Intro: One-Act Plays
This is the major division in the action of a play and can be comparable to chapters in a book.
What is an act?
The universal, overarching idea, lesson, or message consistently explored throughout a literary piece.
What is a theme?
From the audience’s perspective, this stage direction is on the right.
What is Stage Left?
It is a condensed version of the text that focuses on key ideas.
What is a summary?
This is the first step in writing a synopsis. Starts with a “P.”
Why should you pick your protagonist first?
True or False: A one-act play relies heavily on dialogue and plot.
Why does a one-act play rely heavily on dialogue and plot?
It is the method the author uses to develop the characters.
What is characterization?
Stage management members who handle scene changes, props, and furniture onstage.
What is a stage crew?
These are where the key differences between a summary and a synopsis lie.
What are the differences between a summary and a synopsis in terms of focus and length?
This is the main focus of the synopsis, which distinguishes it from a summary.
What makes the plotline important in a synopsis?
A one-act play may be divided into these three key stages.
What are the key phases under the Exposition, Climax, and Denouement?
In one-act plays, ______ dialogue is a must.
How does a realistic dialogue look/sound like?
Manages the goings-on of the ongoing production.
What is a stage manager?
This drives the plot forward and serves as its engine.
What are examples of a protagonist’s goals?
This is the setting of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
What is meant in the statement “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark”?
This is the influence of realism in a literary piece.
What is verisimilitude?
It is the geographical location, time/era, and other conditions (such as weather, current situation).
What is a setting?
It was first pioneered by Gilbert and Sullivan in the Victorian era to pre-plan actor movements.
What is blocking/stage blocking?
This is made palpable when the MC’s strongest desire is met by an equally strong opposing force.
What is an example of a central conflict?
This theme is made evident in historical revisionism.
What is meant by the statement “History is written by the victors”?
These are the three unities made popular by Aristotle.
What do we mean by unity of action, unity of place, and unity of time?
True or False: The events leading up to/following the significant event are important and must be shown in detail.
Why are the events surrounding the significant event skippable/left up to the audience’s imagination?
It is closest to the proscenium line.
What is downstage?
This is the internal conflict that plagues Ophelia’s character in Hamlet, as evidenced by her struggle against patriarchy.
What is the Man vs. Society conflict?
In Florante at Laura, the reunion between the two pairs of lovers is considered the _____.
Which two plot stages fall under resolution?