Dramatic conventions are the specific actions and techniques the actor, writer or director has employed to create a desired dramatic effect or style. A ''dramatic convention'' is a set of

rules Rule or ruling may refer to: Human activity * The exercise of political or personal control by someone with authority or power * Business rule, a rule pertaining to the structure or behavior internal to a business * School rule, a rule tha ...

which both the audience and actors are familiar with and which act as a useful way of quickly signifying the nature of the action or of a character. All forms of theatre have dramatic conventions, some of which may be unique to that particular form, such as the poses used by actors in Japanese

kabuki is a classical form of Theatre of Japan, Japanese theatre, mixing dramatic performance with Japanese traditional dance, traditional dance. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily stylised performances, its glamorous, highly decorated costumes ...

theatre to establish a character, or the

stock character A stock character, also known as a character archetype, is a type of character in a narrative (e.g. a novel, play, television show, or film) whom audiences recognize across many narratives or as part of a storytelling tradition or convention. Th ...

of the black-cloaked, mustache-twirling villain in early cinema

melodrama A melodrama is a Drama, dramatic work in which plot, typically sensationalized for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodrama is "an exaggerated version of drama". Melodramas typically concentrate on ...

serials. It can also include an implausible facet of a performance required by the technical limitations or artistic nature of a production and which is accepted by the audience as part of

suspension of disbelief Suspension of disbelief is the avoidance—often described as willing—of critical thinking and logic in understanding something that is unreal or impossible in reality, such as something in a work of speculative fiction, in order to believe i ...

. For example, a dramatic convention in

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

is that a character can move downstage to deliver a

soliloquy A soliloquy (, from Latin 'alone' and 'to speak', ) is a speech in drama in which a character speaks their thoughts aloud, typically while alone on stage. It serves to reveal the character's inner feelings, motivations, or plans directly to ...

which be heard by the other characters on stage nor are characters in a

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

surprised by another character bursting into song. One more example would be how the audience accepts the passage of time during a play or how music will play during a romantic scene. Dramatic conventions may be categorized into groups, such as rehearsal, technical, or theatrical. Rehearsal conventions can include hot seating, roles on the wall, and still images. Technical conventions can include lighting, dialogue, monologue, set, costuming, and entrances/exits. Theatrical conventions may include split focus, flashback/

flashforward A flashforward (also spelled flash-forward, and more formally known as prolepsis) is a scene that temporarily takes the narrative forward in time from the current point of the story in literature, film, television and other media. Flashforwards a ...

, narration, soliloquy, and spoken thought. All categories of dramatic conventions may be used in creative drama to support educators teaching dramatic arts. "Jonothan Neelands and Tony Goode note that the experience of drama requires teachers to use forms and structures that engage both the intellect and emotions in making and representing collaborative meaning. ..As you work in drama, you will discover other modes of representing meaning and your repertoire of ideas for containing and shaping the work will expand and become refined." Educators use dramatic conventions in integrated and cross-curricular instruction – particularly literacy and the

humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...

– to make meaningful educational experiences for students.

References

Acting {{drama-stub

See also

References