This base tag set is intended for use when encoding printed dramatic
texts, screen plays or radio scripts, and written transcriptions of any
form of performance.
Section discusses elements, such as cast lists,
which can appear only in the front or back matter of printed dramatic
texts. Section discusses the structural
components of performance texts: these include major structural
divisions such as acts or scenes (section );
individual speeches (section ); stage directions
(section ); and the elements making up individual
speeches (section ). Section
discusses ways of encoding units which cross the simple hierarchic
structure so far defined, such as embedded songs or other masques.
Finally, section discusses a small number of
additional elements characteristic of screen plays and radio or
television scripts, as well as some elements for representing
technical stage directions such as lighting or blocking.
To enable the base tag set for performance texts, the parameter
entity TEI.drama must be declared within the document
type subset with the value INCLUDE, as further
described in section . A document using the base
tag set for drama and no additional tag sets will thus begin as
follows:
]>
]]>
This declaration makes available all of the elements described in this
chapter, in addition to the core elements described in chapter . The default structure for dramatic texts is similar to that
defined by chapter , as further discussed in section
.
Three additional element classes are defined by this base tag set.
The dramafront class contains elements which can
appear only in the front or back matter of performance texts.
The stageDirection class contains a set of elements
for specialized stage directions, which can occur between or within
speeches.
The comp.drama class contains all elements which may appear
as components of performance texts, in addition to those defined in the
core.
The classes are defined using parameter entities as shown below:
]]>
The remainder of the DTD fragment defining the base tag set for drama
has the following overall shape:
%TEI.structure.dtd;
]]&nil;>
]]>
Front and Back Matter
In dramatic texts, as in all TEI conformant documents, the header
element is followed by a text element, which contains optional
front and back matter, and either a body or else a
group of nested text elements. For more information
on these, see chapter .
The front and back elements are most likely to be
of use when encoding preliminary materials in published performance
texts. These often contain specific textual elements not generally
found in other forms of text. These include:
contains a section of front or back matter describing how a
dramatic piece is to be performed in general or how it was
performed
on some specific occasion. contains the prologue to a drama, typically spoken by an
actor out of
character, possibly in association with a
particular performance or venue.contains the epilogue to a drama, typically spoken by an
actor
out of character, possibly in association with a
particular performance
or venue.contains a description of the setting, time, locale,
appearance,
etc., of the action of a play, typically found
in the front matter of
a printed performance text (not a
stage direction).contains a single cast list or dramatis personae.
Elements for encoding each of these specific kinds of front matter
are discussed in the remainder of this section, in the order given
above. In addition, the front matter of dramatic texts may include the
same elements as that of any other kind of text, notably title pages and
various kinds of text division, as discussed in section
. The encoder may choose to ignore the
specialized elements discussed in this section and instead use
constructions of the type div type=performance or
div1 type=set.
Most other material in the front matter of a performance text will be
marked with the default text structure elements described in chapter
. For example, the title
page, dedication, other commendatory material, preface, etc., in a
printed text should be encoded using div or div1
elements, containing headings, paragraphs, and other core tags.
The specialized elements for front and back matter of performance
texts are defined as follows:
]]>
The Set Element
A special form of note describing the setting of a dramatic text
(that is, the time and place of its action) is sometimes found in the
front matter.
contains a description of the setting, time, locale,
appearance,
etc., of the action of a play, typically found
in the front matter of
a printed performance text (not a
stage direction).
Descriptions of the setting may also appear as initial stage directions
in the body of the play, but such descriptions should be marked as stage
directions, not set. The set element should be used
only where the description forms part of the front matter, as in the
following examples:
The action of the play is set in Chicago's
Southside, sometime between World War II and the
present.
]]>
...
...
...
...
Note on the Translation
Peer Gynt>
Characters>
The action, which opens in the early years of the
last century and closes about fifty years later,
takes place partly in the Gudbrand Valley in Norway
and on the mountains around it, partly on the
Moroccan coast, partly in the Sahara Desert,
the asylum in Cairo, at sea, etc.
]]>
The set element is formally defined as follows:
]]>
Prologues and Epilogues
Many plays in the Western tradition include in their front matter a
prologue, spoken by an actor, generally not in character. Similar
speeches often also occur at the end of the play, as epilogues. The
elements prologue and epilogue are provided for the
encoding of such features within the front or back matter, where
appropriate.
contains the prologue to a drama, typically spoken by an
actor out of
character, possibly in association with a
particular performance or venue.contains the epilogue to a drama, typically spoken by an
actor
out of character, possibly in association with a
particular performance
or venue.
