|
A
Accent the specific sound qualities of the speech of a region
Act
to
perform or play a role; a division of a drama
Action
the core of a theatrical piece; the sense of forward movement
created by a sense of time and/or the physical and psychological
motivations of characters
Arena Stage
a
performance space in which the audience sits all around the
stage; sometimes called intheround
Articulation
the clear and precise pronunciation of words
Audition
an interviewlike opportunity in which actors are able to
demonstrate their talents, meet the person hiring the cast, and
leave impressions of themselves
back
to top
B
Backstage all areas of a stage other than the acting area that are out of
sight of the audience
Beat
a
smaller section of a scene; divided where a shift in emotion or
topic occurs
Blocking The
pattern actors follow in moving around on the stage. Usually
determined by the director; when created by the actor, this is
called “self blocking.”
Box office where ticket sales are handled, usually located in the lobby of
a theatre
back
to top
C
Call back an invitation to an actor to return for a second audition
Cast (verb) to be chosen to play a specific role in a play; (noun)
the group of actors who take the roles in a play
Catharsis
an emotional purification of relief
Character One of the people who figures in a play; a part played by an
actor.
Choreographer an artist who designs (choreographs) dances for the stage
Climax the turning point in a plot when conflict comes to an emotional
crest; the point at which the rising action becomes the falling
action
Cold reading auditioning with a script that you have not had the opportunity
to read before the audition
Comedy a light and amusing play that typically has a happy ending
Commedia
dell'arte
a
professional form of theatrical improvisation developed in Italy
in the 1500s. These farces feature standard plot outlines and
stock characters
Conflict
The struggle between opposing ideas, interests, or other forces
in the play. The existence of conflict, either external or
internal within a character is central in drama.
Convention Any
familiar theatrical custom that is accepted unquestioningly by
the audience
Costume any clothing an actor wears onstage for a performance
Costume
designer the person who designs costumes to build or chooses costumes to
rent, borrow, or buy for a production
Creative
drama
an
improvisational, non-exhibitional, process-centered form of
drama in which participants are guided by a leader to imagine,
enact, and reflect upon human experiences.
Cross
to move
from one place onstage to another
Cue
a signal
for something to happen
Cue line a final line that signals an actor to begin the next speech
Curtain call the return of the entire cast to the stage after the end of the
performance, when the actors acknowledge applause
back
to top
D
Denouement
the final resolution of the conflict in a plot
Design team those who design and coordinate a production's set, props,
lighting, sound, costumes, and makeup
Diagonal
a
stage composition of two actors who are not on the same plane or
in a shared position
Dialect
language features peculiar to the speech of a particular region
Dialogue
the lines of the play spoken by the actors in character
Downstage, Upstage
Downstage is
the part of the stage closest to the audience; upstage is the
part farthest away.
Director
the person who oversees the entire process of staging a
production
Downstage
the stage area toward the audience
Dramatic
conflict
refers to
the conflict in which the main character in a play engages; one
of two elements out of which most scripts grow. There are four
types of dramatic conflict: 1) person against person; 2) person
against self; 3) person against society; 4) person against
nature or fate.
