Stage plays are magical things. They take people to different worlds, and they do it live, not pre-recorded. The worlds that the audience are transported to depend mainly though on the genre, or category of the play, which in turn, depend on its subject and theme.
Comedies, for example, showcase normal people in very amusing situations. The endings are usually joyous. Comedies tackle relationships among characters and how they feel. Sometimes the humor is slapstick, and these plays mainly play to the enjoyment of the viewers. On the opposite end, tragedies almost never end happily. These plays are oftentimes more serious than comedies and are marked by a death of a beloved or admirable character or characters.
Drama is also closely related to tragedy. The difference though is that characters in dramas are often the everyday variety, whereas tragedies usually have notable characters in the upper echelons of society for leads. Dramas deal with everyday trials and don’t necessarily end with a major character’s death. Conflict is a big part of drama plays.
Satyr or satire is done between tragedy plays. The purpose of satyr plays is to show the funny and lighter side to an overly serious, and otherwise sad story. A satyr play mocks and mimics and is quite similar to comedies.
Bradley J. Sterling is studying theater at UCLA. His other passion aside from theater, is music. Learn more about theater arts by following Bradley on Twitter.
Comedies, for example, showcase normal people in very amusing situations. The endings are usually joyous. Comedies tackle relationships among characters and how they feel. Sometimes the humor is slapstick, and these plays mainly play to the enjoyment of the viewers. On the opposite end, tragedies almost never end happily. These plays are oftentimes more serious than comedies and are marked by a death of a beloved or admirable character or characters.
Image source: vergecampus.com
Drama is also closely related to tragedy. The difference though is that characters in dramas are often the everyday variety, whereas tragedies usually have notable characters in the upper echelons of society for leads. Dramas deal with everyday trials and don’t necessarily end with a major character’s death. Conflict is a big part of drama plays.
Image source: ebeijing.gov.cn
Satyr or satire is done between tragedy plays. The purpose of satyr plays is to show the funny and lighter side to an overly serious, and otherwise sad story. A satyr play mocks and mimics and is quite similar to comedies.
Bradley J. Sterling is studying theater at UCLA. His other passion aside from theater, is music. Learn more about theater arts by following Bradley on Twitter.
