his course "Literary Studies in English" (TSLB1124) is offered in the second semester of the preparatory programme for the students of Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) in the Institute of Teacher Education in Malaysia. Topic 5b discusses the preparation needed for staging a play.

1. Preparation for
Dramatisation
Lecturer:
Dr. Yee Bee Choo
IPGKTHO
TOPIC 5b

2. Preparation for
dramatisation
• Roles
• Voice modulation and
projection
• Props and costume design
• Lighting and stage make-up
• Publicity
Staging a
Play
COURSE CONTENTS

3. Preparation for
Dramatisation

4. 2. Director
• Oversee the creative aspects of the
production.
• Develop the ‘concept’ for the production.
• Liaise with designers & stage manager.
• Rehearse the performers – gives notes
and agrees blocking.
3. Playwright
• Write the script of the play, including
dialogue and stage directions.
Roles
1. Producer
• Responsible for coordinating that does not involve the acting on the
stage.
• Raise the cash and manages the front house of the team.

5. 4. Performers
• Appear in a production, e.g. as an actor, dancer, singer.
• Create a performance or assumes a role on stage in front of an
audience
5. Set Designer
• Design the set of the play and the set dressing (objects placed on
the stage).
• Provide sketches and other design materials.
• Oversee the creation of the set.
6. Costume Designer
• Designswhat the performers wear on stage.
• Make sure that costumes are appropriate for the style and period
of the piece.
• Ensure the costumes fit the performers.
Roles

6. 7. Make-up Artist
• Plan the hairstyles and makeup to complement the
costumes.
8. Music Designer
• Design the sound required for the performance
including the music and sound effects.
9. Props Master
• Plan, design and make the props.
10. Lighting Designer
• Designs lighting to create the impression of different times of day.
Roles

7. 11. Publicity director
• Designs posters for publicity.
• Creates video trailer for publicity.
12. Stage Manager
• Run the backstage elements of the play and supervises the
backstage crew.
• Organise the rehearsal schedule.
• Keep a list of props and other technical needs.
• Create a prompt book.
• Call the cues for the performance.
13. Production Director
• Create a series of storyboards that serve as the film’s first draft.
• Assemble the various shots into a coherent film for video
production.
Roles

8. Voice Modulation
• Voice modulation is all about how
to control your voice when
speaking.
• It means tuning the pitch or tone
of the voice so that the message
is communicated across clearly
and well understood by the
audience.
• When we speak, we are able to
change the message by varying
the: tone, stress on words, pitch,
and changing the rate of speech.

9. Voice Modulation
Ways to improve your voice modulation:
• Varying the pitch of your voice: Females tend to have a higher
pitch of voice, due to different anatomical structuring.
• Speaking slowly: Pausing is the best way to improve audience
involvement and attention.
• Stress on certain words: Choose powerful words to stress on, so
that your message is captivating and clear.
• Speak quietly: A certain way to grab the attention of someone, is
through an assertive voice, rather than a loud authoritative voice.
• Copy others: Look at videos of powerful orators, politicians,
celebrities etc. Observe the way they modulate their voices.

10. Voice Projection
• Projecting your voice correctly
can help hold the attention of
your audience and help your
message better resonate with
them while helping to boost your
confidence as a speaker.
• Voice projection is the strength of speaking or singing
whereby the voice is used powerfully and clearly.
• Voice projection is not only needed so that your
audience can understand and hear what you are
saying, but it is more than just speaking loudly.

11. Voice Projection
Ways to improve your voice projection:
• Straighten your posture: When you get in front of the audience, make sure
that you are standing in a comfortable neutral position with your feet about
shoulder-width apart. Also, keep your shoulders back and do not slouch so that
you can take deep breaths. This will also help you control your diaphragm, thus
assisting with controlling of the speed and power at which the air is released as
you speak. If sitting, sit back, keep your head and neck straight, and avoid
crossing your legs to reduce the risk of compromised breathing.
• Take deep breaths: Voice projection is dependent upon your breathing. If you
are taking quick shallow breaths, the amount of power you can put into your
voice and words will be limited. Instead, you should try to keep your breathing
in mind as you speak and take deep breaths using your diaphragm. This will
help you pull as much air into your lungs as possible so that you can generate
power to expel your words at a slower rate. Deep breathing also helps reduce
anxiety while calming nerves and alleviating stress.
• Enunciate your words: Be sure to articulate each syllable to help every word
sounds audible and clear while also avoiding filler words such as “um” or “uh.”

