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American Drama: reviewing the topic
The following will provide students studying this subject with valuable background:Begin by reading the rubric and detailing the important issues that arise, for instance:
This topic explores American drama from Eugene O'Neill
to David Mamet .
It covers the forms and conventions, the dramatic styles and techniques and the social
context of the plays. Study includes the ways in which the plays extend
realism
through the use of Expressionist and Symbolist techniques and ways in which they might be produced on the
contemporary stage.
American drama from Eugene O’Neill to David Mamet defines the period and the approaches being explored within the wider topic of American drama. Eugene O’Neill reached the height of his powers in 1936 when he won the Nobel Prize for literature. At the other end of the spectrum is David Mamet. He is still producing works for stage and screen and his biography
follows his career in
film and theatre.The terms forms and conventions are explained in the glossary of the drama syllabus. You should be aware of the importance of expressionism and symbolism as you explore the forms and conventions of American drama. Students should also explore how these dramatists extended traditional form to make their dramatic meaning.
Ways in which they might be produced on the contemporary stage asks students to investigate how modern directors have staged the plays. This can be discovered through exploring the text and discussing or attempting the staging. Students must imagine the play in performance rather than just as text. Design, direction and acting all add to the text, to make a performance, and students should investigate these areas to fully understand the topic.
American Drama: a brief introduction
After WW2, realism was still the most common theatrical style in America. Non-realistic movements in theatre practice had begun in America and overseas (Europe). These changes had altered audiences’ expectations allowing simplification and the art of suggestion to become accepted theatrical techniques. New plays written after the war often combined elements drawn from many sources. American theatre workers were seeking to retain elements of the naturalistic or realistic form but this was added to, often with symbolism and expressionism.In order for you to understand this area you will need to explore the following theatrical terms for definitions and record them in your log book:
- realism
- naturalism
- expressionism
- symbolism
To understand the playwrights’ social and historical context research the biographies of the authors. Begin with these links to relevant web sites:
Sample essay questions
The American plays you have studied were written with minimum reliance on set or properties. Discuss what would be lost and gained by the use of a more complex staging.Past HSC Questions
Past HSC examination questions are a good way to revise. Look back through the issues and themes in the past
papers to assist you in your preparation for the exam.Revision activities
A Streetcar Named Desire
- Re-read the scene between Blanche and Mitch (Blanche confronts her past).
- Identify the importance of setting and symbolism; list the important aspects.
- Choose three pieces of dialogue which indicate to the audience the relationships between the characters and their past. If you were an actor delivering these lines what would be your motivation, your objective and super-objective when delivering these lines?
Our Town
- Re-read the cemetery scene. Wilder explores human frailty and the differences between his characters, this helps him create his realism. Discuss this scene. How does the frailty of the characters help create the realism of the characters interrelationships?
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