A prologue may be encoded just like a distinct poem, as in the following
example:
Prologue, spoken by Mr. HartPoets like Cudgel'd Bullys, never do
At first, or second blow, submit to you;
But will provoke you still, and ne're have done,
Till you are weary first, with laying on:
We patiently you see, give up to you,
Our Poets, Virgins, nay our Matrons too.
The Persons
The SCENE>
London
]]>
A prologue or epilogue may also be encoded as a speech, using the
sp element described in section . This is
particularly appropriate where stage directions, etc., are involved, as
in the following example:
Written by Colley Cibber, Esq
and spoken by Mrs. CibberSince Fate has robb'd me of the hapless Youth,For whom my heart had hoarded up its truth;By all the Laws of Love and Honour, now,I'm free again to chuse, — and one of youSuppose I search the sober Gallery; — No,There's none but Prentices — & Cuckolds all a row:And these, I doubt, are those that make 'em so.Pointing to the Boxes.'Tis very well, enjoy the jest:
]]>
In cases where the prologue or epilogue is clearly a significant part
of the dramatic action, it may be preferable to include it in the body
of a text, rather than in the front or back matter. In such cases, the
encoder (and theatrical tradition) will determine whether or not to
regard it as a new scene or division, or simply the final speech in the
play. In the First Folio version of Shakespeare's
Tempest, for example, Prospero's final speech is clearly
marked off as a distinct textual unit by the headings and layout of the
page, and might therefore be encoded as back matter:
I'le deliver all,And promise you calme Seas, auspicious gales,Be free and fare thou well: please you, draw neere.Exeunt omnes.
Epilogue, spoken by Prospero.
Now my Charmes are all ore-throwne,And what strength I have's mine owneAs you from crimes would pardon'd be,Let your Indulgence set me free.ExitThe Scene, an un-inhabited Island.
Names of the Actors.
Alonso, K. of NaplesSebastian, his Brother.Prospero, the right Duke of Millaine.
]]>
In many more modern editions, the editors have chosen to regard
Prospero's speech as a part of the preceding scene:
ProsperoI'll deliver all,And promise you calm seas, auspicious gales,Be free and fare thou well. Exit Ariel
Please you, draw near.
Exeunt all but ProsperoEpilogueNow my charms are all o'erthrown,And what strength I have's mine ownAs you from crimes would pardoned be,Let your indulgence set me free.He awaits applause, then exit.
]]>
Prologues and epilogues are formally defined as follows:
]]>
Records of Performances
Performance texts are not only printed in books to be read, they are
also performed. It is common practice therefore to include within the
front matter of a printed dramatic text some brief account of particular
performances, using the following element:
contains a section of front or back matter describing how a
dramatic piece is to be performed in general or how it was
performed
on some specific occasion.
The performance element may be used to group any and all
information relating to the actual performance of a play or screenplay,
whether it specifies how the play should be performed in general or how
it was performed in practice on some occasion.
Performance information may include complex structures such as cast
lists, or paragraphs describing the date and location of a performance,
details about the setting portrayed in the performance and so forth.
(See the discussion of these specialized structures in section above.) If
information for more than one performance is being recorded, then more
than one performance element should be used.
Names of persons, places, and dates of particular significance within
the performance record may be explicitly marked using the general
purpose name, rs type=place and date
elements described in section .
No particular elements for such features as theatres,
directors, etc., are proposed at this time.
For example:
Death of a Salesman
A New Play by Arthur Miller>
Staged by Elia Kazan>
Cast
(in order of appearance)
Willy Loman> Lee J. Cobb>>
Linda> Mildred Dunnock>>
Biff> Arthur Kennedy>>
Happy> Cameron Mitchell>>
The setting and lighting were designed by Jo Mielziner>.
The incidental music was composed by Alex North>.
The costumes were designed by Julia Sze>.
Presented by Kermit Bloomgarden> and
Walter Fried> at the Morosco
Theatre in New York> on February 10, 1949>.
]]>
Or:
La Machine Infernale a été
représentée pour la première fois au
théâtre Louis-Jouvet(Comédie des
Champs-Élysées)le 10 avril 1934,
avec les décors et les costumes de
Christian Bérard.
]]>
The performance element is formally defined as follows:
]]>
Cast Lists
A cast list is a specialized form of list,
conventionally found at the start or end of a play, usually listing all
the speaking and non-speaking roles in the play, often with additional
description (Cataplasma, a maker of Periwigges and Attires) or
the name of an actor or actress (Old Lady Squeamish. Mrs
Rutter). Cast lists may be encoded with the general purpose
list element described in section , but for
more detailed work the following specialized elements are provided:
contains a single cast list or dramatis personae.groups one or more individual castItem
elements
within a cast list.contains a single entry within a cast list, describing
either a single role or a list of non-speaking roles.
