American Drama

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American Drama
Feature Menu
The Art of Drama Dramatic Structure Production of
a Play American Drama Twentieth-Century
Realism Expressionist Drama Contemporary
Drama Practice
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The Art of Drama
Drama is a unique literary form that comes to
life on stage.
Short Story or Novel
Drama
meant to be read
meant to be performed
static takes its final form on paper
dynamic can change from one production to the
next
story is told through words alone
voice, movement, and gesture are essential
scenes are created in readers imagination
scenes are created with lighting and set design
can be read in more than one sitting
length is limited by attention span of audience
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The Art of Drama
A successful play is a team effort of
director
actors
designers and technicians
playwright
producer
audiences
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Dramatic Structure
Like a story, a drama involves a protagonist, or
main character, who faces a problem or conflict.
main character who faces a
Exposition
Protagonist
gives background information about
which may be
Conflict
External protagonist struggles against another person or a situation
Internal protagonist is torn between conflicting feelings or wishes
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Dramatic Structure
Quick Check
Who is the protagonist?
In The Diary of Anne Frank, Anne and her family
are hiding in an Amsterdam attic during the Nazi
occupation of Holland. Along with the other
occupants of the Secret Annex, Anne struggles
with the harsh conditions and restrictions of
their hiding place as they try to avoid detection
by the Nazis. She also struggles with conflicting
feelings about the people with whom she is forced
to live in close quarters.
What external and internal conflicts does the
protagonist face?
End of Section
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Dramatic Structure
Quick Check
Who is the protagonist?
In The Diary of Anne Frank, Anne and her family
are hiding in an Amsterdam attic during the Nazi
occupation of Holland. Along with the other
occupants of the Secret Annex, Anne struggles
with the harsh conditions and restrictions of
their hiding place as they try to avoid detection
by the Nazis. She also struggles with conflicting
feelings about the people with whom she is forced
to live in close quarters.
Anne Frank
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Dramatic Structure
Quick Check
What external and internal conflicts does the
protagonist face?
In The Diary of Anne Frank, Anne and her family
are hiding in an Amsterdam attic during the Nazi
occupation of Holland. Along with the other
occupants of the Secret Annex, Anne struggles
with the harsh conditions and restrictions of
their hiding place as they try to avoid detection
by the Nazis. She also struggles with conflicting
feelings about the people with whom she is forced
to live in close quarters.
External
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Production of a Play
After writing a play, the playwright then tries
to get it performedpreferably on Broadway!

• Because production of a play is costly, it
  usually depends on the financial backing of
  producers.

Author
discuss script changes with
sends play to
submits play to
Agent
Producers
The Role of the Producer
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Production of a Play
The next step is to find the right director and
actors.

• The director decides how best to bring the
  playwrights words to life on the stage.

• The actors follow the directors instructions and
  bring their own creative talents to the play.

Then, long days of rehearsals begin in
preparation for opening night.
The Role of the Director
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Production of a Play
If the play is a hit on Broadway, it may then

• be performed around the world

• find its way into the anthologies you study in
  school

Four Groups of American Theaters
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American Drama
American drama has gone through several stages of
development from the nineteenth century to the
present.
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American Drama
European Influences The slice-of-life realism
of three late-nineteenth-century European
playwrights had a profound influence on American
drama.
Norwegian Henrik Ibsen depicted unsettling subjects such as guilt, sexuality, and mental illness
Swedish August Strindberg brought unprecedented level of psychological complexity to his characterizations
Russian Anton Chekhov along with Ibsen and Strindberg, shifted the subject matter of drama to inner actions and emotions and the concerns of everyday life
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Twentieth-Century Realism
Realistic drama is based on the illusion that at
a play we are watching life through a fourth
wall that has been removed so we can see the
action.
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Twentieth-Century Realism
Key Figures of American Realism Key Figures of American Realism
Eugene ONeill (18881953) dominated American drama in his generation
Arthur Miller (19152005) master of realism explored social as well as psychological truths in his plays
Tennessee Williams (19111983) blended realism with imagination focused on personal rather than social themes
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Expressionist Drama
Expressionist drama began as a revolt against
realism.
Rejecting the orderly format of realistic drama,
expressionist drama

• emphasized stage effects and imaginative settings

• focused on revealing characters interior
  consciousness

• reflected a sense that life is formless and
  uncertain

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Expressionist Drama
Many writers who used expressionist techniques
came to be called playwrights of the Theater of
the Absurd.

