1 L E C T U R E THAT’‘S RAMA D SO A B R I E F I N T R O D U C T I O N T O D R A M A T I C A N A L Y S I S
2T01 Can we ALL MY DESIRES Start T H E S I G N S O F D R A M A ? Now A U D I E N C E P E R F O R M E R S L I G H T S C U R T A I N S
A � Ther E N T E R World T H E A U D I E N C E A G R E E S T O T H E R U L E S W I T H I N I T Simon Stephens THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG AT NIGHTTIME
See A N D B E L I E V E Irene Mecchi & Roger Allers THE LION KING
Hear I N A D R E A M 2T18/19 THE BROKEN TOWER
ThINK ‘ T O B E O R N O T T O B E T H A T I S T H E Q U E S T I O N ’ Shakespeare HAMLET
The Four Walls A N D T H E I L L U S I O N W I T H I N Simon Stephens THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG AT NIGHTTIME
E ff ects Internal H O W C H A R A C T E R S F E E L External H O W T H E A U D I E N C E F E E L S 2T06 THE GREAT DREAM
Acts D R A M A T I C S T R U C T U R E and B A S E D O N P L O T & E V E N T S Scenes E A C H H AV I N G D I S T I N C T E F F E C T S Ebb / Bob Fosse CHICAGO
Mise en Scene A L L V I S U A L E L E M E N T S I N A P R O D U C T I O N Tom Stoppard ARCADIA
Stage P A Y A T T E N T I O N T O Directi � s Imaginati � S O M E I S N E C E S S A R Y
Bare interior. Grey light. Left and right back, high up, two small windows, curtains drawn. Setting M I N I M A L I S T I C Samuel Beckett ENDGAME
Setting ‘ P O E T I C ’ Tennessee Williams THE GLASS MENAGERIE
Setting G R A N D I O S E Andrew Lloyd Webber THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
Distance O N S T A G E S A Y S A L O T A B O U T A R E L A T I O N S H I P Nick Payne CONSTELLATIONS
Gesture E X P R E S S I O N A N D Henrik Ibsen A DOLL’S HOUSE
Movement & Acti � ( Carol starts to leave the room . John grabs her and begins to beat her. ) JOHN. You vicious little bitch. You think you can come in here with David Mamet your political correctness and destroy my life? ( He knocks her to the OLEANNA floor… He picks up a chair , raises it above his head, and advances on her. )
Silence J U S T A S S I G N I F I C A N T & InActi � Samuel Beckett WAITING FOR GODOT
Relati � ships C H A R A C T E R D R I V E N B Y C E N T R E D O N CONFLICT CONCERN
SO � loQuy A D R A M A T I C D E V I C E W H E R E A C H A R A C T E R S P E A K S T O H I M S E L F A N D S O R E L A T E S H I S T H O U G H T S A N D F E E L I N G S T O T H E T H E A U D I E N C E Shakespeare MACBETH
Dilemma TO BE, OR NOT TO BE? THAT IS THE QUESTION— WHETHER ’TIS NOBLER IN THE MIND TO SUFFER THE SLINGS AND ARROWS OF OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE, OR TO TAKE ARMS AGAINST A SEA OF TROUBLES, AND, BY OPPOSING, END THEM? TO DIE, TO SLEEP— Shakespeare HAMLET
Dialogue & A N A L Y S I N G T � e S T Y L E O F S P E E C H S T R I K I N G W O R D S W O R D P A T T E R N S S E N T E N C E P A T T E R N S Tom Stoppard THE COAST OF UTOPIA
I’ll RIP You Pieces to L A N G U A G E I S I T S E L F A N A C T I O N Edward Albee WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF
Stevie Martin C � f � ct S E E I N G A N D H E A R I N G W H AT I S T H E S O U R C E O F T E N S I O N ?
