Theatrical Genres

Plays are often divided between two major types: comedy and tragedy. Both forms have been recognized for thousands of years, dating back to ancient Greek times. Together they represent the scope of human life.

The following, though, are theatrical styles that can be applied to either the comedy or tragic form.

• Realism
• Romanticism
• Expressionism
• Aburdism
• Epic

Comedy as a genre can be divided into:

sentimental comedy: comedy of ordinary people, centering around ordinary problems, fears, and troubles...but all ends happily in the end. You Can't Take it With You and most of Neil Simon's comedies are sentimental.
Farce: characters are caught in a fast-paced, improbable, often satirical situation or circumstance. Farce is by-and-large physical, having a lot of mistaken identity, exits and entrances that cause confusion, and silly prat-falls or schtick. Moliere's comedies were farces, as is the early work of Alan Aykborn. Vampire Lesbians of Sodom might likely fit this category.
Dark Comedy/Black Comedy: Comedies that poke fun at serious issues. Characters are often grotesque or over-the-top, and situations usually end badly for one or more characters in the play. It's gallows humor. Examples include much of Christopher Durang's work.
Situational Comedies: probably best left to television, this is comedy that revolves around a situation or "plot" more so than focusing on character. It's a humorous situation with stock characters placed in funny or odd situations. Its subject matter usually revolves around safe and commonplace themes.
Satire or Parody: These poke fun. In satire, the object is to poke fun at something serious to show its folly. In parody, the object is to poke fun at a form, fashion, expression, or style.

Tragedy can be divided into:

Drama: plays that are concerned with the search for the meaning of life, or designed to help an audience deal with factors in human life that cause suffering and/or conflict. The general drama is not as "tragic" as the typical tragedy, as it is not always life-threatening. 

 Please note and know these forms. Put them in your notes/journal.