Tuesday 25 October 2022

TYPES OF DRAMA

Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning “action”, which is derived from the verb “to do” or “to act”. 

The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a collective form of reception.

 

The early modern tragedy Hamlet (1601) by Shakespeare and Oedipus the King (c. 429 BCE) by Sophocles are among the masterpieces of the art of drama.

 

The structure of dramatic texts is directly influenced by this collaborative production and collective reception.

 

Drama is often combined with music and dance: the drama in opera is generally sung throughout; musicals generally include both spoken dialogue and songs; and some forms of drama have incidental music or musical accompaniment underscoring the dialogue.

In certain periods of history some dramas have been written to be read rather than performed.

Musical theatre

Music and theatre have had a close relationship since ancient times—Athenian tragedy, for example, was a form of dance-drama that employed a chorus whose parts were sung, as were some of the actors’ responses and their ‘solo songs’ (monodies). Modern musical theatre is a form of theatre that also combines music, spoken dialogue, and dance.

 

Musical theatre may be produced on an intimate scale Off-Broadway, in regional theatres, and elsewhere, but it often includes spectacle.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BD0paDv5cXk

India has always been a cultural hub and has welcomed all forms of art with open arms be it cinema, theatre, music, art installations or any other form of art. Musical theatre in India may be seen as a fairly new genre which Indians are waking up to but one cannot forget the dance dramas which have been around forever.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5vcLcj3gTk

The biggest musical India has seen has to be Disney’s famous Broadway musical-The Beauty and the Beast. This production was presented in Mumbai and Delhi in 2016 with an all-Indian cast and crew. Though this might be considered to be the country’s first brush with international standard musical theatre, but in reality, India has always been the hub of dance and drama and classical Indian musical theatre theory can be traced back to the Natya Shastra of Bharata Muni back in 400 BC.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnGmbmGrIbc

Kathak is a form of classical dance which is performed on a gentle rhythm and the dancer tells storied with his/her expressive powers only-the face and the hands. Kathakali artistes take at least twelve years to master the dance form. They use facial expressions to convey emotions and are so accomplished that one side of their facial muscles can cry whilst the other side laughs. The dance dramas which are henceforth produced are vigorous and require years of training and practice. Classical dance forms use mudras or hand gestures which are used by artistes to express their feelings.

Indian musical theatre also includes Sanskrit drama which combines music, dance and gestures to create an artistic unit which is called ‘natya’. Natyas basically use dance and mime to create a dramatic experience or spectacular dance dramas. Around the 10th century then came traditional folk theatre which included the Yatra of Bengal, the Ramlila of Uttar Pradesh, the Terukkuttu of Tamil Nadu and even Parsi theatre. All these dance drama forms included a fantastic blend of music, dance, narrative, dialogues and lavish stage presentations. The ritual dance-drama of Kerala known as Kuttiyattam is still performed today in some theatres in Kerala.

When it comes to musical theatre, one cannot forget the effervescent Ram Lila which has been interpreted and showcased across the country from years. It is the finest example of musical theatre in India. Then there is also the Raas Lila depicting Lord Krishna’s early life. Open air community theatre performances with large crowds in atmosphere as vibrant as amphitheatres, musical theatre in India can be found in every nook and cranny of the country.

India has always had its fair share of musical theatre and now is a good time for meaningful productions which are topical with issues that can resonate with local audiences. Though adapting foreign concepts and stories also work, the time is ripe for exploring more indigenous stories and ideas. Indian dance dramas have been around for centuries and are a unique unbroken tradition still going strong and there are a number of professional and amateur productions across the country creating art worth remembering. Musicals are a combination of music, dance and drama and are pure entertainment and like all art forms it has the power to bring people and society together.

 

 

Comedy

Theatre productions that use humour as a vehicle to tell a story qualify as comedies. This may include a modern farce such as Boeing Boeing or a classical play such as As You Like It. Theatre expressing bleak, controversial or taboo subject matter in a deliberately humorous way is referred to as black comedy.

Low Comedy requires little skill in the scripting (if there is a script at all). Often a visual or highly physical work. Appropriate for all year levels.

Slapstick is knockabout, physical humour. Media examples include The Three StoogesThe Marx BrosLaurel and Hardy and Mr Bean. Appropriate for all year levels.

Satire is comedy that sends up people and events, ridiculing and mocking weaknesses to create the humour. Most suitable for the middle and senior years.

Parody is similar to satire as it is a work that deliberately imitates another work for comic effect, sometimes delivering a message. See YouTube for many examples of parodies of contemporary people and world events. Suitable for middle and senior year levels.

Stand-up is a type of comedy normally involving one person performing a comic routine before a live audience. Suitable for the middle and senior years.

Revue / Variety Show / Vaudeville typically involve a collection of songs, sketches, dances etc. into a single show. Sometimes related subject matter, though often not. Suitable for all year levels.

Black Comedy / Black Humour is humour that makes fun of serious subject matter such as death and religion. Offensive to some, hilarious to others. Requires intelligent scripting. Suitable for senior year levels.

Commedia dell’arte is historical, improvised physical comedy, originating in Italy around the year 1550. Arlecchino the harlequin servant made it famous! Most suitable for middle and senior year levels.

Travesty is a work that misrepresents serious subject matter via parody. Suitable for senior year levels.

Tragicomedy as the name suggests is a work comprising a mixture of both comedy and tragedy. Samuel Beckett’s absurdist play Waiting for Godot is a classic example. Suitable for all year levels.

High Comedy is intellectual (normally literary) comedy works displaying a sophisticated wit, such as Oscar Wilde’s play The Importance of Being Earnest. Suitable for senior year levels.

Comedy of Manners are literary, artistic works comprising sophisticated society satires. From 1660 to about 1700, these plays were also known as Restoration comedies (William Wycherley, etc.). The form was later revived in the 1770s (Richard Sheridan, Oliver Goldsmith) and then again in the 1890s (Oscar Wilde). Suitable for senior year levels.

 

Tragedy

“Tragedy, then, is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in separate parts of the play; in the form of action, not of narrative; through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation of these emotions.”

Tragedy refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of Western civilisation.

 

 

Tragedy, branch of drama that treats in a serious and dignified style the sorrowful or terrible events encountered or caused by a heroic individual. By extension the term may be applied to other literary works, such as the novel.

 

Tragedy is a genre of story in which a hero is brought down by his/her own flaws, usually by ordinary human flaws – flaws like greed, over-ambition, or even an excess of love, honor, or loyalty.

In any tragedy, we start with the tragic hero, usually in his prime. The hero is successful, respected, and happy. But he has some tragic flaw that will ultimately cause his downfall. Usually, the plot of the story follows a gradual descent from greatness to destruction. It’s especially important that the hero end up isolated from all of his friends and companions. In the end, we feel deep sadness and pity (also called pathos) for the hero. But we also feel a sense of understanding – the story warns us to guard against the ordinary flaws that brought down the hero.

 


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