Question 1
(The lights dim. Thunder rumbles in the distance.)
💡 Instructions about lighting and sound effects are stage directions, guiding the production rather than being spoken by a character.
Year 7 — Literature
Drama
Recognise features of a play script (stage directions, dialogue), understand dramatic irony, discuss character through what they say and do, and explain how tension is created on stage.
Understand
Drama is written to be performed, not just read, which shapes how it's constructed. A play script is mostly dialogue (what characters say), with stage directions (instructions for actors, sets or sound, usually in brackets or italics) showing HOW something is said or done. Because drama has no narrator to explain a character's inner thoughts directly, character is revealed almost entirely through what they say, how they say it, and what they do.
“MARIA: (forcing a smile) Everything's absolutely fine. (She grips the edge of the table.)”
The dialogue itself ('Everything's absolutely fine') contradicts the stage directions ('forcing a smile', gripping the table), revealing to the audience that Maria is not fine at all — this contrast between what a character says and how they're directed to behave is a key way drama reveals character without narration.
Spot it
Identify the dramatic feature or technique in each example.
Question 2
The audience knows the letter contains bad news, but the character on stage opens it cheerfully, expecting good news.
💡 Dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows something a character doesn't, creating tension or a sense of foreboding.
Question 3
A character speaks aloud alone on stage, revealing their private thoughts and doubts to the audience.
💡 A soliloquy is a speech given by a character alone (or believing themselves alone) that reveals inner thoughts directly to the audience.
Think about it
Why is dramatic irony (the audience knowing something a character doesn't) such a powerful tool for building tension on stage?
Try it
Identify how tension is created in the extract.
TOM: (checking his watch nervously) She should have been here by now. (A long silence. The clock on the wall ticks loudly.) TOM: Something's wrong. I know it.
Question 1
How does this extract build tension?
💡 Notice the stage directions ('nervously'), the deliberate pause (silence, ticking clock), and Tom's escalating worry.
Practise
For each example, identify the correct dramatic term.
Question 1
(She turns away, hiding her tears.) What is this an example of?
Question 2
The audience knows a character is actually a spy, but the other characters trust him completely. What technique is this?
Question 3
A long speech given by one character to another character (not alone) explaining their history is called what?
Question 4
In one word, what is a speech given by a character ALONE on stage, revealing their private thoughts, usually called?
💡 See the Spot It section above.
Question 5
Why is a character's dialogue especially important for showing personality in a play script?
Question 6
A pause or silence in a script can be used to...
Apply
Read the passage, then answer the questions below.
SARAH: (brightly) You'll never guess what happened today! JAMES: (not looking up from his phone) Mm-hmm. SARAH: (her smile faltering slightly) James. Are you even listening? JAMES: (still not looking up) Of course. Go on. (SARAH stares at him for a long moment, then sits down slowly, saying nothing more.)
Question 1
How do the stage directions reveal James's true attitude, contradicting his words?
💡 Compare 'Of course. Go on.' with the stage direction 'still not looking up'.
Question 2
What does Sarah's final action (sitting down slowly, saying nothing) suggest about her feelings?
💡 Consider how her earlier 'brightly' shifts to silence by the end.
Question 3
Quote the stage direction that first signals Sarah's mood beginning to change.
💡 It appears attached to her second line of dialogue.
Challenge
Explain in two or three sentences how this extract uses the CONTRAST between dialogue and stage direction to reveal the emotional distance between the two characters, without either character stating their feelings directly.
Review
A quick mastery check — 3 questions.
Question 1
Stage directions are usually used to show...
Question 2
Dramatic irony occurs when...
Question 3
How is character mainly revealed in a play script?