December was a busy month for me, with some local projects in theater (including two in dramaturgy!)
Though I haven't prepared any play reports for this entry, I thought I'd give Aristotle a run for his money and go into depth on some of my views on the first on his concepts on theater - something I will reference a lot in the future - and here's my first entry on character and the types of theatrical characters I find most commonly in plays.
- Protagonist. The protagonist is defined as the person who drives the action forward. For some, it is the journey he/she undertakes that forms the backbone of the play. Protagonists come in all shapes and sizes, and usually it's someone somewhat tolerable or sympathetic (or intended to be) so the audience has someone to root for and watch something happen to as the play progresses. Sometimes known as the hero, although he/she may not be a hero in the traditional sense or do anything particularly heroic other than drag the audience through the play. Usually the protagonist is a single person.
- Antagonist. The antagonist is defined as the person who puts obstacles in the way of the protagonist. They are often categorized as being villainous or evil even though they aren't necessarily so. Usually is a single person but can be a group, or a group with one particularly nasty antagonist.
- Comic Relief. This character is usually present in a drama to provide some levity to the straight man, some additional buffoonery to comedy, or just a little bit of humor. Is rarely antagonist or protagonist, and in a good play, will not distract too much from the focus of the play. Often shows up in pairs.
- Straight Man. This character (not necessarily a man) is usually po-faced and can range from uber-dramatic to merely a foil for an over-the-top comic relief character. Can be a protagonist as well, or occasionally an antagonist (think supervillain with a dopey sidekick). Is rarely seen without a Comic Relief.
- Voice Of Reason. In the ancient Greek days, this was known as the deus ex machina, or "god in the machine," someone like Zeus, Hera, or Artemis who came down from the sky in a whirligig, all "I'll save you!" and even sometimes, "Oh, me, here I go again straightening out these mortal idiots." In plays post-Ancient Greece, this can take the form of a Comic Relief (see Idiot Savant), or in a more traditional sense, a wise older man or woman. Usually not a child character - in fact, if a play has a kid voice of reason, she'll usually make you want to punch him in the face.
- Plot Device. When used with discretion, can make a good play an amazing play. This character is, by the virtue of merely existing, a point of contention that is omnipresent. Usually he/she has some unconventional quirk - a mistress, a child with a disability, a recently-back-from-the-dead husband, even a ghost or a figment of the protagonist's imagination. Sometimes this character is not even seen on stage or not even in the play at all, merely mentioned, making her an Absent Plot Device (APD). Spooky!
- Narrator. Most plays do fine without one, but the narrator is an essential element of a play for children, such as a fable or a fairy-tale play. Sometimes, the narrator comes in the form of an unobtrusive supporting character like a milkman dropping by every morning, or even as a radio voiceover. Sometimes, a voiceover narrator can be the same character as one in the play, giving updates via diary entries, memoirs from the future, or by telling a story to his grandchildren.
- Sidekick. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. This sidekick can be a friend, a partner, a sibling - someone who has a closer relationship to the protagonist or antagonist than any other character, and sometimes drops a bombshell by switching allegiances midstream or otherwise making a big move; but can stay relatively neutral throughout the show, being some kind of straight man or constant advisor.
- Lover. He or she is never the protagonist, but keeps the ol' fire burning throughout the dramatic action. Can be a plot device, or even a sidekick (sometimes even a spurned sidekick), but can provide anything from a casual flirtation to an explicit passion to...a spouse. Yes, I went there. Somewhat of a stock character, but I think is a character-character because oftentimes, romance does affect the way things roll.
- Idiot Savant. Someone who is a screw-up or someone constantly written off as being dumb, nonessential, or a nonentity. Most of the other characters do not listen to her when they should and can even abuse her, but in truth, she's the smartest chick in the joint. Can be a voice of reason throughout the whole play, or babble until a great moment of clarity near the end..
- Wild Card. This is a toss-up and has no rules, rhyme, or reason. He can make just a cameo for comic relief, be a plot device, add some mystique or an interesting sidebar, or sometimes oddly enough the forgotten character or "ghost character" as sometimes seen in Shakespeare (not to be confused with an actual ghost), someone who has absolutely no purpose for being there and comes off like an actress who got lost on her way to ladies' lingerie on the 15th floor and ended up in 15th century France. Usually, though, this character is just someone who doesn't really have a strong enough relationship to the protagonist to be a sidekick, not enough antagonizing nature to be an antagonist, isn't particularly funny, romantic, brainy, and doesn't gift us with any moments of great revelation.
- The Chorus. Usually a group of people rather than one person and most commonly used for commentary on the action, or, when non-speaking, to act as glorified crew members and move stuff around. The chorus must be used with caution - they are not to be used as an army of stage-fillers or a big unruly mob (that will usually be taken care of by the audience storming out at intermission) - they have rights, people, THEY HAVE RIGHTS!
And now stepping off of that soapbox, behold, 12 possible roles to mix-n-match, and most of them will show up in a play in one form or another.
Good night for now :)
Dramaturgically yours (and yours, and yours)
The Daily Dramaturg
No comments:
Post a Comment