Stagecraft

• Stagecraft is the medium within which the play occurs. Good stagecraft undeniably adds to the drama of a play. Spectacle, special effects, make up, hair designs, lighting, set design, props and costumes, all elements of stagecraft, help to heighten the dramatic illusions and intensity of a play.
  
  

Plot

• Plot is the storyline and backbone of a performance. Although some plays deal more with the feelings of characters than with the plot, there is always a larger context, or storyline, where these feelings and characters exist. In isolation they cannot be as dramatic or effective as they would be within the proper context of a story. Just as in a novel, the plot of a play should include an introduction, rising action, climax, falling action and an ending. The plot provides the external forces that affect the character, thus creating the dramatic premise of the play.
  
  

Conflict

• Conflict is the tension which exists in a play between characters, within characters or between a character and an external force. Even in a good love scene, there is conflict; whether it's the who-loves-whom-more argument or in the barriers surrounding the lovers, perhaps impeding them from being together. Characters may appear to agree, but there must at least be tension between those characters in having conflicting backgrounds, intentions or desires in order to have a dramatic scene.
  
  

Mood

• Mood is the overall atmosphere and feeling of a play. Music, genre and audience are just a few of the sub-elements of drama that contribute to the mood of a play. The mood exists regardless of whether you are conscious of it or not. It is better if you use these elements to control and create the desired mood, thereby creating the anticipated dramatic effect.
  
  

Theme

• Like mood, themes develop whether we are aware of it or not. A theme is the central idea or ideas in a piece of writing or performance. A good playwright will be aware of the themes and ensure that they are strongly and securely interwoven into the fabric of the plot and characters. A good director will make sure that all other aspects of the play remain consistent with the themes as outlined by the playwright.
  
  

Character

• Character is the primary vehicle of action and language in a play. A character is a personality developed in a play. A character's emotions and experiences is what makes a play comedic, dramatic, adventurous, tragic, romantic and/or heroic.
  
  

Communication

• Communication is what is expressed in the design of the stagecraft, the interaction between characters with each other and the interaction with all of these to the audience. Dialogue and action are sub-elements of communication. They help create the dramatic mood of the play.