  Drama
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Drama is:
#1 - The Greek word for "action."
#2 - A real life situation or succession of events having the dramatic progression of a play.
I was originally going to focus on the "lingo" of script writing, but I changed my mind and decided to pull out for a wide angle shot before going in for a close up. Just recently, I acquired The Complete Idiot's Guide to Creative Writing, 2nd Edition by Laurie E. Rozakis, Ph.D.
As I started to flip through the book, I discovered a whole section dedicated to Drama script/play writing. Over the course of the next couple of months, I'll be presenting material from the above mentioned book, looking to inspire the playwright in you.
This letter takes a look at: "The Stage." |
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"Play" writing, as a broad term, has come to encompass writing for film and television as well. Writing for film, television and plays means developing and writing a script.
There are different categories for stage writing: the full length play, the one act play, and the musical.
 Full Length Play: This is drama's equalivent of a novel. There are usually two to three acts and the play lasts approximately 90 minutes.
 One Act Play: Think of this as drama's equalivent of a short story. This play consists of 5-7 characters and is approximately 30-40 pages.
 Musicals: Songs develop the characters, advance the plot and create the tone of the play. They can be a one act play or a full length one.
Traditionally, drama has two masks: Comedy and Tragedy. In today's world, the drama genre has added several subgenres. They are:
 ABSURDISM: A play that examines the human condition as irrational or silly. "Waiting for Godot" by Samuel Beckett is an example.
 BLACK COMEDIES: Bad things occur but they are so terrible, they become funny. The TV show, MASH, is an example.
COMEDY: A funny play that has a happy ending.
DOCUDRAMAS: A play that sets a realistic tone. "Schindler's List," is a docudrama.
DRAMEDIES: A play that mixes happy and sad moods. The TV show, "Friends" would be an example.
FARCE: Plays that have silly plots embodied by ridiculous situations.
NATURALISM: Men and women are at the forces of nature.
SATIRES: The vices of society are ridiculed.
SURREALISM: A play that examines the unconsciousness.
TRAGEDY: A play where the leading character has a compelling flaw that brings about their downfall.
In classic Greek plays, you were expected to pull up a chair and watched at the characters and setting were defined (by the Chorus) before getting to the action. Nowadays, the trend is to jump into the action.
NEXT: Drama's Major Film Festivals and their importance to the genre.
Reference material for this newsletter was taken from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Creative Writing, 2nd Edition by Laurie E. Rozakis, Ph.D., Alpha Books, 2004.
Results of the Hot Drama Poll
Question: What Awards Presentation show do you enjoy to watch the most?
WINNER: The Academy Awards
TIED FOR 2ND: The Tony Awards & The BAFTA Awards.
Check out the Hot Drama Poll in Editor's Picks for a new question.
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jitsufreek
Interesting newsletter! I wasn't familiar with anything except the Oscars and the Golden Globes...
Yeah, there's a ton of award presentations. I surprised to learn how many myself.
Acme 
Thanks heaps for highlighting one of my items in the newsletter, Steph, and for filling me in on the awards schedule!
Keep writing! hehe. I love the award shows. I'm always hoping for my favorites, but sometimes they don't pick them!
flex
Thank you for another interesting read with this re-cap of some of the major award ceremonies. I have to say that I'm a fan of the sunshine, even if only watching at a distance via the tv! I delight in finding out possible future award winners through those films that stand out at the Cannes Film Festival Perhaps a re-cap of major festivals would make a interesting future newsletter?
Major film Festivals! I love the idea. I'm going to tackle that in my April Newsletter!
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Drama: March 04, 2009 Issue [#2908]
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