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Theatrical Vocabulary Glossary
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acting areas See center stage, downstage, stage left, stage right, and upstage.
actor A person, male or female, who performs a role in a play or an entertainment.
actor’s position The orientation of the actor to the audience (e.g., full back, full front, right profile, left
profile).
antagonist A person, a situation, or the protagonist’s own inner conflict in opposition to his or her goals.
articulation The clear and precise pronunciation of words.
blocking The planning and working out of the movements of actors on stage.
body positions See actor’s position.
catharsis The purification or purgation of the emotions (as pity and fear) caused in a tragedy.
center stage The center of the acting area.
character The personality or part an actor re-creates.
characterization The development and portrayal of a personality through thought, action, dialogue,
costuming, and makeup.
climax The point of highest dramatic tension or a major turning point in the action.
cold reading A reading of a script done by actors who have not previously reviewed the play.
collaboration The act of working together in a joint intellectual effort.
commedia dell’arte A professional form of theatrical improvisation, developed in Italy in the 1500s,
featuring stock characters and standardized plots.
complication See rising action.
conflict The opposition of persons or forces giving rise to dramatic action in a play.
context The interrelated conditions in which a play exists or occurs.
conventions of theatre See theatrical conventions.
costume Any clothing worn by an actor on stage during a performance.
creative drama An improvisational, process-centered form of theatre in which participants are guided
by a leader to imagine, enact, and reflect on human experiences.
crisis A decisive point in the plot of a play on which the outcome of the remaining actions depends.
critique Opinions and comments based on predetermined criteria that may be used for self-evaluation or
the evaluation of the actors or the production itself.
cue A signal, either verbal or physical, that indicates something else, such as a line of dialogue or an
entrance, is to happen.
denouement design The final resolution of the conflict in a plot.
design The creative process of developing and executing aesthetic or functional designs in a production,
such as costumes, lighting, sets, and makeup.
dialogue The conversation between actors on stage.
diction The pronunciation of words, the choice of words, and the manner in which a person expresses
himself or herself.
directing The art and technique of bringing the elements of theatre together to make a play.
director The person who oversees the entire process of staging a production.
downstage The stage area toward the audience.
dramatic play Children’s creation of scenes when they play “pretend.”
dramatic structure The special literary style in which plays are written.
dramaturg A person who provides specific in-depth knowledge and literary resources to a director,
producer, theatre company, or even the audience.
dress rehearsals The final few rehearsals just prior to opening night in which the show is run with full
technical elements. Full costumes and makeup are worn.
electronic media Means of communication characterized by the use of technology (e.g., radio,
television, and the Internet).
Theatrical Vocabulary Glossary
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Elizabethan theatre The theatre of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and often extended to
the close of the theatres in 1640.
ensemble A group of theatrical artists working together to create a theatrical production.
epic theatre Theatrical movement of the early 1920s and 1930 characterized by the use of such artificial
devices as cartoons, posters, and film sequences distancing the audience from theatrical illusion and
allowing focus on the play’s message.
exposition Detailed information revealing the facts of a plot.
farce A comedy with exaggerated characterizations, abundant physical or visual humor, and, often, an
improbable plot.
form The overall structure or shape of a work that frequently follows an established design. Forms may
refer to a literary type (e.g., narrative form, short story form, dramatic form) or to patterns of meter, line,
and rhymes (e.g., stanza form, verse form).
formal theatre Theatre that focuses on public performance in front of an audience and in which the
final production is most important.
genre Literally, “kind” or “type.” In literary and dramatic studies, genre refers to the main types of
literary form, principally tragedy and comedy. The term can also refer to forms that are more specific to
a given historical era, such as the revenge tragedy, or to more specific subgenres of tragedy and comedy,
such as the comedy of manners.
gesture An expressive movement of the body or limbs.
Greek theatre Theatrical events in honor of the god Dionysus that occurred in Ancient Greece and
included play competitions and a chorus of masked actors.
improvisation A spontaneous style of theatre in which scenes are created without advance rehearsing or
scripting.
informal theatre A theatrical performance that focuses on small presentations, such as one taking place
in a classroom setting. Usually, it is not intended for public view.
