Through-action

Through-action is the single inner line of development that runs through a whole dramatic (or epic) work from beginning to end, directs the deeds and aspirations of the main characters toward a single goal, and ensures the integrity, consistency, and ideational unity of the action. The concept of through-action was thoroughly elaborated by the theater reformer Konstantin Stanislavsky, and in the Ukrainian theater it was creatively applied by the outstanding director Les Kurbas in the Berezil theater. Through-action unites separate episodes and scenes into a purposeful movement toward the climax and denouement, revealing the main idea of the work. It may be opposed by a counter-action — the line of forces that obstruct the attainment of the goal. A clearly constructed through-action is a mark of accomplished dramatic composition, for it gives the work an inner logic, tension, and directedness, subordinating all the elements of the structure to a single artistic design.