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Theatre Arts for Advanced Secondary Schools

(i) A flashback is a powerful technique that allows a person to reveal
important backstory, provide context and deepen character development
by showing events that occurred before the main timeline of your story.
It is a moment in which the narrative flashes back in time from the
present day to some point in the near or distant past.
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(ii) Foreshadow is a literary device that is utilized to give a hint or indication
of future events in the story. It provides an opportunity for scriptwriter
to suggest certain plot developments that might come later in the story.

Dramatic structure
As the scriptwriter finalises the creation or development of the “what” aspect of
the story, it is time to turn to “how” aspect or simply how the story will be told
or structured. To make sure that the story is as compelling and engaging, each
type of a play should be structured in a way that it achieves the attributes of being
dramatic. If a screenplay or stage play or radio play were a painting hanging on
the wall, it would have three major acts: Beginning (Act I), Middle (Act II) and
End (Act III). A screenplay, stage play and radio play have a definite beginning,
middle and end. This is also referred to as a three-act-structure.

The three-act structure divides the narrative into three distinct parts: the
exposition, the confrontation, and the resolution. In act I or the exposition, it is
where the scriptwriter introduces the characters, their world, the goal of the main
character and the central conflict. Act II also known as confrontation is where
the character attempts to overcome obstacles after obstacles in order to achieve
the dramatic goal or need. It is in the confrontation that stakes and emotions
are intensified. Act III or resolution offers a satisfying ending that resolves the
conflict introduced in act I. Figure 2.2 illustrates the three-act structure and its
important beats of actions within a narrative.

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