Dress
rehearsals
the final
phase of rehearsals before an opening night performance, run
with all technical elements in place and without interruption
back
to top
E
Ensemble
The interaction and blending of the efforts of the many artists
involved in the dramatic activity of theatrical production
Exposition
the beginning part of a plot that provides important background
information
back
to top
F
Falling
action
the series
of events following the climax of a plot
Farce comedy with exaggerated characterizations, abundant physical or
visual humor, and often an improbable plot
Fight
director a directing specialist who choreographs both armed and unarmed
fight scenes and stunts onstage
Fourth wall
an imaginary wall between the audience and the actors in a
representational play
Front of
house
box office
and lobby
back
to top
G
Genre classifications by type; distinct classifications of literature
Gesture
an expressive movement of the body or limbs
Ground plan a top view drawing of the floor plan of a set, usually in scale
back
to top
H
Hero the central male character in a play
Heroine
the central female character in a play
The house
the auditorium or seating of a theatre
back
to top
I
Improvise
to speak or to act without a script
Inciting
incident
the event
the sets in motion the action of a plot
Inflection
variety in speech reflecting changing thoughts and emotions
back
to top
|
L
Lighting
designer
the
person who develops a lighting concept and design for a
production. The lighting designer oversees installation
and operation of lighting for the production
Lighting
plot a plan, usually drawn to scale, showing the placement of
lighting instruments
back
to top
M
Makeup
cosmetics and hairstyling that an actor uses to emphasize facial
features or add age or other special qualities called for by a
character
Mask (verb) to use backing, such as flats, draperies, or drops, to
hide backstage areas from the view of the audience; (noun) an
artificial covering for all or part of the face
Mime
an art form based in pantomime using conventionalized gestures
to express ideas rather than to represent actions; a performer
of mime
Monologue a story, speech, or scene performed by one actor alone
Motivation
a
character's reason for doing or saying things
Musical
theatre a type of entertainment containing music, songs, and usually
dance
back
to top
O
Objective
a
character's goal or intention
Obstacle
something that stands between a character and his or her ability
to meet an objective or achieve a goal
Open to keep your face and the front of your body visible to the
audience as much as possible
back to top
P
Pantomime
to act without words through facial expression and gesture
Performance a representation before an audience; entertainment
Pitch how high the or low you voice is
Platform a set piece with a solid top and braced legs, built to support
the weight of actors, furniture, and props
Plot
the
sequence of events; the
structure of a play, including the exposition, inciting
incident, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement
Principle
an actor who has a major role in a musical
Producer
the person who oversees the business details of a theatrical
production
Production
team the director, producer, and their staffs, and the designers who
work together to design and coordinate the production
Project to make your voice fill the performing space; to cast an image
or patterned light onto a screen or other surface
Property
or Prop anything that an actor handles onstage as well as
furniture and other items used to enhance the set
Proscenium
stage a performance space in which the audience views the action as if
through a picture frame
Protagonist
the main character of a play and the character with which the
audience identifies most strongly
back
to top
R
Rendering
a finished representation of a set or costume, produced with a
colored pencil, paint, pastel, marking pens, or computer
graphics
Resonance
a
quality caused by vibration that enriches vocal tone
Rising
action
the middle
part of a plot, consisting of complications and discoveries that
create conflict
Role
a part
in a play that is
written by the playwright. The basis of an actor’s
characterization.
back
to top
S
Scene
the
basic structural element of a play; each scene deals with a
significant crisis or confrontation. In filmmaking, a scene is
a segment of continuous action that can be recorded in one place
with one camera
Scenery
onstage decoration to help establish the time and place of a
play
Script
the text of a play
Set the onstage physical space and its structures in which the
actors perform
Set designer
the person who develops the design and concept of the set
Sight lines
lines indicating visibility of onstage and backstage areas from
various points in the house
Sound
designer
the person who determines the kinds of sound needed for a
production. The sound designer supervises the sound crew in
recording sounds and providing live sounds, setting up sound
equipment, and sound playback during a show.
Spectacle the technical stagecraft used in presenting a drama
Stage Business Actions or behavior, usually created by the actor, used to
clarify characterization or create atmosphere.
Stage
Manager
the director’s technical liaison backstage during rehearsals and
performances
Stage Picture The succession of tableaux created by a director through
blocking
Strike
to take down the set
Symbol a concrete image used to represent an abstract concept or idea
back
to top
T
Tableau or
tableaux
a silent and motionless depiction of a scene, often from a
picture
Theatre
The imitation/ representation of life, performed for other
people; the place that is the setting for dramatic performances
Theme the underlying meaning of a literary work
Thespian
an actor
Thrust stage
a combination of
the proscenium and the arena stages, with the audience sitting
on two or three sides of the acting area
Touring
company
a company of actors who take their show on the road
Tragedy
a play that ends in defeat or death of the main character; it is
based on a serious theme or conflict, as opposed to comedy
Transition
movement, gesture, or words that acts as a bridge between beats
in a monologue; verbal or visual connection that links scenes
back to top
U
Understudy
the actor who learns the part of another actor playing a major
role; he or she is ready to go onstage in the unexpected absence
of the original actor
Upstage (noun) the stage area away from the audience; (verb) to stand
upstage of another actor on a proscenium stage, forcing the
downstage actor to turn away from the audience to communicate
with the upstage actor, to steal the focus of the scene
back
to top
V
Villain
the character who commits a crime; the opponent of the hero or
heroine
Volume
how loud or soft your voice is
back
to top
W
Where
Environment, whether onstage or in the outside world.
Who Character and relationships as shown through behavior
Wings
the left
and right sides of a stage immediately outside the scenery,
unseen by the audience
back
to top
|
