Lesson 4- ONE ACT PLAY - Lecture notes 1 PDF

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Summary

In this module, we will learn the significance of one-act play and its elements. Students will appreciate the beauty of a one-act-play....

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WHAT IS ONE-ACT-PLAY?  

During the 18th and 19th centuries, one-act plays are done for amusement of the audience before the actual drama starts which is known as “The Curtain Raisers”, or just after the actual drama ends which is known as “The After Pieces”. However, one-act plays do not require elaborated setting and costumes among the actors for it only covers few minutes of the running time.

As published by (Shaurya 2015) in riashaurya.wordpress.com, the following are the chief characteristics of one-act plays:    

One-act play is a play that has only one act but may consist of one or more scenes. (ii) One-act plays are usually written in a concise manner. It deals with a single dominant situation and aims at producing a single effect. It deals with only one theme developed through one situation to one climax in order to produce the maximum of effect. It treats the problems of everyday life as marriage, punishment for crimes, labor conditions, divorce, etc.

The one-act play, like the longer drama, should have a beginning, a middle and an end. It may be divided into four stages: The Exposition, The Conflict, The Climax and The Denouement.    

The exposition is usually brief, serves as an introduction to the play. It is through the conflict that the action of the drama develops. It is the very backbone of the one-act play. Climax is the turning point of the drama. It is an important part of the one-act play & constitutes its moment of supreme in The Denouement is very brief and often overlaps with climax.

There are no breaks in the action, that is, it is continuous since it’s a short play; no intervals. Everything superfluous is to be strictly avoided as the play is short and the action takes place within a short period of time. It introduces elaborate stage directions to minimize the time taken by the action itself. The creation of mood, or atmosphere is indispensable to its success.

There are three dramatic unities which are observed in the one-act play. The unities are the unity of time, unity of place and the unity of action.   

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It aims at simplicity of plot; concentration of action and unity of impression. It does not rely on spectacular effects and common dramatic tricks of old. The characters in a one-act play are limited in number. Generally, there are not more than two or three principal characters. There is no full development of character. All the different aspects of a character are not presented. The attention is focused on only one or two salient aspects of character and they are brought out by placing the characters in different situations and circumstances. The author implies the past and intimates the future of a character by presenting a crucial moment in the life of that character. There is an influence of realism. The characters in the modern one-act play are ordinary men and women. It depicts characters that seem to be real and related to everyday life. It must present a question, for which the audience eagerly awaits the answer. Its language is simple and can be followed without any strain. All superfluity is to be avoided in the dialogue. The dialogue must be purposeful; the best dialogue is that which does several things at one time.

Structure of a One-Act-Play 1.

DIALOGUE  Unlike novel or short stories, plays are not written in paragraph form but rather in script or lines of dialogue. The script is narrowed down to acts (major divisions of the play) and each act is then subdivided into a scene (smaller divisions within the act). Observe this sample script below: Act I Scene 2 The LIGHTS come up on ROSE hanging up clothes. SHE hums and sings softly to herself. It is the following morning. ROSE: (Sings.) Jesus, be a fence all around me every day Jesus, I want you to protect me as I travel on my way. Jesus, be a fence all around me every day. (TROY enters from the house) ROSE: Jesus, I want you to protect me As I travel on my way. (To TROY.) Morning. You ready for breakfast? I can fix it as soon as I finish hanging up these clothes? TROY: I got the coffee on. That'll be all right. I'll just drink some of that this morning.

However, the elements characters, plot and setting are also found in a play the same with novels and short stories. Observe these elements that were emphasized in August Wilson’s Fences. 2.

SETTING  In addition to the dialogue, a script will also include stage directions. These notes, which are often in italics or parentheses, help the actors interpret the scene for the audience. In this example, when Rose transitions from singing to speaking directly to Troy, the stage directions tell her to whom she is talking. The audience will only see her turn and direct her comment to Troy.