Kabuki One of the traditional forms of Japanese theatre, originating in the 1600s and combining
stylized acting, costumes, makeup, and musical accompaniment.
level The height of an actor’s head actor as determined by his or her body position (e.g., sitting, lying,
standing, or elevated by an artificial means).
makeup Cosmetics and sometimes hairstyles that an actor wears on stage to emphasize facial features,
historical periods, characterizations, and so forth.
masks Coverings worn over the face or part of the face of an actor to emphasize or neutralize facial
characteristics.
melodrama A dramatic form popular in the 1800s and characterized by an emphasis on plot and
physical action (versus characterization), cliff-hanging events, heart-tugging emotional appeals, the
celebration of virtue, and a strongly moralistic tone.
mime An ancient art form based on pantomime in which conventionalized gestures are used to express
ideas rather than represent actions; also, a performer of mime.
minstrel show Musical theatre that usually consisted of performances of traditional African American
music and dance provided by white actors in blackface and charac-terized by exploitive racial
sterotypes.
monologue A long speech by a single character.
motivation A character’s reason for doing or saying things in a play.
musical theatre A type of entertainment containing music, songs, and, usually, dance.
Noh One of the traditional forms of Japanese theatre in which masked male actors use highly stylized
dance and poetry to tell stories.
objective A character’s goal or intention.
pacing The tempo of an entire theatrical performance.
Theatrical Vocabulary Glossary
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pageant Any elaborate street presentation or a series of tableaux across a stage.
pantomime Acting without words through facial expression, gesture, and movement.
pitch The highness or lowness of the voice.
play The stage representation of an action or a story; a dramatic composition.
playwright A person who writes plays.
production values The critical elements of a production, such as acting, direction, lighting, costuming,
sets, and makeup.
projection The placement and delivery of volume, clarity, and distinctness of voice for communicating
to an audience.
props (properties) Items carried on stage by an actor; small items on the set used by the actors.
proscenium The enlarged hole cut through a wall to allow the audience to view the stage. It is also
called the proscenium arch. The archway is in a sense the frame for the action on the stage.
protagonist The main character of a play and the character with whom the audience identi-fies most
strongly.
puppetry Almost anything brought to life by human hands to create a performance. Types of puppets
include rod, hand, and marionette.
reader’s theatre A performance created by actors reading script rather working from memory.
rehearsal Practice sessions in which the actors and technicians prepare for public perfor-mance through
repetition.
rising action The middle part of a plot consisting of complications and discoveries that create conflict.
run-through A rehearsal moving from start to finish without stopping for corrections or notes.
script The written text of a play.
sense memory Memories of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures. It is used to help define a
character in a certain situation.
stage The area where actors perform.
stage crew The backstage technical crew responsible for running the show. In small theatre companies
the same persons build the set and handle the load-in. Then, during performances, they change the
scenery and handle the curtain.
stage manager The director’s liaison backstage during rehearsal and performance. The stage manager is
responsible for the running of each performance.
stage left The left side of the stage from the perspective of an actor facing the audience.
stage right The right side of the stage from the perspective of an actor facing the audience. 118
stock characters Established characters, such as young lovers, neighborhood busybodies, sneaky
villains, and overprotective fathers, who are immediately recognizable by an audience.
style The distinctive and unique manner in which a writer arranges words to achieve particular effects.
Style essentially combines the idea to be expressed with the individuality of the author. These
arrangements include individual word choices as well as such matters as the length and structure of
sentences, tone, and use of irony.
subtext Information that is implied by a character but not stated by a character in dialogue, including
actions and thoughts.
tableau A silent and motionless depiction of a scene created by actors, often from a picture. The plural
is tableaux.
text theatre The printed words, including dialogue and the stage directions for a script. The imitation or
representation of life performed for other people; the performance of dramatic literature; drama; the
milieu of actors, technicians, and playwrights; the place where dramatic performances take place.
theatre of the absurd Theatrical movement beginning in the 1950s in which playwrights created works
representing the universe as unknowable and humankind’s existence as meaningless.
