Question | Answer |
Drama | A story intended to portray life or a character involving conflicts and emotions through action and dialogue and designed for theatrical performance. Classic dramas were divided into two categories: tragedies and comedies.
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Playwright | A person who writes plays
| Dramatis Personae | The list of important characters in the play, usually found in the beginning of the script
| Stage Directions | The playwright’s instructions in the text of a play which indicate the movement, position, or tone of an actor, or the sound effects and lighting.
| Dialogue | Conversation of characters meant to be performed aloud on stage
| Cue | A signal to an actor to enter or begin their speech or performance, or for a sound or light effect.
| Props | Objects that appear on stage during a play.
| Scenery | The physical representation on stage of the play’s setting.
| Act | A major division in a play. Modern plays are typically divided into three Acts.
| Scene | Acts can be further divided into scenes. A new scene typically indicates (1) a change in time, (2) a change in place, (3) a jump from one plot to another, (4) introduces new characters, or (5) rearranges the actors on stage
| Monologue | A long speech by one actor on stage
| Aside | A remark made by a character meant to be heard by the audience, but not the other characters
| Tragic Hero | The protagonist in a tragedy. The character is doomed to fail, usually making some kind of error in judgment that leads to his or her own downfall
| Comic Relief | An amusing scene, incident, or speech in a play that usually occurs after a tense scene to provide temporary relief
| Foil | A character in similar circumstances that is compared to the main character. Dramatic foils help to highlight important qualities or traits in the protagonist
| Soliloquy | an act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, especially by a character in a play.
| Script | The written text of the play which contains all the important words and actions meant to be performed |