Introduction
"Playwrights are the most gregarious writers - to get our work done, we need actors, directors, set designers."
– Katori Hall, playwright, journalist, and actress
A still from an interview with American playwright, journalist, and actress Katori Hall in 2011. Image by HowlRound is licensed under CC BY 3.0
Throughout this course we have discussed the collaboration of theatre artists in the creation of a staged production. But without the words of a playwright, there would never be anything to put on a stage. In this unit, we will begin to delve into the creative world of playwriting.
Following successful completion of this lesson, students will be able to...
- Define theatre vocabulary including act, antagonist, catharsis, character, conflict, denouement, dialogue, dramatis personae, dynamic character, flat character, fourth wall, protagonist, round character, scene, and staging
- Identify and apply Aristotle's Elements of Drama: thought, plot, character, diction, sound, and spectacle.
Essential Questions
- What are the many processes involved in the development of devised or scripted drama/theatre works?
- Why must a director have a strong understanding of the legal and ethical limitations of copyrights and how these are attained?
Enduring Understandings
- Artists create devised or scripted drama/theatre work through many processes and performance of these materials requires a strong understanding of the legal and ethical limitations.
The above objectives correspond with the Alabama Course of Study: Theatre Proficient standards: 23.
