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DRAMA
Published literature
I would strongly recommend that, before you start writing your own
drama script, you read some plays written by professional
playwrights.
This will benefit you in a number of ways:
 It will allow you to see how dramatic conventions are used by
professionals
 It will allow you to see different genres and types of plays
 It will give you inspiration and ideas
Research
Before you begin, it would be useful for you to
research the different genres and types of plays and
choose one that you think would be the most
appropriate for you. You should then ensure that you
are consistently following the conventions of that
particular type of play.
You may also wish to do more research on some of
the dramatic techniques discussed in this PowerPoint.
SQA exemplars

Read the two example plays that I have provided you with:
-”Corruption”
-”The Revolution Will Not Have an Itinerary”
Both these plays received a high mark from the SQA. This will
enable you to see the standard that they are looking for.
You should also use these examples to ensure that your play is
written using the correct layout and format for drama.
SQA Success criteria
 Content
 Structure
 Tone/mood
 Expression
Content
 The
main themes and ideas of your play should
be conveyed in a thoughtful, insightful and
imaginative way throughout
Structure
 Your
play should be shaped and sequenced in a
skilful manner
 The
structure of your play should contribute
significantly to the impact of the play
Tone/mood
 You
must skilfully create and rigorously sustain a
particular tone/mood in your play
 You
must convey a committed and clearly
distinctive authorial voice
Expression
 You
must show skill and originality in
your use of style, language and
dramatic techniques
Important
advice before
you begin
In your play, you are likely to be creating quite a short,
self-contained piece. You should focus on a single
scene from your play, possibly the opening scene.
Your concern in your piece should be to:
 set
the scene (focus on one setting)
 introduce
characters (not too many)
 establish
conflict
 Establish
plot and theme
 Establish
mood and tone
Think carefully about the following
questions. It may be useful to take notes
and make a plan.
What is the overall plot of the play?
 How will you begin and end the play?
 What are the theme(s) or central concerns of the play?
 What is the genre of the play?
 Who is the main character? Who are the secondary
characters? How will you build and develop these
characters?
 How are the characters going to interact with each other?
 What are the main conflicts in the play that you wish to
explore?
 Where and when does the play take place?
 At what point in the play does your scene take place? What
has happened before this scene? What will happen after
this scene?

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How will you use stage directions throughout to
convey setting, plot and character?

How will you use dialogue throughout to convey
character, plot and mood?

What is the mood/tone of the play?

Which other dramatic techniques are you going
to employ?
Dramatic
techniques to
consider using
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Plot
Effective opening
Effective ending
Setting
Characterisation
Stage directions
Dialogue
Monologue
Soliloquy
Aside
Conflict
Turning point/climax
Foreshadowing
Dramatic irony
Tension and suspense
Plot
Plot= The main events/storyline of your play
 Must
have a logical sequence
 Must
have a clear and sensible time-frame
 Try
to be as original as possible
 You
must use the plot to convey the theme(s)
of the play
Effective opening
In order to grab the reader’s attention from the very start of
your play you have to begin in the most effective way
possible.
There are thousands of ways to begin, but your intention
should be to invite the audience in. You have to decide
when, where and how you will invite the reader in to your
play.
Try to establish from the very start a sense of the complexity
and detail that is to come in the rest of your play.
Some ideas for beginning your play

Share some insight into the characters

Start with an incident that is crucial to the story

Start at a crisis point

Establish the conflict in your story

Give some signs as to what will happen later in your story
Effective ending
Advice

Have an idea about how you want to end your play before
you start to write the play

