Glossary of Theatre Terms
Here is a list of many of the terms used in the theatre. If you know the first letter of the word, click on the
appropriate letter below. Only the underlined letters have corresponding terms.
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
Sources Used:
McCaslin, Nellie. Creative Drama in the Classroom and Beyond, seventh edition. Addison Wesley Longman, Inc, 2000.
National Standards for Arts Education. Music Educators National Conference, Reston, VA, 1994.
Theatre: Art in Action. National Textbook Company, Lincolnwood, Illinois, USA, 1999.
Compiled By:
Sara Rae’chelle Fisher and Jeremy Kisling
© Lexington Children's Theatre 418 West Short Street Lexington, KY 40507 |  Email |  Twitter | Facebook |
