Sue is in a play that has several scenes occurring in the countryside. during these scenes, the stage is set with a painted backdrop of small rolling hills and grazing cows. when the audience sees the countryside setting and watches the actors on stage, they understand where the scene takes place. what allows the audience to understand where the scene takes place? tragedy dramatic convention farce low comedy

The correct answer is: dramatic convention.

Indeed, dramatic convention allows the audience and the actors of the play to engage in an instance of communication that lies on a set of rules that they are both familiar with. Dramatic conventions are intrinsically cultural and each different culture has its sets of dramatic convention rules that will make possible the interaction between the public and the actors.

The dramatic convention rules described in the example above are undoubtedly Western and only a Western audience would be able to completely understand them. The rules of non-Western dramatic conventions are a mystery to Western spectators, for example, the Kabuki theater of Japan.

Knowledge of dramatic convention rules may vary according to the era, the dramatic conventions rules of Shakespearean Theater need to be thought to modern audiences, while they were common knowledge in Shakespeare’s day.