Theatrical Vocabulary Glossary
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theatrical conventions The established techniques, practices, and devices unique to theatrical
productions.
theatrical experiences Events, activities, and productions associated with theatre, film/video, and
electronic media.
theatrical games Noncompetitive games designed to develop acting skills and popularized by Viola
Spolin.
upstage Used as a noun, the stage area away from the audience; used as a verb, to steal the focus of a
scene.
vocal projection See projection.
vocal quality The characteristics of a voice, such as shrill, nasal, raspy, breathy, booming, and so forth.
volume The degree of loudness or intensity of a voice.
Above the title -In advertisements, when the performer's name appears before the title of the show or
play. Reserved for the big stars!
Amplifier-Sound term. A piece of equipment which ampilifies or increases the sound captured by a
microphone or replayed from record, CD or tape. Each loudspeaker needs a separate amplifier.
In a traditional theatre, the part of the stage which projects in front of the curtain. In many theatres this
can be extended, sometimes by building out over the pit (qv).
Assistant Director-Assists the Director (qv) by taking notes on all moves and other decisions and
keeping them together in one copy of the script (the Prompt Copy (qv)). In some companies this is done
by the Stage Manager (qv), because there is no assistant.
Assistant Stage Manager (ASM)- Another name for stage crew (usually, in the professional theatre,
also an understudy for one of the minor roles who is, in turn, also understudying a major role). The
lowest rung on the professional theatre ladder.
Auditorium The part of the theatre in which the audience sits. Also known as the House.
Backing Flat A flat (qv) which stands behind a window or door in the set (qv).
Banjo Not the musical instrument! A rail along which a curtain runs.
Bar a pipe suspended over the stage on which lanterns are hung.
Barn Door An arrangement of four metal leaves placed in front of the lenses of certain kinds of
spotlight to control the shape of the light beam.
Battery A long row of floodlights (qv), wired as three or four circuits.
Beam-light Lighting term: a type of lantern which produces a parallel beam of light. In construction
rather like a car headlamp, being a sealed-beam unit. Also known as a PARCAN or PARBLAZER.
Beam Spread Lighting term: the area that a given lantern covers. It is usually expressed as the angle
that the beam subtends at the focal plane: the smaller the angle, the narrower the beam.
Beginners Those members of the cast who are on-stage when the curtain goes up. The call (qv)
"Overture and beginners" is a signal to the orchestra to start the introductory music and to the cast to get
into position on-stage.
Blackout Lighting term: switching all lights out at once, leaving the stage in complete darkness. See
also DBO.
Blacklight Ultra-violet light. Can be in bulb or, more usually, tube form.
Blacks Black curtains at the back and sides of the stage.
Blocking The setting of the actors' positions and moves at the beginning of rehearsals. Occasionally
known as plotting, but this term is usually reserved for use in lighting.
Board Another name for a control desk, either lighting (most usually) or sound.
Book (The) A copy of the script, kept by the Stage Manager, which includes all cues (qv) and notes.
Also known, usually in amateur theatre, as the "prompt copy."
Theatrical Vocabulary Glossary
116. Box Office The place where the tickets are sold. Also used colloquially to mean the size of the audience
("What's the box office like tonight?")
117. Box Set A set (qv) which consists of three walls, around a proscenium arch (qv) stage. The proscenium
opening is the fourth wall. Also known as a "room set".
118. Call Generally, some sort of instruction to the company: a rehearsal call is an instruction to attend a
rehearsal at a particular time; time calls are given just before each performance ("Ladies and gentlemen,
this is your thirty minute call"); treasury call is pay day in the professional theatre. Note that time calls
are all related to the "Beginniners" call, not to the actual time of starting the show. In other words, the 30
minute call is given 30 minutes before "Orchestra & Beginners" is called, or 35 minutes before the
curtain goes up.
119. Cans
120. Headphones
121. Cast The list of characters in a play and the actors who play them. Also, as a verb, to allocate parts to
members of a company.
122. Cheat To make an action on stage look realistic without actually doing what you seem to be doing; e.g.
an actor looking towards the audience in the general direction of the person he is talking to, is cheating.
