down. The door opens and she comes back in, grabs her plant, and goes out for the last time.

What do you learn from the stage directions in this passage that you DON'T learn from the dialogue?

• Mama wants to hide her emotions as she leaves her apartment.

• Walter wants Mama and Ruth to hurry up.

• Ruth is trying to get Mama out the door.

• Mama is very proud of her children but doesn’t want to spoil them.

In the theater, the performance takes place on the stage. The stage is decorated by a set, which represents the setting or settings where the play takes place. Everything on the set that the actors use are called props. Everything the actors wear are the costumes. There are also special lights and sounds that go into creating a performance. All of these elements are created by artists called theater designers.

There is a whole second team of people behind the scenes or backstage making sure the play runs smoothly. These include the stage manager, who runs the play’s technical aspects like changing the lights and sounds. There are also people moving scenery and props and helping the actors change costumes. All these people together are called the crew.

During the performance of a play, who would be most likely to fix a technical problem that arises?

• the stage manager

• the director

• a designer

• an actor