Attributes include:
characterizes the cast item.
Sample values include:
the item describes a single role.the item describes a list of non-speaking roles.the name of a dramatic role, as given in a cast list.describes a character's role in a drama.Name of an actor appearing within a cast list.
Cast lists often have an internal structure of their own; it is quite
usual to find, for example, nobility and commoners, or male and female
roles, presented in different groups or sublists. Roles are also often
grouped together by their function, for example:
Sons of Cato:
Portius
Marcus
A cast list relating to a specific performance may be accompanied by
notes about the time or place of that performance, indicating (for
example) the name of the theatre where the play was first presented, the
name of the producer or director, and so forth. When the cast list
relates to a specific performance, it should be embedded within a
performance element (see section ), as in
the following example:
The first performance in Great Britain of
Waiting for
Godot was given at the Arts Theatre, London, on
3rd August 1955>. It was directed by Peter Hall,
and the décor was by Peter Snow. The cast
was as follows:
Estragon: Peter Woodthorpe
Vladimir: Paul Daneman
]]>
In this example, the castItem elements have no substructure.
If desired, however, their components may be more finely distinguished
using the elements role, roleDesc, and actor.
For example, the first cast item above might be encoded as follows:
Vladimir:
Paul Daneman
]]>
The global id attribute may be used to specify a unique
identifier for the role element, where it is desired to link
speeches within the text explicitly to the role, using the
who attribute, as further discussed in section below.
The occasionally lengthy descriptions of a role sometimes found in
written play scripts may be marked using the roleDesc element,
as in the following example:
Tom Thumb the Greata little hero with a great soul, something
violent in his temper, which is a little abated
by his love for HuncamuncaYoung Verhuyk
]]>
For non-speaking or un-named roles, a castItem may contain a
roleDesc without an accompanying role, for example
Costermonger
]]>
When a list of such minor roles is given together, the
type attribute of the castItem should indicate that
it contains more than one role. The encoder may or may not elect to
encode each separate constituent within such a composite
castItem. Thus, either of the following is acceptable:
Constables, Drawer, Turnkey, etc.
Constables,Drawer,Turnkey,
etc.
]]>
A group of cast items forming a distinct subdivision of a cast list
may be marked as such by using the special purpose castGroup
element. The rend attribute should be used to indicate
whether this grouping is indicated in the text by layout alone (i.e. the
use of whitespace), by long braces or by some other means. A
castGroup consists of an optional heading (represented as
usual by a head element) followed by a series of
castItem elements.
friends of Mathias
WalterMr Frank HallHansMr F.W. Irish
]]>
The following example demonstrates the use of the castGroup
element to structure the whole of a castList, reflecting the
way it is presented on the page:
Mendicants
Aafaa> Femi Johnson>>
Blindman>Femi Osofisan>>
Goyi> Wale Ogunyemi>>
Cripple> Tunji Oyelana>>
Si Bero>
Sister to Dr Bero>
Deolo Adedoyin>>
Two old women
Iya Agba>Nguba Agolia>>
Iya Mate>Bopo George>>
Dr Bero>
Specialist>
Nat Okoro>>
Priest>
Gbenga Sonuga>>
The old man>
Bero's father>
Dapo Adelugba>>
]]>
The castList element and its components have the following
formal definitions:
]]>
The Body of a Performance Text
The body of a performance text may be divided into structural units,
variously called acts, scenes, stasima, entr'actes, etc. All such
formal divisions should be encoded using an appropriate text-division
element (div, div1, div2, etc.), as further
discussed in section . Whether divided up into such
units or not, all performance texts consist of sequences of speeches
(see ) and stage directions (see ).
Speeches will generally consist of a sequence of
chunk-level items: paragraphs, verse lines, stanzas, or
(in case of uncertainty as to whether something is verse or prose)
seg elements (see ).
The boundaries of formal units such as verse lines or paragraphs do
not always coincide with speech boundaries. Units such as songs may be
discontinuous or shared among several speakers. As described below in
section , such fragmentation may be encoded in a
relatively simple fashion using the linkage and aggregation mechanisms
defined in chapter .
