Meaning and interpretation
Meaning is initially communicated to an audience through a play’s:
- genreThe type of story being told. - the category of the play, eg tragedy, comedy or thriller
- formThe conventions or building blocks of the play that the playwright uses to construct it, eg monologues, flashbacks or mime. - the conventions or building blocks of the play that the playwrightSomeone who writes plays. uses to construct it, eg monologueA speech by a single person, speaking alone, often revealing something about their past or personality., flashbackA scene enacting something that happened in the past; the enactment of a character's memory of a past event. or mimeActing through body movement without the use of speech.
- styleHow theatrical ideas are presented on stage. - the overall way of presenting the script, eg naturalismA style of theatre that aims to be as life-like or as real as possible., expressionismA style of painting, music, or drama in which the artist or writer seeks to express emotion or inner feelings rather than external reality. or Epic theatreA style or movement of theatre that focuses on political ideas, ensuring that the audience are engaged and questioning the action. Bertolt Brecht’s ideas are usually categorised as Epic theatre.
Usually a director wishes to fulfil the playwright’s original aims for the script, following their intentions for genre, form and style. However, some scripts can have more abstract or flexible forms, enabling the director to make choices about the style for their own interpretation.