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Terms Used in the Theatre (2nd version, reorganization)
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General beginning terms:
actor
directing
director
dramaturg
playwright
A person, male or female, who performs a role in a play or an entertainment.
The art and technique of bringing the elements of theatre together to make a play
The person who oversees the entire process of staging a production.
A person who provides specific in-depth knowledge and literary resources to a director,
producer, theatre company, or even the audience.
A person who writes plays.
curtain
theatre
The drapery that shuts off the stage from the audience
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.
play
royalty
script
text
The stage representation of an action or a story; a dramatic composition.
A payment made to a playwright for permission to perform his or her play
The written text of a play.
The printed words, including dialogue and the stage directions for a script.
acting areas
arena stage ('theaterin-the-round')
backstage
center stage
downstage
offstage
proscenium
See center stage, downstage, stage left, stage right, and upstage.
A stage that is entirely surrounded by the audience
The Theatre and stage
proscenium stage
rake
stage
stage left
stage right
thrust stage
upstage
wings
The area behind the set or backdrop that is not seen by the audience
The center of the acting area.
The stage area toward the audience.
All parts of the stage not visible to the audience
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.
A conventional stage where the audience views the play through a permanent framed
opening which is usually curtained
The angled floor of the audience, or sometimes the stage
The area where actors perform.
The left side of the stage from the perspective of an actor facing the audience.
The right side of the stage from the perspective of an actor facing the audience.
A stage that is surrounded by audience on three sides
the area of the stage farthest from the audience;
used as a verb, to steal the focus of a scene.
The offstage areas to the left and right of the acting area, usually curtained so as not to
be visible to the audience
borders
fly
legs
teaser
tormentors
A short curtain hung across the stage, blocks audience vision of lights
The area above the stage where lights, drops and scenery may be suspended
Narrow drapes, hung in pairs, stage left and right, to mask the backstage areas
The curtain hung across the proscenium opening
Legs placed just upstage of the proscenium opening
box office
greenroom
Where tickets are purchased for performances
Backstage room where actors assemble before and after performances, and await for
their cues during performances
The auditorium, or seating area, where the audience views the performance
house
Play types and play analysis
antagonist
climax
complication
conflict
context
conventions of
theatre
crisis
denouement
drama
exposition
pacing
plot
protagonist
rising action
comedy
farce
genre
masks
melodrama
musical theatre
mystery
period play (period
piece)
puppetry
reader’s theatre
tragedy
critique
production values
style
theatrical
conventions
The character or situation working against the protagonist
The point of highest dramatic tension or a major turning point in the action.
See rising action.
The opposition of persons or forces giving rise to dramatic action in a play.
The interrelated conditions in which a play exists or occurs.
See theatrical conventions.
A decisive point in the plot of a play on which the outcome of the remaining actions
depends.
The final resolution of the conflict in a plot.
A play that considers serious issues and proposes solutions
Detailed information revealing the facts of a plot.
The tempo of an entire theatrical performance
The events of the story organized to achieve dramatic effect
The main character of a play and the character with whom the audience identifies most
strongly.
The middle part of a plot consisting of complications and discoveries that create conflict.
A play with a happy ending and humorous treatment of characters and situations
A comedy with exaggerated characterizations, abundant physical or visual humor, and,
often, an improbable plot.
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.
Coverings worn over the face or part of the face of an actor to emphasize or neutralize
facial characteristics.
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.
A type of entertainment containing music, songs, and, usually, dance.
A type of play that focuses on crime or a situation that requires clues
A play that is set in a particular historical period with speech patterns, manners, and
costumes
Almost anything brought to life by human hands to create a performance. Types of
puppets include rod, hand, and marionette.
A performance created by actors reading script rather working from memory.
A play in which the main character ('protagonist') has a major flaw, or is caught in a
circumstance that must be overcome, or it will destroy the character's life
Opinions and comments based on predetermined criteria that may be used for selfevaluation or the evaluation of the actors or the production itself.
