"The EXPOSITION of a story is the basic information that a listener needs to understand the story. At some point during any exposition, a problem or set of problems is introduced that will be addressed during the course of the story. The introduction of the problem or set of problems commonly is referred to as the 'inciting incident.' Usually, the problem consists of two people or two groups of people, or some combination thereof, wanting two different and opposing things. Because the opposing forces want different things, dramatic tension is introduced into the story. Exposition is by far the most important part of a play [or any other story, be it a novel or a movie or a magazine profile] for, without the exposition, understanding the story is nigh on impossible.

"The BUILDING ACTION of a story involves the addressing of the central problem by the two opposing forces, and during this section of a story the dramatic tension increases. The CLIMAX arrives when the central problem is addressed in some manner that often involves resolution of some kind. Almost always the briefest portion of a play, the DENOUEMENT [pronounced "DANE-you-mount", with the accent on the first syllable], or falling action, shows the aftermath of the resolution."

And here is the chapter from which the above was taken:

The Parts of a Story

Why, then, are they actors? Because they chose to be, that's all. They might have chosen that path because they looked in the mirror and said, "Hey, I'm attractive. I can act." And so they did. They might have chosen that path because someone told them they had a "talent" for it, or they believed they had it, and so they became actors. They might have chosen that path, as most do, because they were denied attention at some crucial point in their maturation, and acting is unquestionably a way to get attention. A lot of attention.

Now, certainly, talented actors exist. In other words, people exist who have an aptitude for acting, but because you have an aptitude for something doesn't necessarily mean that you have technique, only that you have natural skill. Technique involves having special knowledge, and knowledge and talent are not the same. If you can acquire the special knowledge inherent in any craft, then you can become an effective practitioner of that craft.

Next to the mind, the first tool of the actor is a loud, clear voice. If you already have a loud, clear voice, then you have a talent. If you don't have a loud, clear voice, then you don't have this particular talent. If you desire a loud clear voice, can you obtain one? Of course. It may take some work, but all of this acting stuff, like any craft, takes some work.

A theatrical actor needs a loud clear voice because being able to communicate text effectively is central to what an actor in the theatre does. The play's the thing. Plays are stories, stories are made from words, and an actor in the theatre tells stories by delivering the words in the texts of plays. Isn't that, in its simplest form, what an actor in the theatre is being asked to do almost all of the time?

Is there anything we can say about story that we all can agree on? I think this, at least: Most stories -- not all, but most, the majority, I would even venture to say the vast majority, if not 100% -- have a beginning, a middle, and an end.

In other words, stories have parts. Beginning, middle, end -- parts. All stories can be broken down into parts. Can we substitute the word "analyzed" for "broken down into parts"? Would that be fair?

From the Merriam-Webster: analyze /v/ 1a : to ascertain the components of or separate into component parts. All stories can be analyzed because all stories can be broken down into parts.

What are the parts of a story in the theatre? We have plays. Plays have acts. Acts have scenes. Scenes have sentences. Sentences have words. Words have punctuation. These, at base, are the parts of a play.

Those of you who have taken an English class, and my bet is that is most anyone who happens to be reading this book, are familiar with what is commonly defined as the structure of a story, usually outlined like this: Exposition, building action, climax, denouement.

The exposition of a story is the basic information that a listener needs to understand the story. At some point during any exposition, a problem or set of problems is introduced that will be addressed during the course of the story. The introduction of the problem or set of problems commonly is referred to as the 'inciting incident. The introduction of the problem or set of problems commonly is referred to as the 'inciting incident.' Usually, the problem consists of two people or two groups of people, or some combination thereof, wanting two different and opposing things. Because the opposing forces want different things, dramatic tension is introduced into the story. Exposition is by far the most important part of a play for, without the exposition, understanding the story is nigh on impossible.

The building action of a story involves the addressing of the central problem by the two opposing forces, and during this section of a story the dramatic tension increases. The climax arrives when the central problem is addressed in some manner that often involves resolution of some kind. Almost always the briefest portion of a play, the denouement, or falling action, shows the aftermath of the resolution.

In the theatre, and in almost any other art form involving storytelling, you will find these elements, and what occurs in the macrocosm is reflected in the microcosm. An act of a play will almost always have these same four elements, as will a scene. Some passages of dialogue will have these same four elements, and in every instance, the most important part will be the exposition, the "plot", the necessary information the audience must possess in order to understand the playing out of the central problem.

Sounds simple, doesn't it? It is. Exposition, building action, climax, denouement. In the theatre, we also have what is referred to as "French" scenes, which begin and/or end when a character enters or exits -- don't ask me about the etymology here, because I don't know. Most French scenes also have the four elements described above. But still, after all this "analysis", we have not arrived at, or ferreted out, one further part of a play that indicates yet another breaking down of a story into parts. It is, in fact, for an actor, a tool secondary in importance only to a mind within the range of normal and a loud, clear voice. It is the part of a story that, in the theatre, is commonly referred to as a beat.