Elements of Theatre-Drama

                                  A.    Elements of Theatre

1.The Text/Script/Scenario/Plan: The text or the script:

The text or the script is the basic need of theatre. Without text or script, no performance on stage can take place. The dramatist or the playwright writes text. Various characters speak the text according to the roles given to them.

2. Performance/Process: Performance takes place when the script is given to the characters of the play. The director guides the characters and helps them to take best performance out of them. The characters are also helped directly or indirectly by several other crew members like junior actors, designers, technicians, dancers, musicians, make-up men, etc. to produce best performance on the stage.

3. The Audience: The audience is also one of the most important elements of theatre. The audience is the people who usually sit in front of the stage to witness the performance. The presence of the audience and their positive reactions can make the performance better and more impressive. A theatre is an art form that makes the performance a breathing reality when the audience are physically present.

4. Reception: We know that drama is an art form. First, the script is written by the dramatist or the playwright. Then it is given to the characters who perform their roles on the stage. The performance is viewed by the audience. When the audience collectively watches the drama or the play on stage, it is called reception or the spectacle. It is the result of the collective efforts made by the script, performance, costumes, scenery, and other special effects of light and camera made by the production team.

5. Genre: As a genre, drama has never remained the same. It has evolved several changes in its form. Drama as a genre can be divided into several categories: tragedy, comedy, melodrama, history plays, morality plays, tragi-comedy, etc.

6. Dialogue: A dialogue is a narrative conveyed through speech between two or more characters in a play. We cannot think of a performance of a play or drama on stage without dialogue.

7. Stagecraft: It includes technical aspects of theatrical production, like scenic design, stage machinery, light, sound, costumes, make-up, etc. The success of a play depends on stagecraft. The audience is very much impressed by the lighting and sound used on the stage or in the background. It is ensured that the sound of the dialogues spoken by the characters reaches the ears of the audience effectively.

8. Rhythm: Several things play an important role in the success of any play. There should be a natural rhythm in the events that take place on the stage. All the main elements of the play like plot, characters, language, and performance must act in rhythm to reach the final climax of the play.

9. Tone and Style: the manner of expression or style is the tone of the play.

The writer’s choice of diction, sentence structures, literary techniques used, and the rhythm in totality is called the style. The mood of the story, the feeling or the attitude of the author towards the story, and the reader also contribute in the tone or the style.