Major Structural Divisions
Large divisions in drama such as acts, scenes, stasima, or entr'actes
are indicated by numbered or unnumbered div elements, as
described in section . The type and
n attributes may be used to define the type of division being
marked, and to provide a name or number for it, as in the following
example:
Night—Faust's Study (i)
Outside the City Gate
]]>
Where the largest divisions of a performance text are themselves
subdivided, most obviously in the case of plays traditionally divided
into acts and scenes, further nested text-division elements may be used,
as in this example:
Act One
Pa Ubu, Ma UbuPa Ubu
Pschitt!
A room in Pa Ubu's house, where a magnificent
collation is set out
Act Two
Scene One
Scene Two
]]>
In the example above, the div2 element has been used to
represent the French scene convention, (where the
entrance of each new set of characters is marked as a distinct unit in
the text) and the div1 element to represent the acts into which
the play is divided. The elements chosen are determined only by the
hierarchic position of these units in the text as a whole. If the text
had no acts, but only scenes, then the scenes might be represented by
div1 elements. Equally, if a play is divided only into
acts, with no smaller subdivisions, then the div1
element might be used to represent acts. The type should be
used, as above, where it is desired to make explicit the name associated
with a particular category of subdivision.
As an alternative to the use of these numbered
divisions, the encoder may represent all subdivisions with the same
element, the unnumbereddiv. The second
act in the above example would then be represented as follows:
Act Two
Scene One
Scene Two
]]>
For further discussion of the use of numbered and unnumbered
divisions, see section .
Speeches and Speakers
The following elements are used to identify speeches and speakers in
a performance text:
An individual speech in a performance text, or a passage
presented as such in a prose or verse text.
Attributes include:
identifies the speaker of the part by supplying an ID.A specialized form of heading or label, giving the name of
one or more speakers in a dramatic text or fragment.
As noted above, the structure of many performance texts may be
analysed as multiply hierarchic: a scene of a verse play, for example,
may be divided into speeches and, at the same time, into verse lines.
The end of a line may or may not coincide with the end of a speech, and
vice versa. Other structures, such as songs, may be discontinuous or
split up over several speeches. For some purposes it will be
appropriate to regard the verse-structure as the fundamental organizing
principle of the text, and for others the speech structure; in some
cases, the choice between the two may be arbitrary. The discussion in
the remainder of this chapter assumes that it is the speech-based
hierarchy which most prominently determines the structure of performance
texts, but the same mechanisms could be employed to encode a view of a
performance text in which individual speeches were entirely subordinate
to the formal units of prose and verse. SGML's CONCUR feature also
allows for two (or more) such conflicting hierarchic views to be
presented in a single document. For more detailed discussion and
examples of alternative treatments of this fundamental issue, refer to
chapter .
The who attribute and the speaker element are
both used to indicate the speaker or speakers of a speech, but in rather
different ways. The speaker element is used to encode the word
or phrase actually used within the source text to indicate the speaker:
it may contain any string or prefix, and may be thought of as a highly
specialized form of stage direction. The value of the who
attribute however is a unique code, probably made up by the transcriber,
which will unambiguously identify the character to whom the speech is
assigned. To enforce this uniqueness, the base tag set for drama
defines the value of this attribute as IDREFS. This means that the
codes included in it must correspond with codes which are specified
elsewhere in the document as identifiers for particular elements,
typically the role element in the cast list where the character
is named or described, as discussed in above.
Menaechmus>>
Peniculus>>
MenaechmusResponde, adulescens, quaeso, quid nomen tibist?PeniculusEtiam derides, quasi nomen non noveris?MenaechmusNon edepol ego te, quot sciam, umquam ante hunc diemVidi neque novi; ...
]]>
If present, a speaker element may only appear as the first
part of a sp element. The distinction between the
speaker element and the who attribute makes it
possible to encode uniformly characters whose names are not indicated in
a uniform fashion throughout the play, or characters who appear in
disguise, as in the following examples:
Henry HigginsThe Notetaker
]]>
If the speaker attributions are completely regular (and may thus be
reconstructed mechanically from the values given for the who
attribute), or are of no interest for the encoder of the text (as might
be the case with editorially supplied attributions in older texts), then
the speaker element need not be used; the former example above
then might look like this:
Menaechmus>>
Peniculus>>
Responde, adulescens, quaeso, quid nomen tibist?Etiam derides, quasi nomen non noveris?Non edepol ego te, quot sciam, umquam ante hunc diemVidi neque novi; ...
]]>
More than one IDREF may be listed as value for the who
attribute if the speech is spoken by more than one person, as in the
following example:
Nano and Castrone sing
Fools, they are the only nation
Worth men's envy or admiration
]]>
The sp and speaker elements are both declared
within the core tag set (see section ).
