  Drama
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DRAMA IS:
#1 - The Greek word for "action."
#2 - A real situtation or succession of events having the dramatic progression or emotional content of a play.
The heart of drama is the screenplay, and "A Streetcar Named Desire," is an iconic American play. What made it so? Is there a formula to follow? I thought I'd take an in depth look at Williams's famous play. |
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The Author
Born Thomas Williams in 1911, Williams was diagnosed with diphtheria at the age of three. During his recovery, his mother encouraged him to use his imagination and write.
Williams's father was a traveling saleman who grew abusive as Williams grew older. His mother had aspirations of being a genteel southern lady and possibly suffered from a mood disorder. Williams's sister, Rose, was dignosed with schizophrenia and eventualy had a prefrontal lobotomy, as that was the treatment at the time for the condition.
Williams grew up in Mississippi and Missouri. He also lived in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The city would inspire the locale of his play, "A Streecar Named Desire."
While attending the University of Missouri at Columbia, Williams's fraternity brothers called him "Tennessee" for his rich southern drawl.
Williams was gay and had a relationship with a man named Frank Merlo until Merlo passed in 1963.
Tennessee Williams wrote several iconic plays and died at the age of 71, choking on an eyedrop bottle cap. His funneral was held on March 3, 1983 in New York.
The Play - A Streetcar Named Desire
"A Streetcar Named Desire" was written in 1947 and Williams receieved the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1948 for it. At the time, it was very successful. It first opened on Broadway in December 1947. Elia Kazan directed the play with Marlon Brando and Jessica Tandy in the lead roles of "Stanley" and "Blanche." Jessica Tandy won a Tony award for the role of "Blanche DuBois."
The Plot
Blanche DuBois is a fading, yet still attractive southern belle. Her poise is an illusion. Blanche has delusions of grandeur. (In a way, Blanche is reminicent of Williams's fading mother who considered herself a southern belle.) Blanche, as a character, also evokes the old south whose way of life is fading away.
Blanche goes to live with her sister, Stella and Stella's husband, Stanley Kowalski. Blanche is running away from problems, having been fired as a school teacher for an affair with a seventeen-year-old student.
Stanley is not your typical southern hero. He's primal and brutish. His relationship with Stella is abusive. Stanley evokes the new rich with their haughty manners.
Blanche rides on a streetcar named "Desire" which takes her to "Elysian Fields," where Stella lives.
With Blanche at Stella's, it leads to conflict between Stanley and his wife. When he disocvers Blanche's true reason for her arrival, he confronts her, partly concerned about her character flaws, and partly because of his distaste over Blanche's pretense. In a final confrontation, Stanley rapes Blanche. She has a nervous breakdown and is committed to a mental institution. It's in the final scenes that Blanche utters the play's most famous line: "I've always depended on the kindness of strangers."
The Themes
What's real and what's fantasy?
There's conflict between reality and one's make-believe. Blanche has built up a fantasy world around her, one she can't maintain. Blanche's deception isn't meant to be malicious, but it is a result of a broken heart and a sad retreat to a more romantic period of her life.
Letting go of chivalry
In most fairytales, (and Blanche does a good job building up a fairytale around her life) a hero comes to the rescue. Here, Stanley is no hero. He's uncivialized and chauvinistic. The gruff characterization of Stanley heightens Williams's theme that the old romantic south is fading away.
An area of note - lighting
If you've read the play, did you notice that Blanche avoids appearing in direct light, especially in front of Mitch? She covered the light in the apartment with a Chinese lantern and won't go out with Mitch in the daylight. This helps her to maintain her hold on the fantasy she's built.
Editor's Challenge: Write a one scene character driven script/play that takes place at twilight. Submit it to the drama newsletter and I'll feature it as an editor's pick.
Have you read "A Streetcar Named Desire?" Seen a revivial or an adaption? Share your thoughts! |
The following Editor's picks are all scripts/plays that touch upon lighting.
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
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Acme 
Hey Steph,
I found the LOCK priciple a great way to look at the development of a piece, although I've been working in short story/vignette form; this looks like something I can apply to larger pieces too! Ace 
Ace, I think it will work too. It's an easy tip to remember.
Starr* Rathburn
Thank you, Steph, for including my poem, "Just a Star in Your Night" in your drama newsletter. My poetry skills are few, so it's always nice to be noticed!
You asked for suggestions, so here's mine: we've all read the 1st person POV looking in the mirror to describe herself to the reader. BORING! What can writers do to let the MC "show themselves" without resorting to shiny reflective surfaces?
Thanks for all the work you put in on the newsletter!
Cordially,
Starr*R 
Starr, my suggestion here is to be a little sneaky. You have to sneak the description in the flow of the story. It's not an easy thing to do because you've got to make it sound natural. Here's a passage of narration from the novel I'm working on, "The Wolf's Kiss," to give an example of sneaking in self description:
His lips covered mine gently, caressing them with a tenderness and admiration I had never known. I felt his fingers curve around my neck, sending shivers down my spine. Then slowly, his thumbs trailed up my cheeks, just under my mask. His breathing grew heavy as our kiss deepened, neither one of us wanting to break from the other. One hand now cupped the nape of my neck while the other loosened a pin in my bun. Curly tendrils of my hair fell against my cheek and his fingers began to explore them.
dejavu_BIG computerprobs
Great newsletter StephB, as always! I had not heard of the LOCK Principle before, this was a fantastic new tool for my writers toolbox. I always enjoy how you state the examples of each principal so clearly. Another one for my idea file for sure. SM Ferguson
Thanks, SM. I hadn't heard of it either, but it's easy to remember. I'll definately be keeping it mind for future writings.
Cyanvia
Hello!
Wow, thank you so much for your tips! They help me a lot!
You're welcome 
Vivian 
Steph, good newsletter. One thing I've discovered: some authors always mixes things - fiction that is both plot and character driven.
A good mix makes for good reading.
StephBee is a 911 Dispatcher for LAPD. She received an Honorable Mention in the 76th Writer's Digest Annual Competition in Genre Fiction for her short story, "Red Paint, Crimson Blood." Her latest novel is "The Wolf's Torment," currently available on Amazon.com. |
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Drama: November 28, 2007 Issue [#2081]
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