Year 7 Drama · Making Drama — Create and Perform · 8m read

What Is Drama? Role, Character and Situation

Drama is about pretending with purpose. Every scene starts with someone (role), somewhere (situation), wanting something.

Learning objective: Understand role, character and situation as the foundations of drama.

By the end of this lesson you can:

• I can step into a role.
• I can establish a situation.
• I can stay in character.

Drama is a "what if?" game. Kids playing "shops" or "superheroes" are already doing drama — they take on a role, agree on a situation and commit to it. Drama class takes that natural "what if?" play and adds skill, purpose and an audience.

The basics

ROLE AND CHARACTER:
• ROLE — a type of person (doctor, shopkeeper).
• CHARACTER — a specific individual with personality, history and motivation.

SITUATION:
• Who, where, when and what is happening.

STAYING IN CHARACTER:
• Commit to the role; don't break focus; react truthfully to others.

THE AUDIENCE:
• Drama is made to be watched — face out, project, be clear.

| Term | Means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Role | A type of person | A detective |
| Character | A specific person with a history | Det. Rosa Vale, 52, never lost a case |
| Situation | Who, where, when, what | A locked room, midnight, a missing key |
| Objective | What the character wants | To find the thief before dawn |

Key ideas at a glance

• Who, where, what, want: Every scene needs all four.
• Commit fully: Half-hearted acting breaks belief.
• Cheat out: Angle your body towards the audience.
• React, don't just wait: Listening is acting too.

Worked example (Easy)

Turn the role "teacher" into a character.

1. Details. Name, age, mood, goal.
2. Example. Ms Lee, 45, exhausted, desperate to finish marking before the bell.

Answer: Add personality, history and a goal.

Worked example (Medium)

Establish a situation in the first 10 seconds of a scene without saying where you are.

1. Action. Mime pushing a trolley and checking a list.
2. Reaction. Squint at a high shelf, reach up.
3. Result. The audience reads "supermarket" from actions.

Answer: Use clear actions and reactions so the audience works out the situation.

Common mistakes

• Turning your back to the audience They can't see or hear you. Fix: Open your body out (cheat out).
• Breaking character to laugh Destroys the audience's belief. Fix: Stay in role; use the laugh as the character's reaction if needed.

Why we "suspend disbelief"

An audience knows the stage isn't really a castle — yet they cry when a character dies. This is called the willing suspension of disbelief.

Actors earn it by committing totally. One giggle, one glance at a friend, and the spell breaks. That's why focus is the first skill drama teachers train.

Practice questions

1. A specific person with a personality is a:

   1. Role
   2. Character
   3. Setting
   4. Prop

   (1 marks)

2. What four questions establish a situation?

   (2 marks)

3. A "role" is:

   1. A specific individual with a backstory
   2. A general type of person
   3. The setting of a scene
   4. A stage direction

   (1 marks)

4. Which detail turns a role into a character?

   1. A costume
   2. A name, history and objective
   3. Standing centre stage
   4. Speaking loudly

   (1 marks)

5. List the four things a scene needs to establish early.

   (2 marks)

Summary

• Role vs character.
• Situation: who, where, when, what.
• Commit and stay in character.
• Who, where, what and want make a scene clear.