123. Check Lighting term: to lower the brightness of a lantern (qv) to zero.
124. Chief Electrician (Usually abbreviated to Chief LX) He is head of the department which is responsible
for the maintenance and rigging of the lighting, and the operation of the lighting plot. In act, he is
usually responsible for the maintenance and repair of anything electrical in the theatre, from the stage
lighting to the light in the gent's toilet! His crew are variously known as LX, electrical daymen, electrics
crew, etc..
125. Choreographer Devises and rehearses the dance routines, following the concept laid down by the
Director
126. Backdrop scenery painted on fabric. Cloths can be on a banjo (usually in the amateur theatre), can be
rolled up, or can be flown (qv).
127. Colour Changer A remotely controlled means of changing a coloured filter over the lens of a lantern.
There are three kinds: a wheel, a semaphore (like the old- fashioned railway signals) and a scroller
which uses continuous, usually dichroic, filters. Scrollers are the preferred option in the modern theatre.
128. Colour Frame A frame which fits over the front of a lantern to held a coloured filter or gel. They can be
made from metal (preferred) or a kind of cardboard.
129. Come Down In the theatre, a show does not finish; it comes down, i.e. the curtain "comes down" to end
the show.
130. Company Manager The person in charge of a touring company when it is on the road.
131. Corner Short for the "prompt corner"; the place from which the Stage Manager controls the show. From
here he has communication links to all parts of the the theatre and gives cues (qv) to all departments.
The corner can be on either side of the stage but traditionally it is on the left (i.e. the prompt) side.
Perversely some theatres have the prompt corner on the "opposite prompt" (OP) side of the stage! The
person who is operating the corner is sometimes said to be "in the corner" and sometimes "on the book".
132. Corpse Not a dead body in a thriller! An actor who gets an unintended and uncontrollable fit of laughter
on stage is said to "corpse".
133. Cross Fade Lighting term: fading one lantern (or group of lanterns) up while fading another down.
134. Cue An instruction given by the Stage Manager to one of the technical departments to take some action;
e.g. LX cue 7 is the seventh instruction in the play to the lighting department. Also used in the sense of
the point at which an actor must enter or speak.
135. Curtain Call Taking a bow in front of the audience at the end of a show. Usually abbreviated to
"curtain".
136. Cut-out A free-standing piece of scenery, e.g.a tree, cut out of board into the correct shape and painted.
Theatrical Vocabulary Glossary
137. Cyclorama Also known as a cyc. A very large piece of white fabric, tensioned on two or more sides,
which covers the entire back wall of the stage. It can be lit in various colours or have slides or gobos
projected onto it.
138. DBO Lighting term. Dead blackout: a sudden, instantaneous switching off of all lights.
139. DSL Down stage left: towards the front of the stage on the left-hand side as you look at the audience.
140. DSR Down stage right.
141. Deputy Stage Manager (DSM) The deputy to the Stage Manager (qv). He usually runs the corner (qv)
and is therefore responsible for the minute by minute running of the show.
142. Desk See "Board"
143. Die A production is said to die if it fails to please the public and so is taken off. In the much less polite
circles of the variety world, a show or act which fails to draw applause is said to "die on its arse".
144. Dimmer A piece of equipment for varying the amount of electricity sent to a lantern, thus varying its
brightness. Sometimes (inaccurately) used for the fader which controls the dimmer. Originally dimmers
were variable resistors but now are either thyristors or triacs, i.e. they work electronically rather than by
physically moving a resistor along a coil of wire. The verb "to dim" can be used to mean increase ("dim
up") or reduce ("dim down") the amount of light, or even switch it off entirely ("dim out").
145. Dips Electrical socks set into the floor of either the stage or the wings (qv), and, usually, covered by
little trapdoors.
146. Director In control of all aspects of the production.(S)he develops the concept of the production, briefs
the designer and lighting designer, plots the actor's moves, rehearses the actors, etc. etc. etc..
147. Doubling One actor taking more than one part in a play.
148. Downstage Towards the audience.
149. Dresser One whose job it is to help an actor (or actors) in quick changes of costume.
150. Dry Verb: an actor who forgets his words is said to "dry". Can also be used as a noun.
151. Effects Spot A spotlight (qv) which projects a slide, or a still or moving picture, i.e. of rain or clouds,
onto the stage or, more usually, the cyclorama.