Stage Directions
Both between and within the speeches of a written performance text,
it is normal practice to include a wide variety of descriptive
directions to indicate non-verbal action. The following elements are
provided to represent these:
contains any kind of stage direction within a dramatic text
or
fragment.
Attributes include:
indicates the kind of stage direction.
Suggested values include:
describes how a character speaks.more than one of the abovedescribes a location.describes an entrance.describes stage business.describes an exit.gives some detail about a character.describes a setting.is a narrative, motivating stage direction.marks the actual entrance or exit of one or more characters
on stage.
Attributes include:
identifies the character or characters performing the
movement.characterizes the movement, for example as an entrance or
exit.
Suggested values include:
character is entering the stage.character is exiting the stage.character moves on stagespecifies the direction of a stage movement.
Sample values include:
stage leftcentre stagestage rightidentifies the performance or performances in which this
movement occurred as specified.
A satisfactory typology of stage directions is difficult to define.
Certain basic types such as entrance, exit,
setting, delivery, are easily identified. But the list is
not a closed one, and it is not uncommon to mix types within a single
direction. No closed set of values for the type attribute is
therefore proposed at the present time, though some suggested values are
indicated in the list below, which also indicates the range of
possibilities.
The throne descends.
MusicEnter Husband as being thrown off
his horse.Exit pursued by a bear.He quickly takes the stone out.To Lussurioso.Aside.Not knowing what to say.Disguised as Ansaldo.At a window.Having had enough, and embarrassed
for the family.
]]>
Where possible, the values used for the type attribute on
stage elements should be defined within the tagUsage
element of the TEI header (described in section ).
For example:
This element is used for all stage directions,
editorial or authorial. The TYPE attribute on this element takes
one or more of the following values:
]]>
The stage element may appear both between and within
sp elements. It may contain a mixture of phrase level
elements, possibly combined into paragraphs, as in the following
example:
Scene. &mdash A room furnished comfortably and
tastefully but not extravagantly ...
The floor is carpeted and a fire burns in the stove.
It is winter.
A bell rings in the hall; shortly afterwards the
door is heard to open. Enter NORA humming a tune ...
Nora
Hide the Christmas Tree carefully, Helen. Be sure the
children do not see it till this evening, when it is
dressed. To the PORTER taking
out her purse How much?
]]>
The stage element may also be used in non-theatrical
texts, to mark sound effects or musical effects, etc., as further
discussed in section .
The move element is intended to help overcome the fact that
the stage directions of a printed text may often not provide full
information about either the intended or the actual movement of actors
etc. on stage. It may be used to keep track of entrances and exits in
detail, so as to know which characters are on stage at which time. Its
attributes permit a relatively formal specification for movements of
characters, using user-defined codes to identify the characters involved
(the who attribute), the direction of the movement
(type attribute), and optionally which part of the stage is
involved (where attribute). For stage-historical purposes, a
perf attribute is also provided; this allows the recording of
different move elements
as taken in different performances of the same text.
The move element should be located at the position in the
text where the move is presumed to take place. This will often coincide
with a stage direction, as in the following simple example:
Enter Bellafront mad.
]]>
The move element can however appear independently of a stage
direction, as in the following example:
Gent.
Neither to you, nor any one; having no witness
to confirm my speech.
Lo you! here she comes. This is her very guise; and,
upon my life, fast asleep.
]]>
The stage element is defined by the core TEI tag set (see
section ). The move element is defined as
follows:
]]>
Speech Contents
The actual speeches of a dramatic text may be composed of running
text, which must be formally organized into paragraphs, in the case of
prose (see section ), verse lines or line groups in
that of verse (see section ), or seg
elements, in case of doubt as to whether the material should be treated
as verse or prose. The following elements, all of which are defined in
the core, are available for marking units of prose or verse within
speeches:
pmarks paragraphs in prose.lbmarks the start of a new (typographic) line in some
edition or version of a text.
Attributes include:
nindicates the number or other value associated with the
line which follows the point of insertion of this
lb.edindicates the edition or version in which the line break is
located at this pointlcontains a single, possibly incomplete, line of verse.
Attributes include:
partspecifies whether or not the line is metrically complete.
Legal values are:
Fthe final part of an incomplete lineYthe line is metrically incompleteNeither the line is complete, or no claim is made as to its
completenessIthe initial part of an incomplete lineMa medial part of an incomplete linelgcontains a group of verse lines functioning as a formal
unit
e.g. a stanza, refrain, verse paragraph, etc.segcontains any arbitrary phrase-level unit of text (including
other seg elements).
