Drama · Both
Drama & Stagecraft
A play is meant to be seen and heard. Analyse dialogue, silence, stage directions and how conflict is staged for an audience.
Dramatic methods
• Dialogue and subtext (what is not said)
• Stage directions (movement, lighting, props)
• Entrances, exits, who holds the stage
• Soliloquy / aside (if used) – private thought vs public face
• Tension and climax in a scene
Audience
Always ask what the audience knows that a character does not (dramatic irony), and how a moment is meant to feel in the theatre – shock, pity, humour, unease.
Practice questions
1. Why do stage directions matter?
2. What is dramatic irony?