152. Fade Sound and lighting term: to increase (fade up), decrease (fade down) or eliminate (fade out)
gradually the brightness of a lantern or the volume of a sound.
153. Fit Up Building up the set (qv) on-stage.
154. Flat An oblong frame of timber, covered with either canvas or hardboard and painted, which forms part
of the set. There are also door flats, window flates, even fireplace flats. Canvas flats, being lighter and
easier to move around, are the preferred option, but schools often go for hardboard-covered flats which
are more hardwearing.
155. Floats A rather old-fashioned term for Footlights (qv).
156. Flood A floodlight: a lantern which gives a wide-spreading, unfocused beam of light. These can be
symmetric (i.e. casting the light equally in all directions) or asymmetric (casting it more in one direction
than the others). The symmetric flood is probably the cheapest stage lantern - and the least useful!
157. Fly Verb: scenery which is raised into the roof (flown out) or lowered on the stage (flown in). The
apparatus for doing this consists of a series of ropes and pulleys in the "fly tower" (a very high roof
space) and they raise or lower the scenery by means of a counterweight system or by directly pulling on
"hemp lines". The men who operate the "flies" are called "flymen" and the area in which they work is
called the "fly floor" of, quite simply, the "flies". People can also be flown (as in every production of
"Peter Pan"!) in a harness.
158. Focus Verb used in lighting: to point the lanterns (qv) in the right direction and set the correct beamspread and edge.
159. Front of House Anything which happens on the audience side of the curtain is said to happen "front of
house". The term "the house" is used to mean either the auditorium, or the audience ("We had a good
Theatrical Vocabulary Glossary
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house tonight"), or even the theatre itself. The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, is also known as
"The House" (with capital letters, of course!).
Follow-spot A type of profile (qv) spotlight (qv) with an irs diaphragm and a handle so that it can be
used to follow a performer around the stage in a beam of light of exactly the right size. Traditionally
called a "lime": hence the term "being in the limelight". These produce a very bright beam of light which
is more powerful than that produced by any other lanterns. Modern limes almost always use CSI lamps
(qv).
Footlights A series of floodlights (qv) placed on the stage floor along the front of the stage. Traditional
in variety theatres, foots are nowadays rarely used.
Fresnel A kind of spotlight (qv) in which the light is concentrated by a fresnel lens (a lens with
concentric ridged rings). Projects a variable angle soft-edged beam. Sometimes called a frênel and given
the French pronunciation.
FX Effects: usually sound effects in the theatre but can also refer to pyrotchnics (qv). In film, usually
refers to visual (i.e. computer generated) effects.
Gate The focal plane of a profile spot (qv) into which gobos (qv) and iris diaphragms can be placed.
Gauze A loosely-woven cloth (qv) on which a scene can be painted. When lit from the front, it is
opaque and only the painted scene is seen; when lit from behind, however, it becomes transparent.
Commonly used in pantomime.
G-clamp Used for fastening lanterns to a bar. A G-shaped piece of metal with a screw throught the bar
of the G which clamps to the lighting bar.
Gel A filter placed over the front of a lantern to change the colour of the light.
Get Out A touring theatre term: "getting out" the scenery, props etc. from the theatre onto the transport.
The opposite (remarkably enough!) is the "get in".
Gobo A piece of metal or glass, which fits into the gate of a profile spot (qv) and projects a pattern onto
the set. Gobos can be very complex. They are first fitted into a gobo holder. Holders vary in size (each
type of lantern requires a different size), although the gobos themselves are of a standard size. Most
basic gobos are made of metal but very complex patterns can be created on glass gobos.
Go Up In theatre slang, a show does not start, it "goes up"; i.e. the curtain goes up.
Greenroom A room backstage, often licensed, in which the company can sit and relax before, during or
after a show. Once common, greenrooms are rarely found in modern theatres.
Ground-row A battern (qv) placed on the floor of the stage, usually to light a cyclorama (qv). Also
occasionally used to mean freestanding scenery, of a low height, running along the back of the stage in
front of the back wall or cyclorama.
