VARIETIES OF DRAMAPART #2

TYPES OF COMEDY, STYLES OF DRAMA

The Stage and the School Chapter 6Dr. Neighbours

Ancient Greece classified Comedy in 3 ways Old

Characterized by scathing, satirical attach on political events and figures

MiddleFocused more on social occurrences; very

speech heavy New

Sentimental view of life and tried to appeal to audiences’ intellect rather than base sense of humor

2 TYPES OF COMEDY: Low

Focus on physical antics Relies on physical humor to generate

laughter Characters and situations are usually

outlandish Play is usually exaggerated in style and

performance Example – “The Three Stooges”

High Intellectual humor Relies almost exclusively on witty

dialogue, not physical action Always a particular subject being

ridiculed, just as with low comedy; difference is in how it is presented

TYPES OF LOW COMEDY

#1 - Farce Based on improbable

characters and implausible coincidence and events

Include practical jokes and clowning

Has physical indignities, such as ear pulling, shin kicking, pie throwing, etc.

Usually include chase scenes

Many plays have elements of farce

May have screen scenes In a screen scene some of

the actors hide from the other actors onstage, overhearing the onstage dialogue

May pop out to say something or talk to one another or make asides to the audience

Examples: The three stooges TV: Third Rock from the Sun,

Arrested Development Neil Simon’s Rumors Some SNL skits:

○ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IohU9u6baw

#2 – Burlesque (European Burlesque) Not to be confused with the

Americanization of Burlesque Like farce, relies on physical

comedy and exaggeration Usually less coherent than

farces and are much more exaggerated

Mockery of a broad topic, such as style, societal view, or literary form

Audiences should have previous knowledge of the play’s subject or they will not understand all of the humor

Was a very European style of low comedy in the early 1900’s

When it came to the U.S., evolved into the bawdy variety show that is a partial root of modern musical theatre

#3 - Parody Mockery of a certain

person or work Incorporates a caricature:

Exaggerated feature(s) of the subject

Like burlesque, requires prior knowledge of the subject being ridiculed

Examples: Scary Movie, Spaceballs,

Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/digital-shorts/videos/1173548.shtml

TYPES OF HIGH COMEDY

#1 – Comedy of Manners Also called “drawing

room comedy” because the main action of these plays take place in the drawing rooms (dens) of upper-class citizens

Mocks the pretenses of the upper class

Built on clever use of language

Includes puns, paradoxes, epigrams, and irony

Dialogue is clever, often attacking socially accepted standards of the day

Extremely popular during the Restoration Period (late 1600’s)

Examples: Playwrights: Wycherly,

Congreve, and Sheridan

#2 - Satire Like parody or burlesque -

Ridicules human folly, society views, or individuals

Unlike parody or burlesque – the satirist has a goal of changing something for the better by ridiculing it

It is intellectual in its attack Uses mockery in the

language rather than in physical antics

Examples: Ben Jonson, Oscar

Wilde, Noel Coward, Tom Stoppard

Other Types of DramaMany plays cannot be categorized as

tragedy or comedy because they have elements of pathos and humor

This type is more abundant than a pure comedy or tragedy

Eight examples

The types have developed and changed throughout history, sometimes evolving into a style of writing in theatre and fiction and sometimes evolving from literature

#1 - Fantasy Deals with unreal

characters, dreams, and imaginary times and places

Usually occurs in a land of make-believe that is often inhabited by spirits who have supernatural powers, god from another world, witches, and flawless heroes

Not a new trend – used by Shakespeare in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Tempest

Examples: The Wizard of Oz Never-ending Story King Arthur

#2 – Romantic Comedy Written with the style

of romanticism Features plots

focusing on love affairs between flawless heroes and virtuous heroines

Are ideally suited for each other and are presented as too good to be true

Love affair has ups and downs, but always ends “happily every after”

Not a lot written today in the truest sense of definition

Examples:Shakespeare’s The

Merchant of VeniceMusical Brigadoon

#3 – Sentimental Comedy Although comedy, it

lacks humor Reaction to

Restoration drama and immorality present in it

Marked by schmaltz: Emotional and ideal

presentation of material to an extreme

The hero and heroin are so virtuous they seem to be caricatures

Villain shows no redeeming characteristics

Characters are flat Plot is contrived Virtue always

prevails Not a long-lived type

of drama

#4 - Melodrama Originated in 19th century

England Marked by use of stock

characters and implausible plots

Present a trite storyline where a virtuous maiden is threatened by an evil villain but is rescued by a flawless hero

Every act concludes with a climax, leaving the audience hanging for a resolutions “Cliffhangers”

Based on the structure of a tragedy, but focuses more on the actions of the characters rather than on their motivations

Lacks the sense of inevitability that is in tragedy

Presents a clear-cut view of morality, No room to question the motivations of

the villainous character, who must be motivated by evil intent,

or the virtuous character, who in turn must be motivated by the search for right

Good characters triumph Examples: soap operas

The Soup pokes fun at The Bold and the Beautiful:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=411UyueRdgY

#5 – Play of Ideas Also called a problem

play or a social drama Deals with a social

problem such as racism, classism, or sexism

May also deal with questions of wrong and right or philosophical arguments

Examples: My Children! My Africa! –

dealt with apartheid Elements may be also

incorporated into other plays: Enemy of People -

standing for something you believe in

The Caucasian Chalk Circle – attacks selfishness

Raisin in the Sun – racism, poverty

#6 – Psychological Drama Serious Penetrating and sometimes

painful Playwright battles the

complexities of the human psyche and personal relationships

Examples: O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey

into Night Williams’ The Glass Menagerie Norman’s ‘Night Mother Albee’s Who’s Afraid of

Virginia Woolf?