12. Props
• Usually the design of props is
the set designer’s responsibility,
but costume designers are
responsible for any props that
form part of a costume, eg
umbrellas and bags.
• The design of props, however,
also has to consider durability
and how easily a prop can be
handled and maneuvered.
• A prop is considered to be anything movable and
touched by the actors - otherwise it is considered
part of the set.

13. Props
• When props need to be smashed on stage, they can be
made out of sugar glass as a health and safety
measure as it easily crumbles into small pieces rather
than producing sharp shards.
• Props can be symbolic. For example, a character that
regularly holds a hot drink can be communicating that
they need warmth and comfort.
• How actors interact with props can also communicate
meaning - fiddling with a prop can indicate nerves or
anxiety, for example.

14. Costume
• The designing of the clothes worn by actors on stage is
called costume design.
• The style of the performance is one of the most
important factors that influences costume design.

15. Costume
• The costume designs should consider:
• materials - they must be appropriate for the performance’s
time period, style and character, without being too costly
• colour - this is often symbolic, eg white traditionally symbolises
innocence, but can also be altered by stage lights
• texture - how the costume feels and looks
• appearance - to communicate meaning to the audience, eg clean
and smartly ironed or ripped and dirty
• fit or cut - this can say a lot about a character, eg if it doesn’t fit
the character’s shape it can indicate that the character is in a bad
financial situation
• movement constraints - costumes that are too tight might be
restricting and prevent the actor from performing properly
• adornments - the decorations or embellishments on a costume, eg
jewellery and medals, are useful for indicating wealth or status
• Hair, wigs, make-up and masks are also included within a
costume designer’s role and need to be in line with the style
of the performance and the rest of the costume design.

16. Stage Make-up
1. Prime your face
2. Perfect your complexion
3. Emphasise your cheekbones
4. Define your eyes
5. Grab your liner
6. Coat your lashes
7. Fill in your brows
8. Paint your pout
9. Set your look
https://www.lorealparisusa.com/beauty-
magazine/makeup/makeup-looks/stage-and-theater-makeup

17. Lighting
Most modern theatres use
light-emitting diodes (LEDs) as
they:
• use less power than
traditional lights
• give off far less heat than
traditional lights
• can produce a series of
different colours
• can be controlled via a
computer

18. Lighting
• Some theatres still use traditional lanterns, and the colour of
these lights is more restricted, as a coloured gel needs to be
placed over the light, meaning the light is restricted to one
colour for the duration of the performance. Gobos create
patterns on the stage and can be useful for setting a scene, eg
using branch shapes to show a forest.
• The set-up of lighting for a particular moment is called a state -
moving from one lighting state to another is called a transition.
Intensity is how bright the lights are, usually measured in
percentages.
• A designer should be careful not to use very bright (high-
intensity) lighting downstage as it risks the actors squinting as
they look out into the audience, while high-intensity lights
upstage would improve what the audience can see. The absence
of light is also important in lighting design - blackouts are when
the stage lighting is switched off for effect, with a snap or with
a fade.

19. Publicity
1. Get people talking
2. Poster your community
3. Use social media
4. Use traditional
media (newspaper,
radio, television)
5. Be a walking
advertisement
6. Use movie trailer

20. Tutorial 5D (Preparation for
Dramatisation)
1. In groups, adapt and write a script to stage a play.
2. Assign different roles and characters to each
group member.
3. Prepare the props and costumes for the play.
4. Rehearse your play in groups.
5. Take photos and video clips during your
preparation for the staging of the play.
6. Attach the photos in Google Doc and write a
caption under each photo.
7. Attach the video in Google Classroom.

21. Tutorial 5E (Poster and Video
Trailer for Publicity)
1. In groups, get all the actors to wear the costumes
with the props.
2. Take photos of each actor.
3. Design a poster for the play.
4. Act some scenes of the play and take a video.
5. Design a video trailer of the play.
6. Attach the poster and video trailer of the play in
Google Classroom.

22. COURSEWORK
STAGING A PLAY