Flash Fiction and Drama

Drama
z &
Flash Fiction
z
Drama is a composition in verse or prose

intended to portray life or character, or to
tell a story usually involving conflicts and
emotions through action and dialogue. It is
typically designed for theatrical
performance.
z
PHILIPPINE DRAMA
HISTORY
z
PRE-COLONIAL TIME
During the pre-historic times, theater in the
Philippines was in the form of indigenous
rituals, verbal jousts or games, or songs and
dances to praise gods. According to early
chronicles, pre-historic dramas consisted of
three elements – myth, mimesis, and spectacle.
z SPANISH REGIME
ZARZUELAS – drama used by the Spaniards as
pedagogical tool to influence the pagan tribes and teach
them about Christianity and religion.
COMEDIA - also known as moro-moro, linambay, or
arakyo. It’s a play in verse that portrays the lives, loves,
and wars of moors and Christians.
MORO-MORO - is a secular comedy that dramatizes the
war between Christians and Muslims through the
forbidden love between the prince and the princess.
z
AMERICAN
COLONIZATION
Their influence on Philippine theatre
is most apparent through the bodabil
(vaudeville) and the plays and dramas
staged or translated into English.
z
THE JAPANESE OCCUPATION

By the 1940s, when the Japanese took over the
Philippines from the Americans, movie actors and
actresses could no longer appear in films, as the
Japanese confiscated all film equipment.
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Philippine Theatre as We Know It Today

• After the Japanese occupation, the Philippine theatre
has evolved to become an amalgamation of the
various influences such that of the zarzuela, comedia,
bodabil, and western classics.
• Theatre was largely performed in English during the
time, as it became a large part of classroom education.
z
Philippine Theatre as We Know It Today

• During this time, playwrights such as Severino
Montano, Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero, and Alberto
S. Florentino honed their crafts and contributed to
the development of performing arts in the
Philippines.
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The Elements of Drama

 LITERARY ELEMENTS
 TECHNICAL ELEMENTS
 PERFORMANCE ELEMENTS
LITERARY ELEMENTS
z
Plot - refers to the action; the basic

storyline of the play.
Theme - refers to the meaning of the play.
It is the main idea or lesson to be learned
from the drama.
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Characters are the people (sometimes animals

or ideas) portrayed by the actors in a drama.
Characterization is the way an author
presents a character. These are several types of
characters; protagonist (main character in a
story)- antagonist (a person who actively
opposes)
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Dialogue - refers to the words written by the

playwright and spoken by the character in a
drama.
Convention - refers to the techniques and
methods used by the playwright and director to
create the desired stylistic effect.
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Genre - is the type of play. Some examples of

different genres include comedy, tragedy,
mystery and historical play.
Audience - refers to a group of people who
watch the drama/ play.
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TECHNICAL ELEMENTS
Scenery (set) - is the theatrical equipment such as
curtains, flats, backdrops or platforms used in a
dramatic production.
Costumes are the clothing and accessories worn by
actors to portray character and period.
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Properties are any article, except costume or

scenery, used as part of a dramatic production; any
movable object that appears on stage during a
performance, from a telephone to a train
Lightz means that every placement, intensity and
color of lights have to be set as needed to help
communicate with the environment, mood or
feeling.
Sound refers to the effects an audience hears

during performance to communicate character,
context or environment.
z
Sound refers to the effects an audience hears
during performance to communicate character,
context or environment.
Makeup includes all cosmetics, costumes,

wigs and body paint use to transform an
actor into a character.
z
PERFORMANCE ELEMENTS
Acting is the use of face, body and voice to
portray a character.
Character Motivation refers to the reason/s
for a character’s behavior; an incentive or
inducement for further action for a character in
drama.
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Character Analysis in responding to dramatic

art,is the process of examining how the
elements of drama are used.
Empathy is the capacity to relate to the

feelings of another character.
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Exposition: The storyteller sets the scene and

the character’s background.
Rising Action: The story builds. There is often
a complication, which means the problem the
character tried to solve gets more complex.
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Climax : The story reaches the point of greatest

tension between the protagonist and antagonist
(or if there is only one main character, the
darkness or lightness of that character appears
to take control).
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Falling Action: The story shifts to action that

happens as a result of the climax, which can
also contain a reversal (when the character
shows how they are changed by events of the
climax).
.
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FLASH FICTION
 Flash Fiction refers to largely fictional work of
relative brevity.
 According to Bob Batchelor (2011), it is also
known as the “smoke-long” story in China,
because one is likely to finish reading it before
he/she finishes smoking a stick of cigarette.
z
 Flash fiction cannot be considered completely

new ,however for it traces its origins to older
genres such as the fable and the parable.
Some scholars claim, however that the term dagli had already been
around for decades even before the term flash fiction became
popular.
z
Plot - a flash fiction piece is a complete story. Just
like a longer piece of fiction, your flash piece needs
a beginning, a middle, and an ending.
Characters - you don’t have a lot of space to
describe your characters but readers should still be
able to tell them apart. Use telling details that you
can describe in a few words. Keep your character
count low and stick with one point-of-view.
z
Resolution : The character solves the problem

or conflict.
Denouement : French for “the ending,” the

denouement is often happy if it’s a comedy, and
dark and sad if it’s a tragedy.
Climaxz - a flash story should start with a compelling
scene and keep going. Just as in any other type of story,

you need to include some kind of conflict – an internal or
external (or both) challenge that your characters have to
meet.
Ending - a lot of successful flash pieces employ a twist at

the end. Think of structuring your story as you would a
joke; although your ending doesn’t need to be funny, it
ought to be something that the reader didn’t see coming.
Somezof the flash fiction in the Philippines are:
❖ Sacred Stone by Zorlone
❖ Midnight Collector by Alma Anonas-Carpio
❖ 100 Kislap by Abdon M. Balde Jr.(a compilation
of short stories of no more than 150 words in
tagalog.)
❖ Karapote by Ariel S. Tabag (an anthology of
Ilocano short stories

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Drama

Drama is a composition in verse or prose

THE JAPANESE OCCUPATION

Philippine Theatre as We Know It Today

Philippine Theatre as We Know It Today

The Elements of Drama

Plot - refers to the action; the basic

Characters are the people (sometimes animals

Dialogue - refers to the words written by the

Genre - is the type of play. Some examples of

Properties are any article, except costume or

Sound refers to the effects an audience hears

Makeup includes all cosmetics, costumes,

Character Analysis in responding to dramatic

Empathy is the capacity to relate to the

Exposition: The storyteller sets the scene and

Climax : The story reaches the point of greatest

Falling Action: The story shifts to action that

 Flash fiction cannot be considered completely

Resolution : The character solves the problem

Denouement : French for “the ending,” the

scene and keep going. Just as in any other type of story,

Ending - a lot of successful flash pieces employ a twist at

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