Observe this sample script below: ACT I Scene 1 The setting is the yard which fronts the only entrance to the MAXSON household, an ancient two-story brick house set back off a small alley in a big-city neighborhood. The entrance to the house is gained by two or three steps leading to a wooden porch badly in need of paint. A relatively recent addition to the house and running its full width, the porch lacks congruence. It is a sturdy porch with a flat room. One or two chairs of

dubious value sit at one end where the kitchen window opens on to the porch. An old-fashioned icebox stands silent guard at the opposite end. 3.

CHARACTERS  Before the dialogue in a script, the playwright will often include a cast of characters. Typically, each character, both major and minor, is listed alongside a brief description of the character's role in the story. Observe this sample script below: In this example, you can see that Troy is the main character, and each character is described in relation to him. TROY MAXSON JIM BONO, Troy's friend ROSE, Troy's wife LYONS, Troy's oldest son by previous marriage GABRIEL, Troy's brother CORY, Troy and Rose's son RAYNELL, Troy's daughter This list is usually given to audience members on a printed playbill, or program, as they enter the theatre, so that they may identify the major characters and the actors who will play them.

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PLOT  The plot structure of the play doesn't really differ from that in prose. There is an exposition, a rising action, a climax, falling action, and the resolution. Observe this sample script below:

In the play Fences, the exposition explains that Troy Maxson is a garbage man who loves his family, in spite of the fact he is cheating on his wife, Rose. The main conflict comes when Troy's son, Cory, wants to go to college on a football scholarship, but Troy doesn't want him to go because he's afraid he'll be discriminated against like he had been when he played baseball. In the rising action, Troy goes to Cory's coach and tells him that Cory can't play football anymore. Cory accuses Troy of being jealous. Troy's affair with Alberta

How to Write a One-act Play? The following steps in writing a one-act play is published at penandthepad.com by (Contributor 2018): •

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Choose a subject to cover in a brief one scene act play. A short story works best. Remember to give the one act play the necessary plot, action and characters to make it a complete story. Research other one act plays to get ideas and inspiration for yours. Develop the action first, then compose the dialog before you decide anything else. Keep the plot simple for a one act play and it should move consistently throughout the play. Develop the characters. Write out a character sketch beforehand to help you flesh out your characters and bring them to life. Give your characters a motive in life (or lack thereof) and up the stakes by making them face a problem. This is central to any story. Generate the setting. The setting for a one act play will be one scene, but you have to still develop the scene so the audience sees everything about the story line. Include as many of the five sense as you can. Lighting helps the setting. Make sure you write in notes about how the lighting should look. Add in the stage directions after you write the action. Write notes about how each character should respond and what props you'll need. For example, if the characters should be facing another direction and talking to another character, note it in the script. Find performers that fit each part. Hold auditions to find the right actors and actresses. Be upfront with them about whether this gig is a paying gig or a volunteer gig. Make copies of the play for each cast member. Save the document in case you need extra copies. Give copies of the one act play to each member of the stage and prop handling too. Practice the play. Ask for feedback from all the people involved in the play. Hire or ask an expert to help with the production too. Hold one final practice before opening the show. This should be a dress rehearsal. Treat this final as the real thing and tie up any loose ends.

The One-Act Play The one-act play defies rigid definition: you’ll find it as flexible, diverse, often experimental, and intensely theatrical form. It is a play that has only, as its name suggests, one act. The one-act has an honored tradition: We can say that the early Greek playwrights wrote a form of one-acts, although John Millington Synge’s Riders to the Sea is often considered the formal beginning of the modern form. Length The one-act, a theatrical version of literature’s short story, demands a judicious economy. It varies in playing time from perhaps thirty minutes to over an hour; most are around forty minutes long. Characteristics of the One-Act

One incident. By definition a one-act is a compressed dramatization of a single incident or sequence of action, unlike a full length play’s expanded multiple incidents or actions.

Number of characters. The one-act’s brevity limits the number of characters, and all must be essential to the play. Too many characters result in thin characterization. Although no one wishes to limit the number of characters – the best rule is “as many as...