Die verrekening van drama- en teaterteorie by die skryf van 'n Afrikaanse teaterteks

English: Taking the origin of the drama as theatre text dating from the ancient Greeks to contemporary forms of theatre texts into account, this study investigates the theories and strategies behind writing a dramatic text in Afrikaans. The series of intellectual exercises the dramatic playwright needs to accomplish before the start of the writing process is explored and applied within the framework of a model developed by Luwes. These guidelines are enhanced and expanded upon through a literature review of supporting drama and theories of the theatre by writers such as Cassady & Cassady, Lategan, Grebanier, Keuris, Cronje, Hatlen, Bentley, and Conradie. External geographical and timedependent systems that influence the writing of theatre texts are examined. External social systems which may influence the writer, theatre artists, and communities, and which could potentially determine what will be reflected in the text, are also considered and discussed in depth. In terms of genre, the intellectual consideration of the writer is then explored. Using practical examples from the existing literature on drama, various genres and sub-genres such as tragedy, satire, and melodrama are discussed. Next, the last of the intellectual exercises before the physical writing process starts is examined. Here, the dramatic playwright must decide which style to adopt and a review of the literature reflects myriad styles from which to choose, including realism, stylism, and romanticism. A literature review of the influence and occurrences of action, time, space, and character portrayal in the drama text is conducted, and these elements are then presented as guidelines that could be of practical use to the playwright during the writing process. Having expounded upon the practical writing process, the planning of the structure and the tools as methods to develop and enrich the text that are at the writers’ disposal come under the microscope. Different theories are integrated to form a logical process to create the outline of the plot for the playwright, taking into account the different intellectual choices that need to be made in terms of genre, style, format, and so forth. Guidelines are identified not only for the creation of believable characters, but also for the procedures that underline the functions of dialogue. Although the model devised by Luwes is a valuable one and served to guide this study, it was nevertheless necessary to integrate various researchers' theories to develop an effective set of guidelines for the would-be playwright when it comes to creating a dramatic text. The model proposed by Luwes can be extended as far as genres and style is concerned.