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The Elements of Drama

role, character and relationships

role and character: identification and portrayal of a person’s values and  attitudes, intentions and actions as imagined relationships, situations and ideas in dramatic action

time

relationships: the connections and interactions between people that affect the dramatic action

situation

the setting and circumstances of the characters/roles actions

voice: using voice expressively to create roles, situations, relationships, atmosphere and symbols 

movement: using facial expression, posture and action in space and time expressively to create roles, situations, relationships, atmosphere and symbols

Voice and Movement

directing and intensifying attention and framing moments of dramatic action

focus
tension

sense of anticipation or conflict within characters or character relationships or problems, surprise and mystery in stories and ideas to propel dramatic action and create audience engagement

space and time

space:  the physical space of the performance and audience, fictional space of the dramatic action and the emotional space between characters

time: fictional time in the narrative or setting; timing of one moment to the next contributing to the tension and rhythm of dramatic action

language, ideas,   dramatic meaning, mood and atmosphere and symbol

language, ideas and dramatic meaning: the choice of linguistic expression and ideas in drama used to create dramatic action

mood and atmosphere: the feeling or tone of physical space and the dramatic action created by or emerging from the performance

symbol: associations that occur when something is used to represent something else to reinforce or extend dramatic meaning

audience

experience of participating in the drama

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