Half (The) Half an hour before the first actors are due on stage (i.e. 30 minutes before the show begins).
All actors must be in their dressing rooms by the Half. Traditionally the audience is allowed into the
auditorium at that point. Traditionally too, the House Manager blows a whistle in the auditorium to
announce the Half. (House is open).
House Manager In charge of everything which happens front of house: box office, ushers/usherettes,
the bars, cash, etc..
House Tabs The curtains across the front of the stage.
Ingénue Old fashioned term for the female jvenile lead.
Instrument An American term for lantern (qv), what in domestic terms we mean by the word "light".
Iron The safety curtain (qv).
Jack A type of connector used in sound equipment; sometimes called a phone jack. There are two types,
mono and stereo, found in two sizes (standard: 6.3mm and mini: 3.5mm). At one time most sound
equipment used standard jacks, but now they are usually only used on line-level gear: microphones
normally have XLR (qv) connectors.
Juve Abbreviation for Juvenile Lead: the young male main part.
Theatrical Vocabulary Glossary
181. Ladders High stands for hanging lanterns at the side of the stage. Not for climbing!
182. Lamp In the theatre, the bulb which is fitted to what, in normal use, we call a light, is referred to as a
lamp.
183. Lantern British term for a light instrument.
184. Legs Curtains used to cover the wings (qv).
185. Leko American term for a profile spot. Originally a brand name.
186. Lighting Designer Responsible for designing, focusing and plotting the lighting for a production. In the
professional theatre he is not normally responsible for operating the lighting, although he will usually do
that in the amateur theatre. Responsible to the Director, not the Stage Manager. Works in close cooperation with the Designer (qv).
187. Lime See Follow Spot. Lime is an old-fashioned word, going back to the earliest days of stage lighting.
188. Line Level Sound term, referring to non-microphone inputs: CD, tape, MIDI.
189. Luminaire French for light instrument.
190. LX Electrics. The title is given to the lighting department, and the Chief Electrician is known as the
Chief LX.
191. Maroon An electrically fired thunderflash, set off in a steel tank fitted with a wire mesh top, to simulate
an explosion. These are so loud that it is as well to inform the police in advance if one is to be set off
(and at what time), so that they can be ready to deal with hundeds of reports of bombs going off!
192. Mask To hide: an actors masks another when he stands in front of him and prevents the audience from
seeing him properly. Also a noun: fabric hiding a row of lanterns hung above the stage.
193. Mixer Or Mixing Desk. A device for mixing together and modifying sounds from a variety of
194. sources: microphones, tapes, CDs, musical instruments, etc..
195. Mr. Sands Theatrical code to warn theatre employees of a fire without frightening the audience. "Mr.
Sands is in the foyer" means that fire has broken out in the foyer.
196. Multiplex A means of sending control signals from a lighting control console to the dimmer packs.
Signals are sent down one cable rather than one per channel as is the case with analogue desks. At the
dimmer end, a de-multiplexer (DMUX) is used to separate the signals and route them to the right
dimmer. Often shortened (in brand names) to MX.
197. Musical Director (MD) In complete control of the music in the production, under the overall control of
the Director. Rehearses the singers and musicians, conducts the orchestra or band, and usually arranges
the music too.
198. Notes At the end of each rehearsal, the director will give his notes, which are his comments on the
performance.
199. Number 1 Bar The lighting bar immediately behind the proscenium arch (qv) or the front bar which
hangs over the stage in a non-proscenium arch theatre.
200. OP Opposite prompt: the right hand side of the stage as you face the audience.
201. Open White A lantern (qv) is said to be "in open white" if no filter or gel is used to colour its light.
202. Paper Complimentary (i.e. free!) tickets. If someone says, "The house is all paper tonight", it means that
most, if not all, of the audience have free tickets.
203. Par Can A type of lantern (qv) which projects a near parallel beam of light, much used by rock bands.
The lamp is a sealed-beam unit (like car headlights) fitted inside the "can". Available, usually, in 300W
or 1kw power, they are sometimes known as parblazers, while lighting manufacturer Strand calls them
"beamlights".
