top of page

At the dawn of human history, the art of drama evolved from music and dance. Perhaps in that distant past, a cave dweller sitting beside a campfire took a stick and beat out a rhythm. Another began to hum and chant. Someone else stood and moved to the beat. Eventually some unknown but imaginative souls added speech and began to act out stories. Often it was part of a ceremony or ritual, perhaps to celebrate a successful hunt or the share the exploits of a brave warrior. 

 

At any rate, human beings love a show. Regardless of the medium for which they are written, plays do everything from celebrating our heroes to helping us forget our troubles. A desire... even a need...for drama is part of the human psyche, as natural to us as breathing. If you put two children together, they soon begin to "play," creating characters, inventing challenges, and doing deeds.  No wonder some of them grow up, put on creative artist hats, and write for the stage and screen.  

 

Whether the project is a stage play or a screenplay, however, they are drama. You are writing for PERFORMANCE. That means you need to know the basic concepts of writing drama so your material can be performed. Once you grasp and master those basics, you can tailor your text to specific requirements of writing a stage play or screenplay. The basic principles are not hard to understand, but perfecting their use takes thought, time and practice. 

 

For some writers, however, it will be worth the effort.  

Writing Drama

bottom of page