The Conventions of Drama

Nama Kelompok :

Iqbal Sandy S. 2017130017

Muhammad Alvin 2017130004

Thiandan Fajar 2017130016

Alfaris Irsa Hartanto 2017130112

Conventions of Drama

When you are studying a novel or a poem, the writer will have used a variety of techniques to
bring the text to life to allow you to visualise it in your mind. It will be structured in chapters,
paragraphs or verses and dialogue will be laid out using the correct punctuation.

However, a piece of drama has its own conventions. It is structured in acts and scenes: an act is a
large chunk or section and scenes are used to divide up the acts. At the start of a new act or new
scene, you are usually given detailed stage directions which inform the actors what to do and
how to do it. Stage directions can also give information about setting and props for the benefit of
the director and designer. They can, however, choose to ignore these directions if they so wish.
The script that you read is not a finished product – you could see it as a blueprint for a
performance.

As you study the piece of drama in class, you will read the play and make detailed notes.
However, you must remember that a play has been written to be performed and it is important
that you try to see a performance of it.

Whether you are watching a performance, taking part in a shared reading or annotating the text
itself, there are key things that you should focus on:

Stagecraft – these are the dramatic devices used to grab the audience’s attention and convey the
playwright’s ideas – factors such as lighting, sets and props can all be part of the

playwright’s stagecraft.

 Lighting/sound/music

One way you can shape the mood of a show is with lighting and sound. They are your best tools
to portray the emotion of your story. You can directly connect your show’s mood to what an
audience sees and hears. For example: if you’re doing a nursery rhyme themed show, what
lighting and sound would you use? It depends on the story you’re trying to share with the
audience. What emotions do you want to evoke? Joy or fear? Would you use bright colours or
dark ones to accomplish that? Would you want the actors’ faces to be illuminated or shadowed?
Would you use light-hearted, childlike, upbeat music or something more sombre, brooding, and
slow?

Music can play a large part in creating ambiance. It’s a common misconception that a play needs
to be a musical to have music. Music not only sets the mood, but it can also ground your setting.
Take a castle location. What music would you choose if the castle was the setting of Dracula?
Alternatively, what music would you choose if the castle is the setting for a King Arthur
comedy?

Lighting and sound can also solve major set dilemmas. There is a famous scene in Les
Misérables where Jean Valjean is travelling through the sewers of Paris. Perhaps In a movie you
can build the cramped sewer pipes set, but on a stage that is impossible. The answer could be to
use a variety grating style gobos, projected onto the floor to represent the light from the sewer
grates above. A gobo is a metal stencil or a glass that when you put over a lamp projects the
image onto the stage. It’s effective and creates a mood. Sound choices might include an echo or
the sound of dripping water. You feel the dankness of the sewer and the desperation of Jean
Valjean. That is ambiance.

• Props

A prop, formally known as (theatrical) property, is an object used on stage or on screen by actors
during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be
anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct from the actors, scenery, costumes, and
electrical equipment. Consumable food items appearing in the production are also considered
props.

The term "theatrical property" originated to describe an object used in a stage play and similar
entertainments to further the action. Technically, a prop is any object that gives the scenery,
actors, or performance space specific period, place, or character.[inconsistent] The term comes
from live-performance practice, especially theatrical methods, but its modern use extends beyond
the traditional plays and musical, circus, novelty, comedy, and even public-speaking
performances, to film, television, and electronic media.
Props in a production originate from off stage unless they have been preset on the stage before
the production begins. Props are stored on a prop table backstage near the actor's entrance during
production then generally locked in a storage area between performances. The person in charge
of handling the props is generally called the "props master". Other positions also include
coordinators, production assistants and interns as may be needed for a specific project.

Characterisation – this is the way that the characters are portrayed – how has the playwright
created a believable character? Has the writer included monologues or soliloquies to allow you to
hear the character’s thoughts and feelings? It is also important to look at the relationships
between characters – how are these depicted? What do they reveal about the

characters? You also need to think about the way that an actor or actress has represented the
character. Different actors may play the same part in very different ways.

Characterization Definition

Characterization is a literary device that is used step-by-step in literature to highlight and explain
the details about a character in a story. It is in the initial stage in which the writer introduces the
character with noticeable emergence. After introducing the character, the writer often talks about
his behavior; then, as the story progresses, the thought-processes of the character.

The next stage involves the character expressing his opinions and ideas, and getting into
conversations with the rest of the characters. The final part shows how others in the story
respond to the character’s personality.

Characterization as a literary tool was coined in the mid 15th century. Aristotle in his Poetics
argued that “tragedy is a representation, not of men, but of action and life.” Thus the assertion of
the dominance of plot over characters, termed “plot-driven narrative,” is unmistakable. This
point of view was later abandoned by many because, in the 19th century, the dominance of
character over plot became clear through petty bourgeois novels.

Types of Characterization

An author can use two approaches to deliver information about a character and build an image of
it. These two types of characterization include:

Direct or explicit characterization

This kind of characterization takes a direct approach towards building the character. It uses
another character, narrator, or the protagonist himself to tell the readers or audience about the
subject.

