Drama Essay

“Drama – Compare and Contrast” Drama, as defined by Dictionary.com, “is a composition in prose or verse presenting in dialogue or pantomime, a story involving conflict or contrast of character, especially one intended to be acted on the stage.” There are three main types of dramas – dramas that are on-stage productions, dramas that are made into movies, and dramas that are simply read, and nothing more. There are some key elements that make these three different from each other, but there are also some similarities.
In the drama piece that was read for class, Antigone, there are a lot of things that make it a written drama, more than the fact that there are words written on the page. There are four characteristics of a written piece of drama. The first is that written dramas leave more freedom for the reader. The reader is able to imagine everything that is going on and they are able to picture interactions with the characters. In Antigone, one could imagine what the different sets would look like. One could also picture how the characters would stand and what their facial expressions would be. Another thing about written dramas is that the emotions of the characters are clearly stated right next to their lines. This allows the reader to understand the characters and it helps the reader to be able to better interpret what the characters are thinking, how they are feeling, and what they are doing. In written dramas the dialogue is very simple and straightforward, so this does not leave much room for interpretation. While reading Antigone, there would be no need for one to imagine what the author mean when he or she said this; that’s because the dialogue was simple and straightforward. The last thing that makes a drama a written drama is that there is a more detailed and intricate characterization. The reader can easily point out how the author is portraying certain characters, how the characters reveal themselves, and what other characters say and think about certain characters. Antigone made this very easy to do. One should have been able to pick the two main characters, Antigone and Creon, and give a detailed description of each. The reader could clearly see how brave and loyal and honest Antigone was, all by what the she did, what the author said, and what other characters said.
Just like dramas as pieces of writings, there are certain characteristics specifically for dramas as on-stage productions. The first is that on-stage productions can be seen and heard. The audience can see the sets, the costumes, facial expressions, and the characters. One can hear the lines and the way the characters say them in different tones of voices. A big part of on-stage productions is the audience. Without the audience there would be no point in the production. The audience is able to laugh at things and even cry at things in the play, but on-stage productions do not leave a lot of room for the audience to have an imagination about the play. Everything is kind of set-in-stone and cannot be interpreted in multiple ways, like written dramas can. During on-stage productions, actors cannot make mistakes; there is not any room for them. Actors in on-stage productions have to learn, and be good at, improv. In the production of Jesus Christ Superstar last year, there was no improv going on. If there was, the actors were very good at it. One of the biggest things an on-stage production has is restrictions. Safety, money, or resources can all be restrictions a production may face. A stunt might not be safe for

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