Ensure that your play builds up to the denouement in a
logical manner

The ending must be a logical conclusion to the play

Try to make a link between the ending and the beginning

Experiment with different endings and choose the best one
Setting

Where your play takes place

When your play takes place

The specific location of the scene
You can convey the setting of your play through:
•
Information in the stage directions
•
Information in the dialogue
Time
e.g.
 Time of day.
 Day of the week.
 Month.
 Season.
 Year.
 Time period.
 Past/ present/ future.
Place
e.g.
 Country.
 Continent.
 Urban or rural.
 Specific locations.
 Inside or outdoors.
 Real or fantasy.
The setting of your short story should be used to
 enhance the plot
 create mood/atmosphere
 convey theme
Characterisation
•
Characterisation refers to any information that you give the
audience about a particular character
•
Characterisation can be conveyed through what the
character says and does on stage. Character is revealed
as much as by how a person behaves as by what he or she
says
•
Each character should have a particular role/function in
the play. Each character must be used to drive the plot
forward and/or convey theme.
•
The characters in your play must be convincingly
brought to life and be three-dimensional
•
Reveal more and more about the characters as the
play progresses
Key aspects of characterisation:
-
appearance.
personal information
What the person does
What the person says
What the person thinks/believes
How the person interacts with others
What others think about the person and act around
them
What other people say about them
Creating a character
Bring your character to life by giving the audience
information about them and showing what they are like as
a person.
Make the audience interested in and curious about the
character.
Try to create an emotional connection between the
audience and your character.
Health
Conflict
with others
Motivations
Problems
and worries
Create a mind-map
of each character
Background
Age
Nationality
Family and
relationships
Mannerisms
and body
language
Hopes,
dreams and
ambitions
Secrets
Social life,
friends,
hobbies and
interests
Ethnicity
Sexuality
Beliefs
Personality
Stage directions
Stage directions are important in conveying and
developing:
 Setting
 Plot
 Characterisation
 Theme
 Mood and atmosphere
Stage directions give important information about
what should be happening on stage
Stage directions indicate how the actors speak
their lines, how they move, what they do on stage.
They are an important way of conveying the
emotions, thoughts, feelings and motivations of
the characters. They convey the tone/attitude of
the character.
Dialogue
The words spoken by a character to another
character.
Dialogue is important in conveying and developing:
 Characterisation
 Plot
 Theme
 Mood and atmosphere
Dialogue reveals important information about the
character’s personality, qualities, thoughts, feelings,
motivations. It enables the audience to understand the
characters.
The dialogue spoken by the characters must be realistic
and authentic. The dialogue you use in your play should
sound natural. It should reflect the sounds and rhythms of
normal spoken language.
The dialogue must help to drive the plot forward, as well
as convey important aspects of theme
Monologue
A lengthy speech delivered by a single character to
another character.
Monologue is important in conveying and
developing:
 Characterisation
 Plot
 Theme
 Mood and atmosphere
A monologue reveals important information about the
character’s personality, qualities, thoughts, feelings,
motivations. It enables the audience to understand the
characters.
A monologue spoken by a character must be realistic
and authentic. The monologue you use in your play
should sound natural. It should reflect the sounds and
rhythms of normal spoken language.
The monologue must help to drive the plot forward, as
well as convey important aspects of theme
Soliloquy
When a character in your play, who is alone on the stage,
speaks to himself/herself, sharing his/her thoughts and feelings
with the audience.
These soliloquies provide the audience with insights into the
character’s thoughts, feelings, motives and state of mind.
A soliloquy is important in conveying and developing:
 Characterisation
 Plot
 Theme
 Mood and atmosphere
A soliloquy reveals important information about the
character’s personality, qualities, thoughts, feelings,
motivations. It enables the audience to understand the
characters.
A soliloquy spoken by a character must be realistic and
authentic. The soliloquy you use in your play should
sound natural. It should reflect the sounds and rhythms of
normal spoken language.
The soliloquy must help to drive the plot forward, as well
as convey important aspects of theme
Aside
When a character in a play, speaks to himself/herself, sharing
his/her thoughts and feelings with the audience but the other
characters on the stage cannot hear what they say.
These asides provide the audience with insights into the
character’s thoughts, feelings, motives and state of mind.
An aside is important in conveying and developing:
 Characterisation
 Plot
 Theme
 Mood and atmosphere
An aside reveals important information about the
character’s personality, qualities, thoughts, feelings,
motivations. It enables the audience to understand the
characters.
An aside spoken by a character must be realistic and
authentic. The aside you use in your play should sound
natural. It should reflect the sounds and rhythms of
normal spoken language.
The aside must help to drive the plot forward, as well as
convey important aspects of theme
Conflict
The struggle/clash/tension between the protagonist and
external or internal forces. Conflict drives the plot forward.
Main types of conflict:
 Between
the protagonist and the antagonist
 Between
the protagonist and the society in which they
live
 Inner-conflict
within the protagonist
Turning point/climax
A significant moment in your play which
changes the course of events.
Foreshadowing
Giving the audience subtle
hints and clues regarding
what may occur later in the
plot.
Dramatic irony
When a character says or does something which
he/she does not realise has great significance with
regards to what will happen in the plot, but the
reader/audience does.
Involves a situation where the reader/audience
possesses more knowledge of present or future plot
circumstances than the character.
Tension and suspense
Tension= a feeling of discomfort and unease in the
audience
Suspense= a feeling of not knowing what is going to
happen next
If you are struggling for inspiration
Why not try an imaginative response?
Write a play based upon the plot or
characters of another well-known literary text.
If you are struggling for inspiration
Why not write a play based upon an
event from history?
Utilise your knowledge and
understanding of the historical event to
write a play