1. Monsters are Due on Maple Street
The Elements of Drama
Monsters are Due on Maple Street

2. Introduction
Reading a play, or drama, is very different from reading a short story or novel.
In a play, there are no long descriptions of setting or characters.
Instead, the entire action of the play is told through dialogue and stage directions.
Like a short story or novel, however, a drama does contain the basic elements of fiction and plot.

3. Drama Comes from the Greek Word, “Dran” It means “to do” or “to act”
The doing/acting makes drama

4. Drama…
A drama tells a story and includes such elements as character, setting, plot, and theme.
A drama is written to be performed in a theater OR to be performed on screen or film.

5. Drama… A SCRIPT is the written form of a play.
Scripts are used in stage productions, for movies, and for television shows.
A PLAYWRIGHT is the author of a play.
A SCRIPTWRITER is the author of a television or movie script.

6. THE ELEMENTS OF DRAMA
Important Terms

7. ELEMENTS OF DRAMA Acts and Scenes Cast of Characters Dialogue
Monologue
Plot
Setting
Stage Directions
Theme

8. ELEMENTS OF DRAMA: ACTS AND SCENES
An ACT is a group of two or more scenes that form a major division of a play.
A SCENE is one part of the action, usually happening in a particular time and place.

9. ELEMENTS OF DRAMA: DRAMATIC SPEECH
Dialogue- A conversation among characters in a play
Monologue-A long speech by one single character (private thoughts). Also, referred to as a soliloquy.

10. ELEMENTS OF DRAMA: CAST OF CHARACTERS
A cast of characters is a list that describes who is in the play and often how they are related to each other.

11. ELEMENTS OF DRAMA: PLOT
Plot is the action of main events of a drama.
Plot follows the plot diagram like in a novel or short story:
exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution

12. ELEMENTS OF DRAMA: SETTING
Setting is where and when the play takes place.
In a play, the setting is usually described in a note or stage direction at the opening of the play and each scene.

13. ELEMENTS OF DRAMA: STAGE DIRECTIONS
Stage directions describe details of the setting and sound effects as well as directing characters how to speak their lines, move, act, and look.
Found in brackets [ ]
Describe scenery and how characters speak
C, Center Stage
L, Stage Left
R, Stage Right
U, Upstage or Rear
D, Downstage or Front

14. ELEMENTS OF DRAMA: THEME
Theme is a statement about life around which the playwright builds the play.
A play’s theme is its central idea or message.

15. Before, During, and After Reading Strategies
READING DRAMA
Before, During, and After Reading Strategies

16. DRAMA: BEFORE READING
SET A PURPOSE FOR READING BY ASKING YOURSELF THE FOLLOWING:
What are the main characters like, and what is the relationship among them?
What is the central conflict, and how is it resolved?
What is the theme of the play?

17. DRAMA: BEFORE READING
PREVIEW THE PLAY BY USING THE FOLLOWING CHECKLIST:
the title page, including the title and playwright
the cast of characters
the general setting
the number of pages, acts, and scenes
any background information, photos, or illustrations

18. DRAMA: BEFORE READING
PLAN A STRATEGY TO HELP YOU ORGANIZE THE PLOT OF THE PLAY AS YOU READ.
For The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street, you will be using reading check questions and a plot diagram to help organize the events as they unfold.

19. DRAMA: DURING READING
READ WITH A PURPOSE BY ASKING THE FOLLOWING BEFORE READING QUESTIONS AGAIN:
What are the main characters like, and what is the relationship among them?
What is the central conflict, and how is it resolved?
What is the theme of the play?

20. DRAMA: AFTER READING
PAUSE AND REFLECT OF HOW WELL YOU UNDERSTOOD THE PLAY BY ASKING YOURSELF:
Can I describe the main characters?
Can I explain the central conflict in the play and summarize the plot?
What is the main message, or theme, of the play?

21. Monsters Are Due on Maple Street by Rod Sterling

22. Monsters Are Due on Maple Street
"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
~President Franklin D. Roosevelt

23. Monsters Are Due on Maple Street
How does fear affect the decisions you make?
What fears might be called "universal"; shared by most almost all humans?

24. Monsters Are Due on Maple Street
Important Vocabulary To Know:
FLUSTERED
SLUGGISHLY
ASSENT
PERSISTENTLY
DEFIANT
METAMORPHOSIS
SCAPEGOAT