1. Introduction to Drama and Values as Literature
The Experience of Theater
Structure of a Play
and Drama Terms

2. What is theater and what does it do?
Theater is …
Entertainment
Storytelling
An art form
Focused on human beings
A mirror
Theater…
Transports people to another time and place
Examines human nature: asks questions about ourselves and the society we live in
Provides thought-provoking ideas and questions

3. Does theater matter in our contemporary, screen-driven society
Does theater matter in our contemporary, screen-driven society? Why is theater important to our society today?

4. Theater as Experience
“Theater is living art. There is no substitute for the experience of a live performance. It is as real as it gets. It will transform you for the better in unexpected ways.”
“In modern society, we have precious few opportunities to gather together in a meaningful way; to explore the human condition…theater provides a way to explore issues while bringing people into the same room.”
“Theater forces humanity in front of you in real time, in a tangible reality.”
“Through theater, you learn more about who you are, who human beings are, and why they act in certain ways.”

5. The Significance of Theater
In some form or another, theater is a part of every society. Why? How is theater important?
Expression
Creation

6. Structure of a Play
Acts: the main division of the play (it is like how chapters divide a book or how commercials divide a short TV episode)
Each act is further broken down into scenes

7. Structure of a Play

8. Major Dramatic Question (MDQ)
Will the girl get the guy? Who-dun-it? Will the hero reach his/her goal? (+ why? and how?) It is the big question that drives the plot and keeps us reading/watching…it keeps us engaged wondering what will happen next.

9. Our Town
By Thorton WIlder

10. What is Change?

11. Make a list of changes you’ve experienced in the last year
Make a list of changes you’ve experienced in the last year. These may include physical changes (growth, eyesight), social changes (friends, interests, clubs), internal changes (ideas, atti­tudes), or external changes (new school, move).
Select the one change that has had the most significant impact on your life and reflect on it. Include a description of the change, reflections on the impact of the change, the feelings about the change (from your perspective or from others’ perspectives).