Appendix:Glossary of theatre

This is a glossary of terms commonly used in theatre.

Contents:	A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

ad lib

Acting without having planned what to do or say. Often done to cover up for something having gone wrong or for forgotten lines. Also common in some forms of theatre such as pantomime. Also spelled adlibbing or ad-libbing.

against type

Playing a different sort of character than expected. See typecasting.

am dram

Amateur dramatics; Non-professional productions.

amateur theatre

Non-professional theatre.

antagonist

A character that hinders the protagonist from achieving his or her goals.

anti-naturalism

An acting style in which the audience is kept aware that they are watching a performance rather than reality. (See Brechtian Acting.)

apron

The stage area in front of the proscenium arch.

aside

A dramatic technique in which a line is said by one character to him or herself or to the audience. The line is unheard by the other characters onstage.

avenue staging

The staging of a performance with the audience placed on two sides, as though the performance space is a street. Also called "alley" or "tennis-court" staging in regional variations.

B

beat

The smallest division of action in a play. The length of time necessary for a character to play an "Objective" (also called "Intention" or "Goal") from beginning to end. Also a very short pause.

blocking

An actor's movement around a set, or the notations regarding movement in an actor's script. Also for one actor to get between another actor and the audience (see mask).

"boards"

A slang term for the stage (from the wood plank floor)."Treading the boards."

bravo

Acclamation, by the audience, for a fine performance

"break a leg"

A saying for actors before they go out on stage, meaning "good luck".

Brechtian acting

An acting style in which the actors purposely try to alienate the audience from the characters in order to constantly remind them they are watching a play, based on the theories of Bertolt Brecht

C

call times

The times at which each individual actor is expected to be at the theater. Call times vary based on the amount of time required to make-up the actor and may be staggered among smaller roles to allow for sharing of dressing room space and/or make up artists.

"cans"

A slang term used for communication head-sets used during shows. The head set commonly uses one ear piece and a microphone. these are connected using XLRs in to a separate patch bay, normally next to the sound desk.

cast

The actors in a play.

casting

The process of choosing the actors for a play.

cat-walk

A narrow, often elevated walkway, as on the sides of a bridge or in the flies above a theater stage

character actor

An actor or actress who specializes in playing secondary roles. Character parts are not the romantic lead, but the additional funny, scary, or otherwise exaggerated roles.

cheating

The practice of turning one's body towards the audience even while keeping the head facing one's scene partner. Cheating is usually necessary for the audience to really see the actors and view the scene.

chookas

A term used in Australian theatre (along with the traditional 'break a leg') to wish 'good luck' for a performance.

cold reading

A reading from a script or other text without any prior rehearsal, usually in the context of an audition or workshop.

community theatre

A performance by amateurs (or unpaid actors) as opposed to professional (paid) theatre. Some community theatre groups actually have registration "fees" that must be paid before rehearsals begin. This is usually to cover the cost of rehearsal space if their sponsoring Theatre does not have space.

corpse

To laugh when on stage, as the actor, not the character, would.

cover

Another term for Understudy

covering

To make up dialogue and or blocking due to a mistake or accident onstage without breaking character.

crossing

To move from one point on the stage to another, especially to a diametrically opposed point.

cue-to-cue

When the lighting or sound crew runs through each of its cues to check for errors. This is done without actors onstage, or with actors citing only the cues for the tech.

curtain call

When the actors come to the front of the stage to bow at the end of a performance.

D

death role

A character who dies.

deck

Stage area.

dialogue

A reciprocal conversation between two or more persons; the speaking lines of a script.

digital multiplex

A communications protocol used in stage lighting; may also refer specifically to DMX512 cable

director

The person who directs a show. In most cases, the director has the final say on all aspects of the production.

distanciation

In Brechtian performance, when actors maintain distance from their character by reminding the audience through often stylized gestures or behavior that they are simply people pretending, instead of trying to identify with their "character".

DMX

Digital multiplex.

downstage

Toward the front of the stage; in the direction of the audience.

dramatist

The author of a play.

dramaturge

A theatrical scholar. During production a dramaturge is responsible for historical accuracy, and conforming to the vision of the absent, or deceased, playwright.

dress

Dress rehearsal.

dress circle

In some theatres, a shallow gallery level above the main seating. In UK proscenium houses, it is a (sometimes large) balcony above the stalls.

dress rehearsal

A run-through of the play with all actors wearing full costumes. Generally, dress rehearsals also include full make-up and music (when applicable). It's often the final rehearsal before performance.

dry tech

When the running crew practices each scene change without actors onstage. This is done to ensure each scene change can be completed swiftly and quietly.