• Aburdist plays are not meant to tell a story.

• Instead, much like poetry, they use a pattern of
  images to express an idea or a feeling.

Founders of the Theater of the Absurd
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Expressionist Drama
Edward Albee American Absurdist
The most significant absurdist in the United
States has been Edward Albee (1928 ).

• Albee is not a pure absurdist he experiments
  with many forms.

The Zoo Story (1959) Albees debut
The American Dream (1961) an Absurdist play
Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1962) the play that made Albee famous
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Contemporary Drama
Today, playwrights are free to experiment with
many different dramatic forms and structuresas
long as their approach speaks compellingly to an
audience.
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Contemporary Drama
Quick Check
Match each definition with the correct term.
drama based on the illusion of watching
characters lives through an invisible fourth
wall themes usually center on contemporary
society
Expressionism
Realism
drama that focuses on revealing characters
stream of consciousness replaces logical plot
with pattern of poetic images
End of Section
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Contemporary Drama
Quick Check
Match each definition with the correct term.
drama based on the illusion of watching
characters lives through an invisible fourth
wall themes usually center on contemporary
society
Realism
drama that focuses on revealing characters
stream of consciousness replaces logical plot
with pattern of poetic images
Expressionism
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Practice
Make some predictions about what
will happen to American drama in the next ten
years. Consider

• subject matter

• theatrical sets (simpler or more elaborate? use
  of special effects?)

• popularity relative to movies, television, and
  Internet-based entertainment

End of Section
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The End
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Production of a Play
The Role of the Producer

• find investors to advance the production costs

• hire the director and production staff with input
  from the author

• establish a budget for the production

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Production of a Play
The Role of the Director

• assemble a team to put on the play, including
  actors, scene designers, and technicians

• organize and supervise the rehearsals

• manage day-to-day staging of the production

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Production of a Play
Four Groups of American Theaters
Broadway A group of more than 30 New York theaters on or near Broadway in Manhattan.
Off-Broadway A group of New York theaters beyond the Broadway theater district. These theaters feature more experimental, less expensive professional productions than do Broadway theaters.
Off-Off-Broadway A group of small, experimental, sometimes nonprofit theaters.
Regional Theater Dramatic productionsespecially, year-round professional dramastaged outside New York City.
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Twentieth-Century Realism
Eugene ONeill
The prolific Eugene ONeill put American drama on
the map.

• ONeill extended realism to reveal character in
  new, experimental ways.

The Great God Brown (1926) used masks to show different sides of a characters personality
Strange Interlude (1928) characters speak in asides to the audience to reveal their private thoughts and feelings
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Twentieth-Century Realism
Arthur Miller
A writer of high moral seriousness, Miller was
concerned with societys impact on peoples lives.
All My Sons (1947) explores theme of personal versus social responsibility
Death of a Salesman (1949) Millers best work shows the destructive side of the American dream
The Crucible (1953) draws parallel between the Salem witch hunt and the 1950s hunt for communists in America
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Twentieth-Century Realism
Tennessee Williams
Williams lush, poetic writing explored the
psychological complexities of his characters.

• In the plays below, he particularly focused on
  probing the souls of lost, neurotic women.

The Glass Menagerie (1944)
A Streetcar Named Desire (1947)
Summer and Smoke (1948)
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Expressionist Drama
Founders of the Theater of the Absurd Founders of the Theater of the Absurd
Samuel Beckett (19061989) Awarded Nobel Prize in 1969. Best-known plays Waiting for Godot (1952) Endgame (1957) Krapps Last Tape (1958)
Eugene Ionesco (19121994) Best-known plays The Bald Soprano (1950) Rhinoceros (1959)