A dramatic play is a spoken story of serious intent written specifically for the stage. A dramatic play is written by a playwright who then collaborates with a theater to produce the work. This will include selecting a director, auditioning and hiring actors and supporting staff such as lighting, costumes and stage designers as well as hiring a stage manager.
Also referred to as the plot, the structure of a dramatic work can be roughly broken down into five parts: exposition, in which the story is established, characters introduced and the central problem of the play explained; rising action, which builds on the the central problem of the play through complications and various obstacles; the climax, which is the exact point from which everything changes for worse; falling action, where everything begins to snowball as a result of the climax; and the conclusion, or denouement, in which the central character is left in dangerous form in one way or another, if not worse, than at the play's beginning.
The Greek, in particular, heavily influenced modern drama and continue to do so to this day. Works by Greek playwrights such as Sophocles, Aeschylus and Euripides are still regularly performed. Appearing later, Roman dramatic works were heavily influenced by the Greeks after several Greek states capitulated to Roman forces. The next major historical achievements occurred during the Middle Ages and were largely of religious nature. During this time, mystery, miracle and morality plays began to appear. Later, Elizabethan dramatists, including Shakespeare and Marlowe and Ben Johnson and Moliere, were famed for poetic dramas written in complicated verse.
A well-written dramatic play will make or break a production. Even though dramatic plays are often works that stand alone, it is important to understand that they were written with the intent of being produced on stage. Often, a combination of factors increases the value of any production. The training and professionalism of cast and crew can make a major difference. This is also true of stage managers, who make everything happen behind the scenes both during rehearsal and performance. Costumes, lighting and prop masters also carry a burden to enhance a dramatic work.
Starting during the mid-19th century, modern drama as we know it today began to form. Three playwrights in particular were instrumental in creating an avalanche of revolutionary ideas in the theater. Bertolt Brecht wrote plays that used the theater as a platform to explore political theories. August Strindberg was noted for moment to moment realism and leaned away from the typical vicarious living that many playwrights of his day offered. Henrik Ibsen, considered the founder of modern drama, chose to confront the hypocrisy of the Victorian beliefs of his day. Ibsen's work frightened many for his uncompromising clarity in spotting the facades in every day society.