The critical elements of a production, such as acting, direction, lighting, costuming, sets,
and makeup.
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.
The established techniques, practices, and devices unique to theatrical productions.
Acting:
audition
bit (bit part)
callback
casting
cold reading
extras
repertory ('rep')
stage fright
stock characters
walk-on
actor’s position
blocking
body positions
counter-cross
cross
cue
dialogue
dress rehearsals
gesture
memorization
monologue
pantomime
props (properties)
reading
read-through
rehearsal
run
run-through
scene
stage business
steal the scene
(upstage)
subtext
upstage
character
characterization
collaboration
context
empathy
ensemble
improvisation
mime
motivation
objective
An opportunity to try out for a play
A character with very few lines in a play
Asking selected actors to audition for a second time for a part in a play
The process of selecting actors for the particular roles in the production
A reading of a script done by actors who have not previously reviewed the play.
Actors who have no lines and serve as background in scenes.
A sequence of plays performed over a period of time
The feeling of nervousness or anxiety before a performance
Established characters, such as young lovers, neighborhood busybodies, sneaky villains,
and overprotective fathers, who are immediately recognizable by an audience.
A small part for an actor that does not include speaking lines
The orientation of the actor to the audience (e.g., full back, full front, right profile, left
profile, ¼; ¾.
The planning and working out of the movements of actors on stage.
See actor’s position.
An actors movement in the opposite direction to the cross made by another actor
An actor's movement from one part of the stage to another
A signal, either verbal or physical, that indicates something else, such as a line of
dialogue or an entrance, is to happen.
The conversation between actors on stage.
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.
An expressive movement of the body or limbs.
Committing the lines of the script to memory
A long speech by a single character.
Acting without words through facial expression, gesture, and movement.
Items carried on stage by an actor; small items on the set used by the actors.
A staging of a play done with scripts in hand, without memorization
A rehearsal at which the play is read by the members of the cast
Practice sessions in which the actors and technicians prepare for public performance
through repetition.
The continuous series of performances of a production
A rehearsal moving from start to finish without stopping for corrections or notes.
A small segment of a play usually containing one central idea or line of action
The actions performed by actors on stage involving the use of props
To divert attention away from the actor who should be the center of attention
Information that is implied by a character but not stated by a character in dialogue,
including actions and thoughts.
Used as a noun, the stage area away from the audience;
The personality or part an actor re-creates.
The development and portrayal of a personality through thought, action, dialogue,
costuming, and makeup.
The act of working together in a joint intellectual effort.
The interrelated conditions in which a play exists or occurs.
The flow of emotion from the actor to the audience
A group of theatrical artists working together to create a theatrical production.
A spontaneous style of theatre in which scenes are created without advance rehearsing
or scripting.
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.
A character’s reason for doing or saying things in a play.
A character’s goal or intention.
Voice:
articulation
diaphragmatic
breathing
diction
inflection
pitch (inflection)
projection
range
rate
resonance
vocal projection
vocal quality
volume
The clear and precise pronunciation of words.
Deep breathing using the full capacity of the lungs and muscle between the rib-cage
and abdomen, necessary for the production of strong voice on stage
The pronunciation of words, the choice of words, and the manner in which a person
expresses himself or herself.
See pitch
The highness or lowness of the voice.
The placement and delivery of volume, clarity, and distinctness of voice for
communicating to an audience.
The distance in pitch between the lowest and highest tones the actor can produce
The speed of speaking
The quality of the voice that amplifies and enriches tone
See projection.
The characteristics of a voice, such as shrill, nasal, raspy, breathy, booming, and so
forth.
The degree of loudness or intensity of a voice.
History of theatre:
Commedia Dell’arte
Elizabethan Theatre
Epic Theatre
Greek Theatre
Kabuki
Noh
Theatre Of The
Absurd
A professional form of theatrical improvisation, developed in Italy in the 1500s,
featuring stock characters and standardized plots.
