Category talk:Drama

Redundancy with Theatre?

Note that we already have a Category:Theatre. The only possible distinction I can see is that Drama could be for plays as literature rather than productions... but most of the articles we've got aren't really divided up that way, so we'd und up cross-listing almost everything. I've been putting articles in Theatre and leaving this one alone for now. --Hob 13:28, 24 Jul 2004 (UTC)

I would vote to merge the two. Right now, Theatre and Drama are both subcats of Performing Arts, but Theatre is a subcat of Drama (or vice-versa). Doesn't make sense. --Ssilvers 01:17, 18 July 2006 (UTC)

I might have a go at merging these in the next few days. Any objections, please shout now or forever hold your tongue. Bards 03:20, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

Drama refers to a 'social form' (i.e.:"the drama") as well as a genre (from mid-c19th, as opposed to tragedy and comedy). It is usually used to indicate the 'literary' aspects of a theatrical event - the dramatic text. Theatre is the apparatus that supports the realisation of the drama (See Keir Elam, The Semiotics of Theatre and Drama, for example). As such, the apparatus is capable of supporting other forms. Drama in the sense used by ShaunPenton, given on the theatre talk page, is relatively recent (1960s onwards) and arises out of theatre-in-education practice (where children explore self-expression and collaboration through 'drama', without a necessary relationship to a textual framework) (see McCullough, Theatre Praxis, for example). Consequently, Drama ought to be a subcategory of Theatre, which in turn is a Performing Art. That hierarchy / enveloping corresponds to standard critical usage. DionysosProteus 16:05, 5 October 2007 (UTC)