Key Concepts in Drama and Film Studies

Aristotle's Elements of Drama

plot, character, thought, diction, music and spectacle

Plot

A series of events leading to disaster for the main characters who undergo reversals in fortune and understanding but usually ending with a form of enlightenment-sometimes of the characters, sometimes of the audience, and sometimes of both.

Character

The presentation of a person or persons whose actions and the reason for them are more or less revealed to the audience.

Diction

The language of the drama, which should be appropriate to the action.

Thought

The ideas that underlie the plot of the drama, expressed in terms of dialogue and soliloquy.

Spectacle

The places of the action, the costumes, set designs, and visual elements in the play.

Music

In Greek drama, the dialogue was sometimes sung or chanted by a chorus, and often this music was of considerable emotional importance; in modern drama, music is rarely used in serious plays, but it is of first importance in the musical theater.

Tragedy

Drama that portrays a serious subject matter and ends unhappily.

Denouement

The section of a drama in which events are brought to a conclusion.

Catharsis

The cleansing or purification of the emotions and, in turn, a spiritual release and renewal.

Dialogue

The exchange of conversation among the characters.

Soliloquy

An extended speech by a character alone with the audience.

Archetypes

An idea or behavioral pattern, often formed in prehistoric times, that becomes a part of the unconscious psyche of a people.

Comedy

A form of drama that is usually light in subject matter and ends happily but that is not necessarily void of seriousness.

Proscenium

The arch, or 'picture frame,' stage of traditional theater that sets apart the actors from the audience.

Scenery and Costumes

What modern theater depends on for much of its effect on the audience.

Old Comedy

Subject matter centered on ridiculous and/or highly exaggerated situations. Usually raucous, earthy, and satirical.

New Comedy

Subject matter centered on the foibles of social manners and mores. Usually quite polished in styles, with bright wit and incisive humor.

Type Characters

A predictable character.

Stereotypes

A very predictable character.

Tragicomedy

Drama that includes, more or less equally, characteristics of both tragedy and comedy.

Musical Theater

In modern times, the Broadway musical theater represents one of the most important contributions made by the US to the stage.

Rogers and Hammerstein

Some musicals also treat serious subjects, as in Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein's The Sound of Music, which comes closer to being a drama than a musical in part because of its treatment of the rise of Nazism in prewar Austria.

The Sound of Music

A powerful song and one of the most moving musicals adapted from Maria von Trapp's memoir.

Tony Award for Best Musical

An award recognizing excellence in musical theater.

Pulitzer Prize

An award for achievements in newspaper, magazine and online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States.

Andrew Lloyd Weber

An English composer known for works in musical theatre, including The Phantom of the Opera and Cats.

Cinderella (1965 Movie)

A musical film by Roger's and Hammerstein.

Cats

A musical based on T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, which stayed on Broadway for almost 7,500 performances.

Phantom of the Opera

A long-running musical with 8,700 performances on Broadway and 9,500 in London.

Hamilton

A Pulitzer Prize-winning hip-hop musical created by Lin-Manuel Miranda, based on the biography of Alexander Hamilton.

In the Heights

An earlier successful hip-hop musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda, set in the Latino neighborhood of Washington Heights, New York.

Theater at Epidaurus

An ancient Greek theater with no curtains, where plays took place from sunrise to sunset, partially in ruins.

Dionysus

The Greek god of wine, merriment, and theater, whose worship included singing groups competing for a goat.

The Greater Dionysia

A festival celebrating tragedy in ancient Greek theater.

The Lesser Dionysia

A festival celebrating comedy in ancient Greek theater.

Multiracial cast

A diverse group of actors used in Hamilton to reflect the story's themes.

Hip-hop lyrics

A defining feature of Hamilton that includes music, rapping dialogue, and intense rhymes.

Orchestra

In ancient Greek theaters, the orchestra played in a circular area.

Soloists and chorus

The evolution of singing groups in the worship of Dionysus that eventually became actors and a chorus.

Women in ancient Greek theater

Women were not allowed in theaters as patrons or actors, leading to male actors playing female roles.

Cinderella (2021)

A musical adaptation by Andrew Lloyd Weber that was halted due to COVID-19.

Michael Bennet's A Chorus Line

A performance that was outlasted by Cats on Broadway.

Public Theater

The venue where Hamilton originated before moving to Broadway in 2015.

Alexander Hamilton

An illegitimate orphan from the West Indies who marries into a prominent American family and becomes embroiled in scandal.

Apollo

Apollo, the elder brother of Dionysus was the god of wisdom, moderation, light and learning.

Festival of Dionysus

Each playwright presented a tetralogy (3 tragedies and a satyr play).

mystery plays

Plays concerning Christianity and theology.

