CHAPTER 9 | Creating the World of the Play

Thornton Wilder

A mid-twentieth-century dramatist from the West who was strongly influenced by Asian theatre was this American playwright.

Bertolt Brecht

A mid-twentieth-century dramatist from the West who was strongly influenced by Asian theatre was this German playwright.

crises

As a result of conflicts, obstacles, and complications in a play, the characters become involved in a series of these.

conventions

Dramatic __________, ensuring a strong plot and continuation of tension, are analogous to rules in sports.

dramatic characters

If we were to construct a "grammar of theatre," the subject would be people: identified by this term.

complication

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

sequence

In a plot the events have been selected from a story and arranged in a certain __________.

equal

In theatre, a hard-fought and relatively __________ contest is implicit in what has been said about opposing forces.

structure

In theatre, this usually takes the form of a plot, which is the arrangement of events, or the selection and order of scenes in a play.

Beijing Opera

It blends song, dance, martial arts, theatre, acrobatics, and dance and uses much symbolism.

story

It is a full account of an event, or series of events, usually told in chronological order.

plot

It is a selection and arrangement of scenes taken from a story for actually presented onstage, not what is talked about.

obstacle

It is that which delays or prevents the achieving of a goal by a character.

point of view

It is the way we look at things the perspective, or angle of vision, from which we view people, places, and events.

theatre

It requires conflict, which might be between people; among family members; between opposing nations, differing ideologies, or distinct political agendas.

three hours

Most theatrical performances last as short as one hour, and no longer than this.

family

One device frequently used by dramatists to create friction or tension between forces is restricting the opposing characters to the members of one of these.

first

The __________ scene of a play is crucial, usually setting the location; establishing mood and tone; and introducing characters, themes, and action.

crucible

The action of a play frequently consists of a test, or __________, for the characters, in which their true nature is defined.

world

The action of a play is generally confined to a "__________" of its own—that is, to a fictional universe that contains all the characters and events of the play.

climax

The final and most significant crisis is referred to as this, in which the issues of the play are resolved, often with the death of the protagonist.

playwright

The person or persons who creates a theatre script set the tone, the agenda, and the approach to be followed by director, actors, designers, and others.

deadline

The time limit or __________ within the play means the time that is supposed to elapse during the events of the play, the time covered by those events—a few hours, a few days, or longer.

drama

This word derives from a Greek root, the verb dran, meaning "to do" or "to act."