STARK DRAMA
Board: Not set

Design Essentials

Four model paragraphs + the terminology that actually earns marks.

Board lens: Not set

How to use this page

Pick one paragraph and adapt it to the extract: add one specific moment and one audience effect. That’s the difference between “nice idea” and “marks”.

Extract focus

Pick what your extract is mostly about. The four model paragraphs will rewrite to match.

Tip: still add one *specific moment* from the extract.

Set: Composite stage + class as space

composite setrostrum/levelsset dressingproxemics
Go to Set page

Lighting: class contrast + Narrator as fate

washintensityprofile spotsnapuplight
Go to Lighting page

Sound: motif vs underscore vs SFX

motifminor keynon-diegeticcrescendoreverb
Go to Sound page

Costume: ageing + class in silhouette

silhouettebreaking downquick changemakeup
Go to Costume page

Terminology mini-bank

Composite setMultiple locations visible at once for fast episodic transitions.
Rostrum / levelsHeight signals status; forces characters to “look up”.
Wash / intensityGeneral coverage and brightness—powerful for class contrast.
Profile spot / snapHard-edged isolation; instant cue changes for shock/fate.
Diegetic / non-diegeticHeard by characters vs heard only by audience.
Motif / underscoreRecurring idea-music vs background tension layer.
Silhouette / breaking downOverall shape; artificial ageing to show poverty/wear.
Audience effectAlways state what the audience understands/feels because of the choice.