DRAM 1101 1st Edition Lecture 7 Outline of Last Lecture I. Beginningsa. Central characters, foreshadowing, tone, style, design, world of the play, plot, and the major dramatic questionII. Climactic structureIII. ThemesIV. EndingsOutline of Current Lecture I. The role of the playwrightII. Dramatic ActionIII. Qualities of a fine playIV. Current American playwrightsV. The playwright’s processa. Dialogueb. Conflictc. StructureCurrent LectureI. The Role of the Playwrighta. Generates the text of the playi. Arguably the most important figure in theatrical processii. Simultaneously the most peripheral1. Often uninvolved in the final productb. Both literary and nonliteraryi. The play is the text but the final form of a dramatic text is in performanceii. Must consider the words that he chooses but also the theatrical elements1. Costume, lighting, scenery, music, spectacle2. Movement3. Use of silenceiii. Script is the blueprint of the final product c. Its core is actioni. Not descriptionThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.ii. Relies on an ordering of observable, dramatizable eventsiii. Playwriting is event writingd. Creates dramatic actionII. Dramatic actiona. Concerns what the characters do and why they do itb. Two common ways to structure the events of a play (recap)i. Chronologically1. A linear, cause-effect relationship, continuously ordered fashion2. A.K.A climactic plot structure 3. Moves from point-to-point telling the story and forms the basic structure for much modern dramaii. Non-linear or discontinuous1. A.K.A episodic plot structure 2. Can be found in plays that use theatrical conventions such as flashbacks,time shifts, and shifts in style, dream sequences, stream-of-consciousness, etc. III. Qualities of a fine playa. The interaction of the following elements that also contribute to a play’s meaningi. Credibility and intrigue 1. Staged world is internally consistent and compelling ii. Speak ability, stage ability, and flow 1. Words and actions have maximum impact when staged 2. Speak-ability: dialogue that resembles ordinary speech 3. Stageability: dialogue that can be performed and spoken effectively on stage 4. Flow: information that is constantly moving the play towards some kind of conclusioniii. Richness1. Depth and quality a. Depth in language adds authority iv. Depth of characterization1. Characters are differentiated and depicted compassionatelya. Independent identities and mannerisms v. Gravity and pertinence 1. Relevance of themes to concerns of audience Gravity can refer to the themes being enduring and significant2. Pertinence has to do with it being relevant to current events vi. Compression, economy, and intensity 1. Compression: playwright’s tendency to condense a story into the necessary time frame2. Economy: consolidation of characters and events3. Intensity: quality of making the audience feel as though they are watching something that is unique IV. Current American Playwrightsa. David Mameti. “Mamet Speak”1. Profane, foul language and broken, rapid-fire dialogue2. Often centers work around issues of masculinity3. Plays include: Race, Glenngary Glenn Ross, Speed the Plow, Sexual Perversity in Chicago, Oleanna4. Movie: Wag the Dogb. Tony Kushneri. Non-realistic traditionc. David Henry Hwangi. Asian American racial identity d. Sarah Ruhl i. Also writes from a non-realistic traditionii. “Her metamorphoses of magic uncover inner states of being in modes unavailable to the realist” e. Lynn Nottagei. Socially invested dramas examine multiple cultures and voicesii. One leading American playwrites of this eraV. The Playwright’s Processa. No set formulab. But all Playwrights attend to 3 major areasi. Dialogue1. Sometimes composed from remembrances, fueled by playwrights imagination2. Example: Sarah Ruhl’s The Clean House was based on a conversation sheoverheard at a dinner partyii. Conflict1. Forced conflicts raise the stakes and lead to a play’s climax iii. Structure1. Always carefully organized2. Developed consciously or