Read the text SILENTLY I’m F R O M A P L A Y B Y E D WA R D A L B E E NOT THE Only One H I G H L I G H T … PA U S E S P R O M I N E N T W O R D S S E N T E N C E PAT T E R N S I N T E R R U P T I O N S W O R D PAT T E R N S A C T I O N S
Mood Violent action STEVIE. ( Rage ; sweeps the bookcase of whatever is on it, or overturns a piece of furniture. Silence; then starting quietly, building) LINE 1 Mood shifts… Then escalates into threat. STEVIE. I’ll bring you down with me! ( Brief pause; she turns on her heel, exits. We hear the front down slam .) MARTIN. ( After she leaves; after he hears the door; little boy ) Stevie? ( Pause ) Stevie? LINES 39-40 Mood - unease or pity ? Ominous action
Command Questions STEVIE. I said, shut up. Do you know how you’ve done it? How you’ve screwed up? MARTIN ( Mumbled ). Because I was at the vegetable stand one day, and I looked over to my right and I saw… Dominance? STEVIE ( Hard and slow ). Because you’ve broken something and it can’t be fixed! Exclamation - forcefulness MARTIN. Stevie… LINES 15-19
Divided H U S B A N D A N D W I F E T W O S E C T I O N S O F L T 1 A N A L Y S E T W O S E C T I O N S
MARTIN. Stevie, I… LINE 14 Stevie… LINE 19 ( Deep sadness ) Oh, Stevie… LINE 28 Stevie, I… I promise you, I’ll stop; I’ll… LINE 34 W H AT I S M A R T I N T R Y I N G T O D O ? W H AT I S T H E E F F E C T O F U S I N G S T E V I E ’ S N A M E ? H O W W O U L D Y O U D E S C R I B E T H E R H Y T H M O F M A R T I N ’ S L I N E S ?
Interruptions Meekness? MARTIN. Pleading? Stevie, I… Stevie… ( Deep sadness ) Oh, Stevie… Stevie, I… I promise you, I’ll stop; I’ll… ‘I’ - remorse? Not just repetition: increasing desperation ?
STEVIE. We’re both too bright for most of the shit. We see the deep and awful humor of things go over the heads of most people; we see what’s hideously wrong in what most people accept as normal; we have both the joys and the sorrows of all that. We have a straight line through life, right all the way to dying, but that’s OK because it’s a good line… so long as we don’t screw up. | ( Don’t interrupt me! ) Shut up! So long as we don’t screw up. ( Points at him ) And you’ve screwed up! | I said, shut up. Do you know how you’ve done it? How you’ve screwed up? H O W D O E S S T E V I E F E E L A B O U T M A R T I N A N D T H E I R R E L AT I O N S H I P ?
Love and unity Optimism, pride in relationship We’re both too bright for most of the shit. We see the deep and awful humor of things go over the heads of most people; we see what’s hideously wrong in what most people accept as normal; we have both the joys and the sorrows of all that. We have a straight line through life, right all the way to dying, but that’s OK because it’s a good line… so long as we don’t screw up. | ( Don’t interrupt me! ) Shut up! So long as we don’t screw up. ( Points at him ) And you’ve screwed up! | I said, shut up. Do you know how you’ve done it? How you’ve screwed up? Shift to ‘you’ - accusatory, seething anger, discord
STEVIE. Fall out of love with me? Fine! No, not fine, but that can be fixed… time… whatever! But tell me you love me and her— both of us!—equally? The same way? That you go from my bed—our bed… ( aside-ish ) it’s amazing, you know, how good we are, still, how we please each other and ourselves so… fully, so… fresh each time… ( aside over )… you go from our bed, wash your dick, get in your car and go to her, and do with her what I cannot imagine myself imagining? Or— worse!… that you’ve come from her, to my bed!? To our bed!? … and you do with me what I can imagine… love… want you for!? LINES 20-28
Fragmented speech - Distraught? Distressed? Questions - Confusion? At a loss? Fall out of love with me? Fine! No, not fine, but that can be fixed… time… whatever! But tell me you love me and her— both of us!—equally? The same way? That you go from my bed—our bed… ( aside-ish ) it’s amazing, you know, how good we are, still, how we please each other and ourselves so… fully, so… fresh each time… ( aside over )… you go from our bed, wash your dick, get in your car and go to her, and do with her what I cannot imagine myself imagining? Or— worse!… that you’ve come from her, to my bed!? To our bed!? … and you do with me what I can imagine… love… want you for!? Italics for emphasis - bitterness? Shift to exclamations - uncontrolled fury?
STEVIE. ( Not listening ) That you can do these two things… and not understand how it… SHATTERS THE GLASS!!?? How it cannot be dealt with—how stop and forgiveness have nothing to do with it? […] How stopping has nothing to do with having started?! How nothing has anything to do with anything!? ( Tears—if there—stop ) You have brought me down; you love of my life! You have brought me down to nothing! ( Accusatory finger right at him ) You have brought me down, and, Christ! I’ll bring you down with me! ( Brief pause; she turns on her heel, exits. We hear the front down slam .) LINES 29-39
Tragedy N E X T L E C T U R E
R E A D A L L M Y S O N S … Be Ready For Week 3 O R E L S E … 2T35 REVERIE NOIR
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