Theatre chapter 6 & 7

structural conventions

1) limited space 2) limited time 3) strongly opposed forces 4) Balance of forces

episodic vs climactic Climactic form

Climactic: 1) plot begins late in the story, toward the very end or climax. 2) Covers a short space of time, perhaps a few hours or at most a few days. 3) contains a few solid, extended scenes, such as three acts with each act comprising one long scene. 4) Occurs in a restricted locale, such as one room or one house 5) number of characters is severely limited- usually no more than six or eight 6) plot is linear and moves in a single line with a few sub-plots or counter plots 7) line of action proceeds in a cause-and-effect chain. 8) the characters and events are closely linked in a sequence of logical, almost inevitable development.

episodic vs climactic Episodic form

Episodic: 1) plot begins relatively early in the story and moves through a series of episodes. 2) covers a longer period of time (weeks, months, and sometimes many years) 3) has many short, fragmented scenes; sometimes an alternation of short and long scenes. 4) may range over and entire city or even several countries. 5) has a profusion of characters, sometimes several dozen. 6) is frequently marked by several threads of action, such as two parallel plots, or scenes of comic relief in a serious play. 7) scenes are juxtaposed to one another. An event may result from several causes; or it may have no apparent cause, but arises in a network or a web of circumstances.

crisis

a point in a play when events and opposing forces are at a crucial moment, and when the course of further action will be determined.

complication

introduction, in a play, of a new force, which creates a new balance of power and entails a delay in reaching the climax.

story

narrative accounts of what people do

strongly opposed forces

one character directly opposed another, they are bound to clash.

creating structure

plot story exposition inciting incident complication crisis climax

incentive and motivation

reasons and need to tell the story

inciting incident

something occurs, obstacles: that which delays/ prevents the achieving of a goal by a character. obstacles creates complication and conflict.

Balance of forces

something or someone that balanced the opposition.

Subject and verb of drama

subject: people action: challenges for the characters

Limited space

the action of the play is generally confined to a "world " if it's own, a fictional universe where all the characters or actions move outside of the world.

limited time

the actual playing time of the performance is the time limit or deadline within the play.

plot

the arrangement of events or the selection and order of scenes in a play

exposition

the background information. status of the world.

climax

the issue of the play is resolved either happy or unhappy