Globe Theater

Original globe theater burned to ground most of Shakespeare's works performed there. Sam Wanamaker rebuilt the Globe.

orchestra

Typically there would be a small altar in the orchestra.

parados

Entrance/exits from the stage area.

pageant

Were truly moving stages, with people acting the scene.

skene

The skene is the structure at the back of the stage that serves as a backdrop.

theatron

Where the audience sits.

actor

A person whose profession is acting on the stage, in movies, or on television.

blocking

The planned choreography and positioning of actors on stage to convey the story and subtext of a play.

props (property)

A support, an object used in a performance, or a verb meaning to support something.

make-up

The practice of using makeup to enhance or alter an actor's appearance on stage, primarily for visual impact and audience connection.

director

The leader of a theatrical production, guiding the actors, designers, and other creative team members to bring the script to life on stage.

dress rehearsal

The final rehearsal before a public performance, where actors wear full costumes and makeup, and the stage, lighting, and sound are all set as they will be for the actual show.

producer

The individual or group responsible for the overall management and financial backing of a production, from securing funding to hiring personnel and overseeing all aspects of the project.

York Mystery Plays

Performed on wagons every 4 years. York mystery plays have been reformed since the 14th century in New York.

La Fenice

Famous opera house in Venice, Italy. The theater has been reborn twice from its ashes.

movie palace

Refers to a grand, elaborately decorated movie theater, typically built in the 1900s.

Tampa Theater

A historic landmark in Tampa's landscape. Designed as an atmospheric theatre style movie palace.

Opera

Acting while singing, theatrical staging, costumes, orchestra not obstructing the view of the stage action, soloists and chorus on stage when needed.

aria

A self-contained vocal piece, usually for a solo voice, often accompanied by an orchestra, and typically found within a larger musical work like an opera.

libretto

The text, both spoken and sung, of a musical work, particularly operas, operettas, and musicals.

recitative

Singing style that imitates natural speech rhythms and is used to advance the plot in opera and oratorios.

orchestra pit

Area in theatre in which musicians perform. Orchestra plays mostly out of sight in the pit, rather than on stage.

Monteverdi (Orfeo)

Opera based on the Greek legend of Orpheus, and tells the story of his descent to Hades and his attempt to bring back his dead bride Eurydice back to the living world.

Mozart (Don Giovanni and the Magic Flute)

-Don Giovanni: Opera in two acts. Tells the story of Don Giovanni who is known for being immoral, he attempts to seduce the daughter of the Commendator. The commendatore comes back from the dead and offers Don Giovanni to repent but he refuses. The commendatore then tells him he must come to hell since he is not afraid of anything. He then gets dragged to hell by demons. -The Magic Flute: opera that follows the story of prince tamino, trying to rescue Pamina, the daughter of the Queen. Tamino, aided by the magic flute, undergoes trials to rescue Pamina.

Wagner (The Ring Cycle)

German opera about a cursed magic ring that grants the wearer ultimate power.

book

The story, character development and dramatic structure, including the spoken dialogue and stage directions.

Broadway

A genre of theatrical performances presented in professional theaters in New York City's Midtown Manhattan.

West End

Theatre in London. London's primary theater district, home to a wide variety of shows, including long-running musicals, plays and other performances.

turntable

A circular spinning prop in the middle of the theatre.

special effects

Illusions or visual tricks used to enhance the performance and create a more immersive or fantastical experience for the audience.

musical to film

When a play goes from originating as a play to being recreated into a film. For example, Hamlet and Into The Heights.

film

Used to refer to a series of moving pictures, often used to tell a story and typically shown in a cinema or television. (The actual definition is a film strip)

digital

The use of digital tech throughout the filmmaking process, from capturing images with digital cameras to editing, distributing, and projecting films digitally.

auteur

The author or primary marker of the total film, usually the director.

directing

The overall creative leadership of a film, from pre-production planning to post-production editing. Tells the actors how to play a particular scene, sets the scene for a specific type of mood, and move the actors around for a particular effect.

editing

In film, the process by which the footage is cut, the best version of each scene chosen, and these versions joined together for optimum effect.

shot

In film, a continuous length of film exposed in the camera without a break.

Close-up

An important object, such as the face of a character, fills the screen.

Long shot

The camera is far distant from the most important characters, objects, or scenes.

Medium shot

What the camera focuses on is neither up close nor far distant. There can be medium close-ups and medium long shots, too.

Following shot

The camera keeps a moving figure in the frame, usually keeping pace with the figure.

Point-of-view shot

The camera records what the character must be seeing; when the camera moves, it implies that the character's gaze moves.

Tracking shot

A shot in which the camera moves forward, backward, or sidewise.

Crane shot

The camera is on a crane or aerial drone and moves upward or downward.

Handheld shot

The camera is carried, sometimes on a special harness, by the camera operator.

Recessional shot

The camera focuses on figures and objects moving away.

Processional shot

The camera focuses on figures and objects moving toward the camera.

Continuity cut

Shots edited to produce a sense of narrative continuity, following the action stage by stage; the editor can also use a discontinuity cut to break up the narrative continuity for effect.

Jump cut

Sometimes just called a 'cut'; moves abruptly from one shot to the next, with no preparation and often with a shock.

Cut-in

An immediate move from a wide shot to a very close shot of the same scene; the editor may 'cut out,' as well.

Cross-cutting

Alternating shots of two or more distinct actions occurring in different places (but often at the same time).

Dissolve

One scene disappearing slowly while the next scene appears as if beneath it.