As members of the class metrical, the elements l
and lg share the following attributes:
metcontains a user-specified encoding for the conventional
metrical structure of the element.rhymespecifies the rhyme scheme applicable to a group of verse
lines.
As a member of the class divn, the element lg
also bears the following attributes:
partspecifies whether or not the division is fragmented by some
other structural element, for example a speech which is
divided between two or more verse stanzas.
Legal values are:
Fthe final part of an incomplete divisionYthe division is incomplete in some respectNeither the division is complete, or no claim is made as to
its completeness.Ithe initial part of an incomplete divisionMa medial part of an incomplete divisiontypespecifies a name conventionally used for this level of
subdivision, e.g. act, volume, book,
section, canto, etc.
In many texts, prose and verse may be inextricably mingled;
particularly in earlier printed texts, prose may be printed as verse or
verse as prose, or it may be impossible to distinguish the two. In
cases of doubt, an encoder may prefer to tag the dubious material
consistently as verse, to tag it all as prose, to follow the typography
of the source text, or to use the neutral seg
element to contain the speech itself. When this question arises, the
tagUsage element in the encodingDesc element of the
header should be used to record explicitly what policy has been adopted.
The part attribute of the l and lg
elements provides one simple way of indicating where the boundaries of a
speech and of a verse line or line group do not coincide. The encoder
may simply indicate that a line or line group is incomplete by
specifying the value Y or N, as in the following example:
Now, now my clients
Begin their visitation! Vulture, kite,
Raven, and gorcrow, all my birds of prey,
That think me turning carcase, now they come:
I am not for 'em yet.
Re-enter MOSCA with the gown, etc.How now? the news?
]]>
Alternatively, where the fragments of the line or line group are
consecutive in the text (though possibly interrupted by stage
directions), the values i (initial), m (medial) and
f (final) may be used:
If you do meet Horatio and Marcellus,The rivals of my watch, bid them make haste.Enter Horatio and Marcellus.>
I think I hear them. — Stand! Who's there?Friends to this ground.And liegemen to the Dane.
]]>
In dramatic texts, the lg or line group element is most
often of use for the encoding of songs and other stanzaic material, as
further discussed in the next section. Line groups may be fragmented
across speakers in the same way as individual lines, and the same set of
attributes is available to record this fact. In the following example,
a lg element is used to represent one verse of a song, which is
divided between several voices:
Song &mdash Sir Joseph
I am the monarch of the sea,
The ruler of the Queen's Navee.
Whose praise Great Britain loudly chants.
Cousin HebeAnd we are his sisters and his cousins and his aunts!
Rel.And we are his sisters and his cousins and his aunts!
]]>
These elements are all defined in the core, and are thus available to
every TEI document without formality. A more detailed discussion of the
encoding of verse is provided in chapter .
Embedded Structures
Although primarily composed of speeches, performance texts often
contain other structural units such as songs or strophes which are
shared among different speakers. More generally, complex nested
structures of plays within plays, interpolated masques, or interludes
are far from uncommon. In more modern material, comparably complex
structural devices such as flashback or nested playback are equally
frequent. In all kinds of performance material, it may be necessary to
indicate several actions which are happening simultaneously.
A number of different devices are available within the TEI scheme to
support these complexities in the general case. Texts may be composite
or self-nesting (see section ) and multiple
hierarchies may be defined (see chapter ). The TEI
encoding scheme provides a variety of linking mechanisms, which may be
used to indicate temporal alignment and aggregation of fragmented
structures. In this section we provide a few specific examples of the
application of these techniques to performance texts:
the use of embedded text elementsthe use of the part attribute on fragmentary
lg elementsthe use of the next and prev attributes on
fragments of embedded structures to join them into a larger wholethe use of the join element to define a
virtual element composed of the fragments
indicated
Full information and descriptions are provided in other chapters of this
document, as indicated in the individual discussions.
When a song appears, in its entirety, within a single speech, it may
be treated as an extended quotation or as an embedded text
element, or both, according to the preference of the encoder. In the
following example, an embedded song is treated as a self-standing text:
Kelly> (calmly).>
Aha, so you've bad minds along with th' love of gain.
You thry to pin on others th' dirty decorations that
may be hangin' on your own coats.
(He points, one after the other at Conroy, Bull,
and Flagonson. Lilting):>
Who were you with last night?Who were you with last night?Will you tell your missus when you go homeWho you were with last night?
Flagonson> (in anguished indignation).>
This is more than a hurt to us: this hits at the
decency of the whole nation!
]]>
It might, however, also be treated simply as a quotation:
Kelly> (calmly).>
Aha, so you've bad minds along with th' love of gain.