#7 – The “Whodunit” Suspense is within

solving a crime or a courtroom drama

Heightens dramatic effects and hooks audiences

Examples:Ten Little IndiansThe Mousetrap(Agatha Christie)

#8 - Allegory Play that teaches

moral concepts through characters who personify abstract qualities and concepts, such as truth, justice, love, death, and humanity

Example: medieval play Everyman

Special Forms of DramaThese defy most traditional conventions and definitions

#1 – Children’s Theatre Drama written,

designed, and performed for children

#2 – Puppet Theatre Long been a part of

theatre throughout the world

Skilled puppeteers can generate a drama as intense and powerful as any found on the traditional stage or as whimsical and imaginative as “The Muppets” or “Sesame Street”

#3 - Monodrama Play written to be

performed by a sing actor

Examples:Historical

dramas/recreationsThe Search for Signs

of Intelligent Life in the Universe

Before Breakfast

#4 – Performance Art Very modern – late

20th century and present

Form of monodrama that involves juxtaposing many different elements of theatre in a new way

Could included video, film, music, dance, etc. – very multi-media

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Trw9vYV_g6c

STYLES OF DRAMA

STYLES“A Thought about HOW to do a play”

• Style refers to the way in which a play is written, produced, and acted. Dramatists choose the style of language and action they feel best expresses their ideas

• Directors and artists present plays in a style they feel suites the script

• Classifying plays by style is sometimes difficult because of combinations of styles

• Relies on theatrical conventions• Elements of theatrics that help to convey particular

interpretations – i.e. visual elements

3 major stylizations Representational

“fourth wall” theater Play is performed as if

audience were watching the action through an imaginary fourth wall

Common theatrical convention

Avant-garde Applies to new and

experimental styles of any art form

Once a style is accepted, it is no longer avant-garde

Presentational Acknowledges that

an audience is present

Characters may address the audience and some action may take place in the seating area

Example: Our Town

TWENTIETH CENTURY STYLES AND TRENDSAlthough part of 20th century and modern era, some began hundreds of years before

1. Romanticism Focuses on emotions and imagination Reaction to the strict neo-classicism that predominated

French theatre in 17th century Elaborate stage and featured ideal characters Love is the main theme Primary type is Romantic Comedy

2. Realism 20th century; presents life as it actually is—often unpleasant

and unhappy Example: Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House

3. Naturalism Grew out of realism Believes human beings have little self-determination but act

in response to forces of nature and society that are beyond their control

Is sordid and shocking as it depicts life with no holds barred

4. Symbolism In theatre symbolism uses one element—a

character, a prop, or a piece of scenery—to represent something else

19th century though - reaction against realism Examples: Ibsen’s The Wild Duck, Chekhov’s

The Cherry Orchard5. Expressionism

Characters and sets are distorted, oversimplified, and symbolic rather than realistic

Message is often the useless of human hopes and dreams in the face of mechanistic forces

Primarily German

6. Epic Theatre Developed by Bertolt Brecht A journalistic, non emotional style Uses signs, projections, films, and loudspeakers to

present events in an episodic form Reaction against emotionalism and naturalism Examples: Brecht’s Mother Courage and The

Threepenny Opera

7. Constructivism Early 20th century; also known as Socialist Realism Originated by playwright Meyerhold In direct contrast to realism Productions were not based on real life nor were

staged on traditional picture-frame stages Featured backgrounds of mechanical skeletons on

various levels connected by arches, ramps, ladders, and platforms

Actors moved with precise symbolic movements designed to take place of spoken language

8. Theatre of the Absurd Mid-20th century (1950-1960’s) Influenced by Albert Camus’ essay “The Myth

of Sisyphus” Language is proven unreliable; does not

establish meaning Dialogue is usually meaningless or illogical or

absent all together http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfQUIy7T

NIk

Example: Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

Comes from school of philosophy called Existentialism:

○ Thought is that we being our lives in a random world that only offers us possibilities.

○ We define ourselves through our decisions, our actions, and our relations with other beings

9. Theatre of Involvement Participation of members of the audience in the

action of the performance Examples: Cats and Tony and Tina’s Wedding

10. Theatricalism “This is theatre. Accept it for what it is” Makes no pretense of reality because dramatic

situations are not real situations Example: The Fantasticks (uses items that

clearly are only for theatrics)11. Total Theatre

Involves a fusion of all the performing arts into one presentation.

Dance, mime, atmospheric music, and creative costuming and staging are all combined with high-tech audiovisual special effects