ABSTRACT
The chapter introduces the concept of time-form, as the medium of dramatic art. This is the first of the two major principles on which the whole dramaturgical enterprise rests. Time, and its “shaped form,” is notoriously difficult to grasp mentally and fully to apprehend. Many practitioners never fully grasp the concept, especially because they get distracted by what might be called “story content,” a completely different thing. The time-form of a play has everything to do with its power and durability, no matter what its subject matter may be. The plot-bead diagram, a graphic technique designed to help with the intellectual difficulty of perceiving and manipulating time-forms is introduced to the reader, with a few examples. It is a powerful analytical tool, and can also guide the artist who is composing a play.
