how do you show a nightmare on stage in drama?

Question

i really need to know

Answer 1

Have the sleeping person visible on stage and show the action darkened out (in black and white if possible as we rarely dream in color) with strobe lighting or something to make it seem scarier.

Answer 2

Well, if you can get a fog machine that would be great. Then put light flashes everywhere. Have the actors act confused, like swaying back or forth or so. OR to make it real simple, just have someone come out and start a speech or make a comment stating that they are in a dream. I.E (Main Actor) Where am I?? This must be a dream, no wait, a Nightmare!) OK, sounds a little Corney, but it might come out better than you think. Good luck!

Answer 3

You might show the dreamer in bed falling asleep. The bed could be in one corner of the stage. While he/she is sleeping, the action that's going on in the nightmare can take place on the main part of the stage.

Answer 4

Few ways to think about it depending on whether you want the audience to see the EXPERIENCE and EFFECT of the nightmare on the Sleeper or the CONTENT of the nightmare, or both. Which is most important to your play? Usually in a straight play it's the EFFECT on the Sleeper i.e. the development of his character. But if you're doing something like panto you want the audience to have lots of variety and entertainment, so go for the CONTENT:

1. Mimesis (showing) - actors acting and use of stage effects (light, sound, space, costume, music, etc.)

2. Diagesis (telling) - the actors' lines :

eg. "Waiting for Godot"...

VLADIMIR:
(feebly). All right. (Estragon sits down on the mound. Vladimir paces agitatedly to and fro, halting from time to time to gaze into distance off. Estragon falls asleep. Vladimir halts finally before Estragon.) Gogo! . . . Gogo! . . . GOGO!
Estragon wakes with a start.
ESTRAGON:
(restored to the horror of his situation). I was asleep! (Despairingly.) Why will you never let me sleep?
VLADIMIR:
I felt lonely.
ESTRAGON:
I had a dream.
VLADIMIR:
Don't tell me!
ESTRAGON:
I dreamt that—
VLADIMIR:
DON'T TELL ME!
ESTRAGON:
(gesture toward the universe). This one is enough for you? (Silence.) It's not nice of you, Didi. Who am I to tell my private nightmares to if I can't tell them to you?

AND ...

HAMLET
O God, I could be bounded in a nut shell and count
myself a king of infinite space, were it not that I
have bad dreams.

Answer 5

get whoever's having the nightmare to be lying on a bed to one side of the stage, dim the lights as shes going to sleep, while shes sleeping have whatever the nightmares about going on rest of the stage, use lots of loud, jarring phonic devices and lurid flashing lights. while thats going on let the sleeper be writhing around on the bed, maybe talking ( shouting ) in her sleep. the get the group to go off the stage, put the lights back on, and she wakes up

Answer 6

The beauty about drama is that you can show it in any way you choose. I had the same project at A level and we produced a play with an imaginary torture chamber. We all had a specific word to say which was repeated.

Answer 7

An actor can explain what he saw in the nightmare;as he can act as sleeping on a sleeping bed and moan the words of his/her nightmare.."I love you"...alike.and some one must take her head on his/her arms and let him/her lay in a joyful moments.

Answer 8

You can use a variety of Dramatic Techniques. Use Flashback technique / Flashforward. It really depends on you script

Answer 9

properly i'm 15 and that i relish observing 'the secret existence of the yank teen', 'Make it or break it' "exceedingly Little Liars' = on ABC relatives. then there is 'Degrassi' = the n :)

Answer 10

Beats me??????????????????????