(He points, one after the other at Conroy, Bull,
and Flagonson. Lilting):>
Who were you with last night?
Who were you with last night?
Will you tell your missus when you go home
Who you were with last night?
]]>
When an embedded structure extends across more than one sp
element, each of its constituent parts must be regarded as a distinct
fragment; the problem then facing the encoder is to reconstitute the
interrupted whole in some way.
As already noted above, the part attribute may be used to
indicate that an l element contains a partial, not a complete,
verse line. The same attribute may be used on the lg element,
to indicate that the line group is partial rather than complete, thus:
Kelly>
(wheeling quietly in his semi-dance, as he goes out):>
Goodbye to holy souls left here,Goodbye to man an' fairy;Widda Machree>
(wheeling quietly in her semi-dance, as she goes out):>
Goodbye to all of Leicester Square,An' the long way to Tipperary.
]]>
When the fragments of a song are separated by other intervening
dialogue, or even when not, they may be linked together with the
next and prev attributes defined in section
. For example, the line groups making up Ophelia's song
might be encoded as follows:
Elsinore. A room in the Castle.Enter Ophelia, distracted.Ophelia
Where is the beauteous Majesty of Denmark?
Queen
How now, Ophelia?
OpheliaSingingHow should I your true-love knowFrom another one?By his cockle hat and staffAnd his sandal shoon.Queen
Alas, sweet lady, what imports this song?
Ophelia
Say you? Nay, pray you mark.
SingsHe is dead and gone, lady,He is dead and gone;At his head a grass-green turf,At his heels a stone.
O, ho!
]]>
The next and prev attributes are discussed in
section : they form part of the additional tag set
for alignment and linking, and are therefore not automatically available
to dramatic texts. To enable this tag set as well as the base tag set
for drama, the document type declaration of a document might take the
following form:
]>
]]>
See chapter for general discussion of the way in which
TEI tag sets are enabled.
The fragments of Ophelia's song might also be linked together using
the join mechanism described in section .
The join element is specifically intended to encode the fact
that several discontiguous elements of the text together form one
virtual element. Using this mechanism, the example
might be encoded as follows:
Elsinore. A room in the Castle.Queen
How now, Ophelia?
OpheliaSingingHow should I your true-love knowFrom another one?By his cockle hat and staffAnd his sandal shoon.Queen
Alas, sweet lady, what imports this song?
Ophelia
Say you? Nay, pray you mark.
SingsHe is dead and gone, lady,He is dead and gone;At his head a grass-green turf,At his heels a stone.
O, ho!
]]>
The location of the join element is not significant; here it
has been placed shortly after the conclusion of the song, in order to
have it close to the fragments it unifies.
Like the next and prev attributes, the
join element requires the additional tag set for linking, which
is selected as shown above.
Simultaneous Action
In printed or written versions of performance texts, a variety of
techniques may be used to indicate the temporal alignment of speeches or
actions. Speeches may be printed vertically aligned on the page, or
braced together; stage directions (e.g. Speaking at the same
time) are also often used. In operatic or musical works in
particular, the need to indicate timing and alignment of individual
parts of a song may lead to very complex layout.
One simple method of indicating the temporal alignment of speeches or
actions is to use the corresp attribute discussed in section
, as in the following example:
Mangan>
wildly
Look here: I'm going to take off all my clothes.
he begins tearing off his coat.Lady Utterword
Mr Mangan!
Captain Shotover
Whats that?
Hector
Ha! ha! Do. Do.
Ellie
Please dont.
in consternationMrs. Hushabyecatching his arm and stopping him
Alfred: for shame! Are you mad?
]]>
In the original, the stage direction in consternation is
printed opposite a brace grouping all four speeches, indicating that all
four characters speak at once, and that the stage direction applies to
all of them. In the example, the stage element has been moved
to an arbitrary place, and the four speeches with which it is to be
associated are specified by identifier as the value of the
corresp attribute. This attribute, which is enabled by the
linking tag set, provides the simplest way of indicating the temporal
alignment of speeches or actions in a play.
More powerful and more precise mechanisms for temporal alignment are
defined in chapter . These would be appropriate for
encodings the focus of which is on the actual performance of a text
rather than its structure or formal properties. The tag set described
in that chapter includes a large number of other detailed proposals for
the encoding of such features as voice quality, prosody, etc., which
might be relevant to such a treatment of performance texts.
Other Types of Performance Text
Most of the elements and structures identified thus far are derived
from traditional theatrical texts. Although other performance texts,
such as screen plays or radio scripts, have not been discussed
specifically, they can be encoded using the elements and structures
listed above. Encoders may however find it convenient to use, as well,
the additional specialized elements discussed in this section. For
scripts containing very detailed technical information, the
tech element discussed in section may also
be useful.
