Set Text Study
What's covered
Key facts
A character arc is how a character changes over the course of a play — the journey from who they are at the start to who they become.
In a set-text study, "context" means the historical and social background of the play — the circumstances in which it was written and set.
A backcloth (or backdrop) is a piece of scenic canvas, painted or plain, hung at the rear of a scene.
Catharsis is the emotional release felt by the audience at the end of a tragedy, setting them free from the emotional hold of the action.
Percentage of seats sold = tickets sold ÷ total seats × 100; for 180 of 240 seats this is 180 ÷ 240 × 100 = 75%.
The climax is the point of greatest intensity in a play's progression of events, often forming the turning point of the plot and leading to some kind of resolution.
Characters are shaped by the values and pressures of their world, so historical and social context is essential to an accurate character reading.
In a written evaluation, context is used by linking design and performance choices to the play's themes and the playwright's world — not listed as a separate facts paragraph.
A flat is a wooden frame, usually covered with painted cloth, used to create walls or separations on stage.
Comic relief is a break in the tension of a tragedy provided by a comic character, a comic episode, or even a comic line.
Sample questions
A taste of the 54 questions in this topic, answers marked. Sign up to practise the full set with spaced repetition.
What is a character's motivation in drama?
- •how a character speaks and moves
- •the role they play in the plot
- •their relationship with other characters
- ✓what drives their choices
What does 'context' mean when studying a set text?
- ✓historical and social background
- •the language and dialogue used by characters
- •the staging and performance choices made
- •the structure and length of the play
What are sightlines in theatre design?
- •the angles at which lanterns are focused on stage
- ✓the lines of sight determining what each seat can see
- •the painted lines marking the edges of the set
- •the positions marked on stage where performers stand
What is a monologue in drama?
- •a conversation between exactly two performers
- ✓a long speech made by one performer
- •a short remark made directly to the audience
- •a speech delivered only when alone on stage
What is a dress rehearsal?
- •a costume fitting session held for the performers
- ✓a full rehearsal with costume, lighting, sound and action
- •a rehearsal of the technical cues without the performers
- •a rehearsal where the blocking is set for the first time
What are stage directions in a play script?
- •Descriptions of the theatre building required to stage the play
- ✓Instructions from the playwright about movement, tone, setting, and action — not
- •Lines spoken by the director to the cast at the start of rehearsal
- •Notes added by the publisher to explain difficult vocabulary
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