204. Pebble Convex A type of spotlight (qv), with a harder-edged beam than a fresnel (qv) but softer than a
profile (qv). They have a convex lens with a pebbled rear surface. Strand call their PC lanterns "prism
205. convex".
206. Perch A place for hanging lanterns, on the side wall of the theatre auditorium.
Theatrical Vocabulary Glossary
207. Phantom Power A means of powering condenser microphones. A current of (usually) 48 volts is sent
along the mic cable from the mixing desk or, where the mixer does not have phantom power facilities,
from a phantom power box, into which the mic is plugged and which, in turn, plugs into the mixer.
208. Phono Plug A type of connector used on some sound equipment, usually domestic HiFi or video gear.
209. Pin Spot Either a small (usually 100W) spotlight used for special effects (i.e. with a mirror ball) or,
more usually in the theatre, a follow-spot with its iris diaphragm closed to its smallest diameter to
illuminate, for instance, just a face.
210. Pit The sunken area in front of the stage in which the orchestra sits.
211. Plot Lighting term: the actual brightness settings of each lantern and the LX cues. Also used to describe
the process of setting the cues. Can also be used as an alternative for "blocking", i.e. setting the actors in
their positions on-stage at an early stage in rehearsal.
212. Practical Adjective used to describe properties or scenery which have to work as in real life when used;
e.g. a practical ceiling light must actually light up when switched on by an actor.
213. Preset The ability, on a manual lighting control desk (as opposed to one which is computer-controlled)
to set up a lighting cue before it is actually operated. Also the lighting state on a stage before the show
actually starts.
214. Prism Convex Another name for a Pebble Convex spotlight.
215. Producer In amateur companies usually synonymous with the Director, but in the professional theatre
the person who makes all the necessary arrangements for the production to be put on: finding the
finance, smoothing the way for the Director. Almost the equivalent of the Business Manager. The best
producers (the best known is probably Cameron Mackintosh, who produced Les Miserables, Miss
Saigon and many other great hits) has the genius to recognise a potentially great piece of theatre as well
as find the finance for it to be put on.
216. Profile A type of spotlight (qv), with an optical system rather like a projector which produces a narrow,
hard-edged beam of light.
217. Prompt (Side) The left side of the stage, as you face the audience.
218. Prompt Copy See Book. The copy of the script n which all notes, moves, cues etc. are noted.
219. Prompter Amateur companies almost always have a prompter, someone who sits in the wings (qv) and
prompts the actors if they forget their lines. There is no such position in the professional theatre - pros
should not forget lines! Neither should amateurs, for that matter, but it happens - so, if a prompt is
needed, it is given by whoever is "in the corner" (qv).
220. Properties Small items (a sword in an historical play, for instance, or a briefcase) which actors carry
onto or around the stage. Also used loosely for "set dressing" (qv). Usually abbreviated to props.
221. Property Master (or Mistress) Responsible for the obtaining and/or construction of the properties (qv).
222. Proscenium The traditional picture frame type of stage, usually with a curtain. Often abbreviated to
"pros".
223. Proscenium Arch (Or "pros arch"). The actual opening of a proscenium stage.
224. Pyropot A safe container into which a pyro (see Pyrotechnics) charge is plugged for firing.
225. Pyrotechnics Usually abbreviated to "pyro". The use of explosions, flashes, smoke, etc. on-stage.
226. Rake Many stage floors, usually in theatres built for dance or variety, are higher at the back than at the
front, to give the audience a better view. These stages are said to be "raked", and the "rake" is the angle
of slope from back to front. In most modern theatres it is the audience seating that is raked, not the stage.
227. Reprise Musical term: to repeat, in whole or in part, a song which has already been sung in the show.
228. Revolve A stage or, more usually, part of a stage, which can revolve through 360 degrees.
229. Rig A lighting term. To set the lanterns in position. As a noun, its refers to the actually positioning of
the lanterns.
230. Rostrum (Plural: rostra) A moveable platform
Theatrical Vocabulary Glossary
231. Safety Curtain (or Fire Curtain) A curtain of fireproofed material (once upon a time it was asbestos),
usually with a metal frame, which is covers the entire proscenium (qv) opening and acts as a firebreak
between the stage and the auditorium. Known as the "iron", when it is raised or lowered, the theatrical
term is "Iron going in (or out)".