The theatre of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and often extended to the
close of the theatres in 1640.
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.
Theatrical events in honor of the god Dionysus and occurred in Ancient Greece and
included play competitions and a chorus of masked actors.
One of the traditional forms of Japanese theatre, originating in the 1600s and combining
stylized acting, costumes, makeup, and musical accompaniment.
One of the traditional forms of Japanese theatre in which masked male actors use highly
stylized dance and poetry to tell stories.
Theatrical movement beginning in the 1950s in which playwrights created works
representing the universe as unknowable and humankind’s existence as meaningless.
Tech theatre:
batten
backdrop (drop)
box set
cyc (cyclorama)
flat
floor plan (ground
plan)
fly (v.)
platform
rails
scenery
scrim
stiles
ellipsoidal
fresnel
gel
light plot
lighting designer
scoop
throw
character makeup
corrective makeup
(see straight makeup)
greasepaint (cream
makeup)
makeup
makeup designer
pancake makeup
straight makeup
(corrective makeup)
borrow
build
costume
costume designer
pull
grip
house manager
stage crew
stage manager
mixer
sound designer
props (properties)
prop manager
dress (the stage)
Long piece of wood or pipe from which scenery, lights and curtains are suspended
Large piece of cloth on which scenery is painted, hung from battens at the back of a stage setting
Common type of set constructed to represent the walls of a room
Background drop, or curtain, that covers the back of the stage and the sides
Wooden frame covered with canvas or wood panel, the basic unit of structure in a box
set
Drawing of the overhead view of the stage & set, showing the location of walls,
openings and set pieces
To raise or lower on lines in the fly space
Set piece with a solid top to support actors, furniture and props
The horizontal elements (top and bottom) of a flat
Onstage decoration to help establish the time and place of the play
Drop made of that seems opaque when lit from front, and semi-transparent when lit
from behind
Vertical part (sides) of a flat
Lighting instrument with an elliptical reflector
A spotlight, featuring a fresnel (stepped) lens; projects strong light with a soft edge
Transparent color medium placed over a lighting instrument to color the light
Detailed plan showing location of lighting instruments, areas of stage, and allocation
circuits and dimmers
Person responsible for design of lighting and operation of lights during production
Large hemispherical unfocused light source; provides wide, soft lighting
The distance from the lighting fixture to the area being lit
Makeup that changes the appearance of an actor into that of the character being
portrayed
Oil-based stage makeup
Cosmetics and sometimes hairstyles that an actor wears on stage to emphasize facial
features, historical periods, characterizations, and so forth.
Person responsible for design and application of makeup for the production
Water-based stage makeup
Makeup that enhances and corrects the features of the actor without changing his or her
appearance
Any clothing worn by an actor on stage during a performance.
Person overseeing the design, acquisition, creation and storage of costumes for the
production
Use an item (prop, costume, set piece) from storage
Stagehand who moves scenery
Person responsible for all activities related to house and audience: seating, ticket sales,
ushers, refreshments
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.
The director’s liaison backstage during rehearsal and performance. The stage manager
is responsible for the running of each performance.
Electronic device that receives sound signals from various sources (mikes, CD, DVD,
cassette and reel-to-reel tape decks)and combines them for the amplifier
Person responsible for overseeing the design and acquisition of sound elements, and
operation of sound equipment
Items carried on stage by an actor; small items on the set used by the actors.
Person responsible for the acquisition, repair, and storage of props
The placement of pictures, fixtures, other objects to complete the scenery
set
set designer
sight lines
The scenery for an act or scene
Person responsible for overseeing the design , construction, and storage of the set
Lines indicating visibility of onstage and offstage areas from various points in the house
dress rehearsal
strike
Uninterrupted rehearsal with costumes and props; final rehearsal before opening
To dismantle the set after the play, and store the elements for future use