Download Black Comedy--Comedy that tests the boundaries of good taste and

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Vocabulary for Drama
Black Comedy--Comedy that tests the boundaries of good taste and moral
acceptability by juxtaposing morbid or ghastly elements with comical ones.
Comedy--Comes from the Greek word komos which means celebration, revel, or
merrymaking. It does not necessarily mean funny, but can focus on a problem
that leads to some form of catastrophe which in the end has a happy and joyful
outcome.
Romantic Comedy--A medley of clever scheming, calculated coincidence, and
wondrous discovery, all of which contribute ultimately to making the events
answer precisely to the hero's or heroine's wishes, with the focus on love.
Comedy of Manners--Witty, cerebral form of dramatic comedy that depicts and
often satirizes the manners and affectations of a contemporary society. A
comedy of manners is concerned with social usage and the question of whether
or not characters meet certain social standards.
Farce--A comic dramatic piece that uses highly improbable situations,
stereotyped characters, extravagant exaggeration, fast pacing, and violent
horseplay.
Greek Chorus--a group of actors in ancient Greek drama who sing or speak in
unison, generally commenting on the significance of the events that take place in
the play
Prologos--introductory lines to a dramatic performance before the main action
begins
Parodos--chorus enters and comments on the events presented in the prologue
Episodia--action or speech between characters that develop the central conflict
of a play often alternating with choral odes divided into strophes (stanzas) which
are recited or sung as the chorus moves in one direction on the stage then
followed by antistrophes recited as chorus moves in opposite direction.
Exodus—last scene of the play during which the conflict is resolved and the
actors leave the stage
Improvisational Theatre--A form of theatre where some or all of the action is
created by the performers during the performance.
Melodrama--Originally, a sentimental drama with musical underscoring. Often
with an unlikely plot that concerns the suffering of the good at the hands of the
villains but ends happily with good triumphant. Featuring stock characters such
ENC 1102
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Vocabulary for Drama
as the noble hero, the long-suffering heroine, and the cold-blooded villain. Early
silent films relied heavily on this form of narrative.
Morality Play--an allegory in which the characters are abstractions of moral
ideas.
Miracle Play-- specifically re-enacted episodes from the lives of the saints rather
than scenes/stories from the Bible
Mystery Play-- Medieval mystery plays focused on the representation of Bible
stories in churches as tableaux with accompanying antiphonal song. Mystery
plays and Miracle plays are among the earliest formally developed plays in
medieval Europe. They developed from the 10th to the 16th century, reaching the
height of their popularity in the 15th century before being rendered obsolete by
the rise of professional theatre.
Tableau vivant (plural: tableaux vivants) is French for "living picture." The term
describes a striking group of suitably costumed actors or artist's models, carefully
posed and often theatrically lit. Throughout the duration of the display, the people
shown do not speak or move.
Pageant--a decorated cart or mobile stage (some has elaborate trapdoors and
pulleys or upper and lower tiers to represent earth, heaven and hell) which was
moved about a city to allow different crowds to watch a mystery or miracle play.
Passion play-- a dramatic presentation depicting the Passion of Christ: the trial,
suffering and death of Jesus Christ. It is a traditional part of Lent in several
Christian denominations, particularly in Catholic tradition. Florida's passion play
is held annually in Wauchula at the Cattlemans Arena, beginning Good Friday
and for the next several following weekends.It has a cast of over 200 people and
150 animals. For more information see: www.storyofjesus.com
Satire--Plays of comedy/drama where the use of wit (mainly via humor),
especially irony, sarcasm, and ridicule, to attack the vices and follies of
humankind drives the story.
Soliloquy—“talking when alone; the act of speaking while alone, especially when
used as a theatrical device that allows a character's thoughts and ideas to be
conveyed to the audience.
Stage directions--an instruction for an actor in the script of a play indicating
gestures, movement, facial expressions, and costuming; often includes
information about lighting, props, music, sound effects and when/where action is
to take place.
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Vocabulary for Drama
Tragedy--A drama that treats in a serious and dignified style the sorrowful or
terrible events encountered or caused by a heroic individual. The word "Tragedy"
comes from the Greek word "Tragos" which is translated to "Goat". The original
meaning may come from the mystery plays of the cult of Dionysus, which
centered on the god being killed and his body ripped to pieces, and with a goat or
other animal as a proxy for the bloodshed.
Tragicomedy--A drama that has a bitter/sweet quality, containing elements of
tragedy and comedy.
Trifle--something trivial; having little or no importance, significance or value.
Typically considered a noun, it can be used as a verb meaning to belittle or to
denigrate something, e.g. “Don’t trifle with my affections” also meaning to
interfere with or manipulate e.g. “Girl, he is just trifling with you.”
The most recognizable figures in theatre are the directors, playwrights, and
actors, but theatre is a highly collaborative endeavor. Plays are usually produced
by a production team that commonly includes a scenic or set designer, lighting
designer, costume designer, sound designer, dramaturge, stage manager, and
production manager. The artistic staff is assisted by technical theatre personnel
who handle creation and execution of the production.
The responsibilities of dramaturge vary from one theater company to the next,
but they typically include the hiring of actors, the development of a season of
plays with a sense of the coherence among them, the assistance with and editing
of new plays by resident or guest playwrights, the creation of programs or
accompanying educational services, and even helping the director with
rehearsals, and serving as elucidator of history or spokesperson for deceased or
otherwise absent playwrights.
The dramaturge will often conduct research into the historical and social
conditions, specific locations, time periods, and/or theatrical styles of plays
chosen by the company, to assist the playwright, director and/or design team in
their production. The dramaturge locates and translates worthy scripts from other
languages, writes articles and makes media appearances promoting shows and
community programs, and helps develop original scripts.