232. Scene Dock Backstage area for storing scenery (and loads of other things too!).
233. Set The scenery for a particular show or inidividual scene.
234. Set Dressing Items on a set which are not actually used by anyone but which make it look more realistic
(e.g. curtains over a window, a bowl of flowers on a table, and so on).
235. Sightlines The area of the stage which can be seen by everyone seated in the auditorium. In some (badly
designed!) theatres, a member of the audience sitting at the ends of certain rows, can only see two thirds
of the stage!
236. Skycloth Alternative name for a cyclorama (qv).
237. Special Lighting term: a lantern (qv) - usually a spotlight (qv) - not used for general illumination but for
a special effect, such a lighting a single actor in one place. Spotlight (Or, simply, "spot") A type of
lantern (qv) whose beam is focused through a lens or series of lenses to make it more controllable.
238. Stage Manager (SM) In charge of everything that happens backstage: all other backstage peronnel,
including heads of departments, report to him. In the professional theatre, once the show starts its run,
s/he takes complete control (including taking any rehearsals for understudies etc.), as the Director's job
is finished once he has given his notes after the final dress rehearsal.
239. State A lighting term, referring to the lanterns (qv) and their dimmer (qv) settings, used in a particular
cue. We talk of a "full-up state" when all lanterns are used at full brightenss, or a "red state", when only
lanterns with red filters are on. During the plotting of the lighting, the operator may be told to "go back
to a state of 2", which means to set the dimmers as they were in cue 2.
240. Strike (See also "Take Down") To dismantle the set and remove it from the stage.
241. Strobe A lantern which emits a regular, controllable series of high power flashes rather than continuous
light. NOTE: strobes can induce fits in epileptics and so warning about their use should always be given
in the programme and verbally before the show starts.
242. Tabs Curtains. The curtains which close across the proscenium arch (qv) are called "House Tabs".
243. Tab Dressing Light on the House Tabs (see "Tabs") before the curtain goes up and during the interval.
244. Talloscope (I have to confess that I am not certain the spelling is correct!) Scaffolding on wheels for
miving around the stage to rig and focus lanterns.
245. Thrust A type of stage which projects out into the auditorium and has audience seated on three sides.
246. Tracks The rails on which curtains (tabs) run,
247. Trap A trapdoor set in the stage floor.
248. Truck A rostrum or platform on wheels, on which scenery can be mounted so that it can be rolled into
any position on-stage.
249. Understudy An actor playing a small part in a production or, in the professional theatre, often an
Assistant Stage Manager, who has learned and rehearsed the part of one of the leading actors to take
over from him/her in the event of illness etc.
250. Upstage At the back of the stage; away from the audience. As a verb: when one actor deliberately draw
the attention of the audience to himself for purely selfish purposes.
251. USL Upstage left.
252. USR Upstage right.
253. Costume Master (or Mistress) Responsible for the making (under the direction of the Designer), repair
and washing of all costumes.
254. Way Another word for "channel" (qv).
255. Wings The sides of the stage, out of sight of the audience, where actors stand before making their
entrance, and where props are kept, ready to be brought onto the stage.
Theatrical Vocabulary Glossary
256. XLR A type of connector for sound equipment.
Theatrical Unities
1. The unity of action: a play should have one main action that it follows, with no or few subplots.
2. The unity of place: a play should cover a single physical space and should not attempt to compress
geography, nor should the stage represent more than one place.
3. The unity of time: the action in a play should take place over no more than 24 hours.
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Mimesis or 'imitation', 'representation'
Katharsis or, variously, 'purgation', 'purification', 'clarification'
Peripeteia or 'reversal'
Anagnorisis or 'recognition'
Hamartia or 'miscalculation' (understood in Romanticism as 'tragic
flaw')
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Mythos or 'plot'
Ethos or 'character'
Dianoia or 'thought', 'theme'
Lexis or 'diction', 'speech'
Melos or 'melody'
Opsis or 'spectacle'