Indirect or implicit characterization

This is a more subtle way of introducing the character to the audience. The audience has to
deduce for themselves the characteristics of the character by observing his/her thought process,
behavior, speech, way of talking, appearance, and manner of communication with other
characters, as well as by discerning the response of other characters.

Characterization in Drama

On stage or in front of the camera, actors usually do not have much time to characterize. For this
reason, the character faces the risk of coming across as underdeveloped. In dramaturgy, realists
take a different approach, by relying on implied characterization. This is pivotal to the theme of
their character-driven narrative. Examples of these playwrights are Anton Chekhov, Henrik
Ibsen, and August Strindberg.

Classic psychological characterization examples, such as The Seagull, usually build the main
character in a more indirect manner. This approach is considered more effective because it
slowly discloses the inner turmoil of the character, over the course of the show, and lets the
audience connect better.

The actors who act in such roles usually work on them profoundly to get an in-depth idea of the
personalities of their respective characters. Often, during such shows, plays, or dramas, no direct
statements about the character’s nature are found. This kind of realism needs the actors to build
the character from their own perspective initially. This is why realistic characterization is more
of a subtle art, which cannot directly be recognized.

Examples of Characterization in Literature

Example #1: The Great Gatsby (By F. Scott Fitzgerald)

There are many examples of characterization in literature. The Great Gatsby, is probably the
best. In this particular book, the main idea revolves around the social status of each character.
The major character of the book, Mr. Gatsby, is perceptibly rich, but he does not belong to the
upper stratum of society. This means that he cannot have Daisy. Tom is essentially defined by
his wealth and the abusive nature that he portrays every now and then, while Daisy is explained
by Gatsby as having a voice “full of money.”

Another technique to highlight the qualities of a character is to put them in certain areas that are
symbolic of a social status. In the novel, Gatsby resides in the West Egg, which is considered
less trendy than East Egg, where Daisy lives. This difference points out the gap between Jay’s
and Daisy’s social statuses. Moreover, you might also notice that Tom, Jordan, and Daisy live in
East Egg while Gatsby and Nick reside in West Egg, which again highlights the difference in
their financial background. This division is reinforced at the end of the novel when Nick supports
Gatsby against the rest of the folk.

Occupations have also been used very tactfully in the novel to highlight characteristics of certain
protagonists. The prime example is Gatsby who, despite being so rich, is known by his
profession: bootlegging. He had an illegal job that earned him a fortune, but failed to get him
into the upper class of New York society. In contrast, Nick has a clean and fair job of a “bond
man” that defines his character. The poor guy Wilson, who fixes rich people’s cars, befriends his
wife; and then there is Jordon, who is presented as a dishonest golf pro.

Function of Characterization

Characterization is an essential component in writing good literature. Modern fiction, in

particular, has taken great advantage of this literary device. Understanding the role of
characterization in storytelling is very important for any writer. To put it briefly, it helps us make
sense of the behavior of any character in a story by helping us understand their thought
processes. A good use of characterization always leads the readers or audience to relate better to
the events taking place in the story. Dialogues play a very important role in developing a
character, because they give us an opportunity to examine the motivations and actions of the
characters more deeply.

Even this short extract provides us with valuable information. We learn that the characters
involved are wealthy and they start the play in a happy and self-satisfied mood. Their house is
well furnished in a way that is typical of the time in which the play is set. The setting is constant
throughout the play as all of the action takes place there. The fact that we are invited into
somebody’s house is also important as it immediately creates a sense of intimacy – the audience
is privy to what goes on behind closed doors. The stage directions inform us that it is a ‘heavily
comfortable house’ and that the lighting should be ‘pink and intimate’. The lighting at this stage
reflects the mood of the play – there is a ‘rose tinted’ aura on the stage and in the home.

Plot and structure – how have the events been organised? What techniques have been used to
shape the action? How have the themes and ideas developed during the action?

What is plot and structure?

A plot is a causal sequence of events, the "why" for the things that happen in the story. The plot
draws the reader into the character's lives and helps the reader understand the choices that the
characters make. A plot's structure is the way in which the story elements are arranged.

If an author writes, "The king died and then the queen died," there is no plot for a story. But by
writing, "The king died and then the queen died of grief," the writer has provided a plot line for a
story.
A plot is a causal sequence of events, the "why" for the things that happen in the story. The plot
draws the reader into the character's lives and helps the reader understand the choices that the
characters make.
A plot's structure is the way in which the story elements are arranged. Writers vary structure
depending on the needs of the story. For example, in a mystery, the author will withhold plot
exposition until later in the story. In William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" it is only at the end
of the story that we learn what Miss Emily has been up to all those years while locked away in
her Southern mansion.

Stage Directions

With any piece of drama that you study it is important that you pay close attention to the stage
directions. Stage directions act as a set of instructions to the director and the actors and

reveal important elements of the writer’s stagecraft. They can also give you, as a reader, valuable
insights into the playwright’s intentions.
Look at the example below from J. B. Priestley’s An Inspector Calls:

The dining room of a fairly large suburban house, belonging to a prosperous manufacturer. It
has good solid furniture of the period. At the moment they all have had a good dinner, are
celebrating a special occasion and are pleased with themselves.