Big Ideas of Drama

Bellringer

Answer the two questions below to the best of your ability.

1. What is the purpose of drama/theatre?2. What are the important parts of

drama/theatre?

Learning Targets

I can…• Identify the five big ideas of drama and

theatre• Compare and contrast the earliest theatrical

forms

The Purpose of Drama/Theatre

• Dramas allow us to experience times, places, and events different from our own– To share the human experience– Pass on tradition and culture– Artistic expression– Recreational purposes

Structure: Elements of Drama/Theatre

• Plot and Story• Characters• Thought/Theme• Diction• Music• Spectacle

Humanity in Drama/Theatre

We will cover this in various time periods• Early Human History• Classical Greece/Ancient Rome• Medieval• Middle Eastern/Asian Cultures• Renaissance• Baroque• Neoclassicism/Classical• Romanticism• Realism• Modern and Contemporary

Processes in Drama/Theatre

• Creating new works• Performing works for expressive purposes• Responding to artworks

New works are created to express ideas, feelings, or beliefs and the audience responds to the artistic expressions based upon their meaning.

Interrelationships Among the Arts

• Commonalities in structures, purposes, creative processes, and ability to express ideas, feelings, and emotions

Earliest Theatrical Forms

• Grew out of rituals and ceremonies• Religious in nature led by shaman or priest• Set movements, gestures, costumes ensured

understanding among all• Storytelling!• Spectators participate directly• Occasions for ceremonies:– Harvest, illness, rite of passage, honoring the gods,

festival, etc.

Native American Hoop Dancing

Zulu War Dance

Exit Slip

Briefly (one or two paragraphs) compare and contrast the two types of dances from the videos that we watched.