Understanding Drama: A Powerful Communication Medium

Drama is an essential part of life. Drama has, just as literature does in its boundaries defined by grammar, acting etiquette to govern it. Drama is embodiment of willingness of spirit of man to change and theatre is the medium it chooses. Everyone remembers the time when they saw their first play or skit in their school. It is an invisible door, one that we will be passing many times in the course of our lives. It is a unique experience.

The demarcations of drama are in tempo, the mood or change in the scene setting. Drama and theatre have an ambience which borders often on the ludicrous and achieves the unimaginable. Aristotle's Poetics (c.335 BCE) is said to have influenced theatre greatly (Theatre-Wikipedia). It portrays ideas and lives of men who interact through distances in time or place. They bring to the world a screen that shows events that have transpired and tell them of actions that are worth emulating.

Part the Actor Plays

An actor will deliver his lines, but a superb actor will deliver a message.To do justice to his part in the drama, an actor depends on prop and effects created in the background. If one is dressed right, then the mood sweeps the character along until the end of the play. Acting like a jewel, should be worn only when one is in presence of an audience. Many actors will only act in certain specified roles. They would concentrate on being villain, hero, comedian or a bit player artist. But they would never do everything. Acting comes naturally to a person who is brimming with ideas, creative themes or innovative principles. Getting clowns to entertain children during the birthday celebrations is customary in many households.

Making the scene worthy of viewing

The director may at times deviate from script, either for effect or for the sake of creating a new tempo. To maintain interest of the audience, the director of a play may use music, chafes in the stage props or resort to melodrama. Most of the dramas are staged during periods of celebration, festivals or during anniversary functions. Getting a person to do the music score can be easy, but when you select, one should ensure that the person has some grounding in theatre. Music often chips in with its little bit, but some plays, musical skits and ballads ambience is largely derived from musical score.

Appreciation is an art

Audience is necessary for they make the substance and end of all emoting. Mood swings set tempo for an audience. Every variable in drama depends on an element of truth to avoid unnecessary detractions that could upset the plot. Drama heightens mood and the innate ability of man to transform himself into something out of the ordinary.

Settings for the drama

Getting the right costume is a painstaking process. Often these are rented days before staging of skit occurs. To be a part of the drama one needs to be a character. To be a character one needs to understand the role. Playwright is the person who fashions characters for a play. Costume dramas are those which depict characters from another era or of a different type altogether. They may be historical or comical. Playing the part of a king or that of a clown may be a challenge but both requires same amount of dedication and artistry.

Stage setting is important and props form a major part of this. Props are just paintings or drawings mostly which depict some other place or era. Over use of props will spoil the realism of the scene. Dramas are more forceful than other forms of media like singing or dancing because there is direct interaction with the audience. Skilled actors can put up extempore dramas when needed within minutes.

Playwright is the soul of drama

The playwright is the cornerstone of a drama. Story or the plot determines the genre of drama. For example, historical themes create characters who are kings and queens while comical theme have jesters and comics. The tragedies are those which have a sad story line while comedies all are happy.

We have musicals also where music forms the base for the drama. Among tragedies, plays such as Oedipus the King by Sophocles in c.429 BCE and Hamlet by Shakespeare in 1601 rule the roost (Drama-Wikipedia). The best known musical dramas include My Fair Lady (1956), West Side Story (1957) and the Fantastiks (1960) (source: Theatre-Wikipedia). These were preceded by Oklahoma (1943) and the Edwardian musical comedy which began during the 1890s. Comedies such as As you like it set Shakespeare on a separate plane among playwrights (Theatre-Wikipedia).