Like other texts, screen plays and television or radio scripts may
be divided into text divisions marked with div or
div1, etc. Within units corresponding with the traditional
act and scene, further subdivisions or sequences may be
identified, composed of individual shots, each associated with
a single camera angle and setting. Shots and sequences should be
encoded using an appropriate text-division element (i.e., a
div3 element if numbered division elements are in use and the
next largest unit is a div2, or a div element if
un-numbered divisions are in use) specifying sequence or
shot as the value of the type attribute, as
appropriate.
It is normal practice in screenplays and radio scripts to distinguish
directions concerning camera angles, sound effects, etc., from other
forms of stage direction. Such texts also generally include far more
detailed specifications of what the audience actually sees:
descriptions of actions and background, etc. Scripts derived from
cinema and television productions may also include texts displayed as
captions superimposed on the action. All of these may be encoded using
the general purpose stage element discussed in section , and distinguished by means of its type
attribute. Alternatively, or in addition, the following more specific
elements may be used, where clear distinctions can be made:
viewdescribes the visual context of some part of a screen play
in
terms of what the spectator sees, generally independent
of any
dialogue.cameradescribes a particular camera angle or viewpoint in a
screen play.
Attributes include:
typecharacterizes the camera angle in some respect, e.g. as a
close-up, medium shot, etc.captioncontains the text of a caption or other text displayed as
part of
a film script or screenplay.sounddescribes a sound effect or musical sequence specified
within a
screen play or radio script.
Attributes include:
typecategorizes the sound in some respect, e.g. as music,
special effect, etc.discreteindicates whether the sound overlaps the surrounding
speeches or interrupts them.
Sample values include:
uunknown or inapplicableythe sound is heard between the surrounding speechesnthe sound overlaps the surrounding speeches
Some examples of the use of these elements follow:
Angle on Olivia.
Ryan's wife, standing nervously alone on the sidelines,
biting her lip. She's scared and she shows it.
]]>
Where particular words or phrases within a direction are emphasized
(by change of typeface or use of capital letters), an appropriate
phrase-level element may be used to indicate the fact, as in the
following examples, where certain words in the original are given in
small capitals:
George glances at the window--and freezes.
New angle--shock cut Out the window
the body of a dead man suddenly slams into
frame. He dangles grotesquely,
held up by his coat caught on a protruding bolt.
George gasps. The train whistle screams.
]]>
Ext. TV control van—Early morning.
The T.V. announcer from the Ryan interview
stands near the Control Van, the lake in b.g.
T.V. Announcer
Several years ago, Jack Ryan was a highly
successful hydroplane racer....
]]>
All of these elements, like other stage directions, can appear both
within and between speeches.
TV Announcer VO
Working with Ryan are his two coworkers—
Strut Bowman, the mechanical engineer—
Angle on Strut
standing in the tow boat, walkie-talkie in hand,
watching Ryan carefully.
—and Roger Dalton, a rocket
systems analyst, and one of the scientists
from the Jet Propulsion Lab....
]]>
Benjy
Now to business.
Ford and Zaphod
To business.
Glasses clink.Benjy
I beg your pardon?
Ford
I'm sorry, I thought you were
proposing a toast.
]]>
Zoom in to overlay showing some stock film
of hansom cabs galloping past.
London, 1895.
The residence of Mr Oscar Wilde.
Suitably classy music starts.Mix through to Wilde's drawing room. A crowd of suitably
dressed folk are engaged in typically brilliant conversation,
laughing affectedly and drinking champagne.Prince of Wales
My congratulations, Wilde. Your latest play is a great success.
]]>
Technical Information
Traditional stage scripts may contain additional technical
information about such production-related factors as lighting,
blocking (that is, detailed notes on actors'
movements) or props required at particular points. More technical
information about intended production effects may also appear in
published versions of screen plays or movie scripts. Where these are
presented simply as marginal notes, they may be encoded using the
general-purpose note element defined in section . Alternatively, they may be formally distinguished from
other stage directions by using the specialized tech element:
techdescribes a special purpose stage direction that is not
meant for the actors.
Attributes include:
typecategorizes the technical stage direction.
Suggested values include:
sounda sound cue.lighta lighting cue.propa prop cue.blocka blocking instructionperfidentifies the performance or performances to which this
technical direction applies.
Like stage directions, tech elements can appear anywhere
within a speech or between speeches.
The elements discussed in the section are formally defined as
follows:
]]>