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 the 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 the 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.
