The Importance of Plot and Action in Drama - Essay Example

Student Name> Drama – Module Title – Brave New Word Playwriting is one of the most skillful and creative arts that people can engage into. It is the writing of dramatic literature or simply, drama. The scripts which are written by playwrights are often used so that they can be performed by actors on stage. Even if they are not used for this purpose, they can then be classified as rich literary works which have been written using all dramatic elements required for a playwriting script. This script is not for dramatic performance by actors. 1 Therefore, playwrights use their work mostly for performance in theatres. Theatre is an outlet which was extremely popular in the past. It was the time when there was no concept of films or television. But in contemporary times, theatre has lost most of its popularity due to the sudden and hyped emergence of television and films. But if well made, theatres can have a much greater impact on the audience than either television or films. This is because theatre is for real, whatever it portrays is live and does not have any false illusions in store. It does not animate its happenings and does not attempt to fool the audience, either with computer graphics or other technologies. For this reason only, it is believed that a tradition which propagates playwrighting which does not focus on plot and action can never be successful or continue over the years. A good plot and catchy action is something which can make a playwright attractive, especially if we place it in a sensitive area like entertainment. The entertainment arena, where the purpose is to please a certain audience is expanding its wings day by day, where there is no chance for a live performance to survive. In such circumstances, not focusing on plot or action would be a big mistake on the part of playwrights because these elements are what attract the audience and then leave an impact on them. The Importance of Plot: A plot is something which is used in fictional stories to dictate and narrate the ordering of events that take place in the story. It is like the gist of the story and consists of mostly everything that took place in the story. A plot usually attempts to end at some artistic ending or tries to put an emotional impact on its reader or viewer. This effect that it tries to inculcate in the end is what gives the reader a feeling of entertainment and being moved by the thought and the narrative in the plot. A plot is the most integral part of any playwrighting script that is written. 2It consists of a proper structure which exists at several levels and forms. When we come down to its smallest level, it consists of a stimulus and response. That is, everything that happens in a plot, wants and is created to generate a certain response from te reader, the viewer and the listener. This cause-and-effect is what makes a plot lively and interesting and grasps the attention of the audience, making them eager for more. If the plot is not focused on the playwriting scrip, then there will be no liveliness in the script. The plot can be called the soul of the script when it comes to playwrighting. At the intermediary level, is the construction of scenes as well as sequel into the plot. This elements provides all the drama in the form of scenes, which is presented by the actors and then shows the aftermath of all those scenes in the form of sequel. There is a sequel for every scene. They both combine to provide a complete picture of whatever is happening in the plot. Without these scenes and their following sequels, the audience will be bored to death and will find nothing interesting in the playwrighting script to watch. Arousing the excitement of the audience is one of the major aims of the theatre and this can only be done through presenting drama. This drama can be shown through the acting of the actors. The actors can be trained to show and present the emotions in a perfect manner and replicate the real life situation on a stage. In this way, the audience can also relate to the happenings on stage and feel excited about them. Therefore, scenes and sequel are a major component of a plot 3and they cannot be ignored when doing a playwright script as all the interesting and attractive elements will be vanished if the plot is not focused on. Another very important characteristic of a long plot is that it is conveniently divided into the beginning, middle and end. This division allows for better understanding of the audience and does not confuse them. It gives space to greater clarity and comprehension of the audience as to what the playwright is trying to convey to them. The beginning sets the impetus for the whole story, by the middle the plot is in ful gear and the audience is now familiar with the characters and the storyline and till the end, the climax has been reached and the closing of the plot takes place, ending either with a sad note or a happy note, leaving the audiences smiling or sad. Whatever happens, the aggregate effect of the plot is that it puts an effect on the audience, which is hard to shake off depending on the intensity of every plot. If seen in another way, the plot is often schematically designed in such a way which allows its rise and falls to be depicted as if it was an arch.4 The first part is where the initial situation is introduced to the audience, trying to make them feel at home and familiarizing them with the situation and setting in which all of the plot is taking place. In this step, the first incident takes place which actually makes the plot move on. This first incident needs to be really captivating for the audience to keep watching and stay engrossed in the play. Then there is usually a conflict going on, or a problem to be solved, a solution to be found, which is the ultimate goal of the actor who plays the protagonist. The aim of the plot then becomes to provide the actor with ways to reach and fulfill his goal. Of course, where there are wishes, goals and desires, there are barriers and obstacles which have to be overcome before their fulfillment can be seen. These are integrated next into the plot and presented to the audience. At this point the audience is totally inside the plot, if well written and presented, the audience can feel as if he is the protagonist with the same goal and the same obstacles to be overcome. The audience starts living the plot. And then the next and the most interesting element is presented, which is the climax of the story. This is the most captivating moment of the story which inculcates in itself a major twist and turn of events and plays with the imagination of the viewer. It tries to reach that level where the imagination of the audience cannot reach and this level of excitement which is generated by the playwright is highly necessary for a plot to be engaging enough for a big and demanding audience. Right after the climax, is the resolution. It tells of what finally happens to the character and the protagonist after being faced with this turn of events or climax. It shows the influence that the climax had on the protagonist, his goals and the obstacles that he was facing. And then the last element is the conclusion, which is very important to give an ending touch and a sense of peace to the audience. The Importance of Action: Action is an element which propagates the usage of exciting sequences which are characterized by more emphasis on action than on telling the story or building upon the protagonist. Such sequences and playwright scripts of such genre are highly loved by men especially because of their affinity with action.5 Men are supposed to be and are associated with being strong. This depicts that the usage of action is a very vital characteristic in a playwrighting script because it will attract the men as well as generate excitement in few females who are a little action minded. Modern day action which is used in films and television is very different than the one which will be shown in theatre. The action sequences and scenes which are used in theatre are highly rehearsed because they are performed live and they keep care of the fact that no physical harm is done to any of the characters who take part in these sequences. Modern day action uses animation and computer graphics to make men and women fly and kick people or do numerous somersaults in the fraction of a second. Such awing action is not possible in theatre due to its nature but eliminating the element of action from the script altogether would be a loss on the part of the playwright. He, therefore, should focus on the action sequence as that will arouse the intensity of excitement in all the general viewers. The audience will gasp and wait for the next moment to see who ultimately wins in the action and who the loser is. Works Cited Spencer, Stuart. The Playwright's Guidebook. 2002 Rebeck, Theresa. Free Fire Zone: A Playwright's Adventures on the Creative Battlefields of Film, Tv, And Theater. 2007 Lavandier, Yves. Writing Drama: A Comprehensive Guide for Playwrights and Scriptwriters. 2005 Dianne De Las Casas, Jeanne De La Houssaye. Story Fest: Crafting Story Theater Scripts. 2005 Clark, Leroy. Writing for the Stage: A Practical Playwriting Guide. 2005 Read More