E

emotional memory

In method acting, when an actor attempts to draw upon sense memories causing emotions to match the emotions of their character.

exeunt

(archaic) A stage direction calling for more than one person to exit, from the Latin exire, "to go out." Mostly found in classical plays.

exeunt omnes

(archaic) A stage direction meaning all the cast exit.

exit

A stage direction which specifies which person goes off stage.

F

final call

The half.

fit up

The process of setting up the theatre for the show.

fourth wall

An imaginary surface at the edge of the stage through which the audience watches a performance. If a character speaks directly to the audience or walks on/off the stage, this is known as breaking the fourth wall.

french scene

A section of a play between any entrance or exit of any character

front of house

Services including parking, concessions, ushering, and playbill distributing. Also called Ticketing / Box office.

full house

The state of all of the seats being filled; the state of the entire audience section being filled to capacity.

G

gallery

The highest section of the theatre; a section at the back or sides without seats where people can stand to watch a performance, usually raised.

get in

Fit up; the process of setting up the theatre for the show.

ghost

To be used as a singing voice for another actor. (See also, ghost-writer.)

ghost light

A light left on the stage overnight and/or when the stage is not in use for safety. It also has superstitious meaning for the run of the play.

gods

Gallery.

GOTE

An acronym (Goal, Obstacle, Tactics and Expectation) used to remind actors of their most basic work in character development.

H

the half

The time before a performance by which all actors must be present in the theatre – traditionally half an hour before curtain up.

ham

A bad actor; usually one who overacts or hogs the spotlight. Can be used endearingly to describe rambunctious, but good actors.

house

The theatre, the people in the theatre, the audience.

I

intention

A single, temporary desire or goal that arises in a character within a scene. (Also called "Objective" and "Goal".)

intermission

A break between acts (usually first and second, but some plays have three or more acts).

interval

An intermission.

improvisation

When an actor who is "in character" makes up action or dialog without prior scripting. (see Ad Libbing and Improvisational theatre.)

indicating

Unrealistic or untruthful acting. At its worst it is often associated with acting of the past in which realism was not ubiquitously prized and stereotyped gestures were used to "indicate" emotions rather than actually showing them.

issue

To leave the stage.

to run Italians

To speak one's lines very fast, either individually or as a cast; thought to assist in committing lines and cues to memory. Also called "speed-through".

J

jumper cable

An extension cable with a stagepin head.

L

leading lady

The actress playing the largest role in the cast performed by a female (or originally intended for that purpose).

leading man

The actor playing the largest role in the cast performed by a male (or originally intended for that purpose).

legs

Masking curtains hung vertically and parallel to the sides of the proscenium. Legs define the sides of the performing area and hide offstage areas from the view of the audience.

LX

Referring to the lighting department of the crew (lighting designer, head electrician, lighting operator etc).

M

manent

Manet.

manet

(archaic) A stage direction calling for a person (or more than one person) to remain on stage as others exit, corresponding to the Latin manent, meaning "they remain."

mask

To block another actor, or something worn over the face, sometimes expressing emotion. (See Kabuki.)

masking

Drapery or flats used to frame the stage, and stop the audience from seeing the backstage areas.

method acting

Acting style in which the ideal of a "true"( or "real") moment or impulse is valued most highly; the actors try to feel the emotions of the character so that the actors' choices and the characters' would be as one---i.e. inevitable. Pioneered by Konstantin Stanislavski, currently taught most formally at The Actor's Studio in Manhattan. Of note, the American Method acting of the popular imagination was based on an early, incomplete experiment of Stanislavski's. Many if not most modern teachers have moved away from the original (Stanislavskian ) "method" as it is truly difficult to teach well, has been altered by many secondary and tertiary disciples in the '60s and '70s to suit personal agendas, and can produce seemingly uninteresting and almost "masturbatory" results in younger actors. Marlon Brando and Dustin Hoffman are perhaps the best examples of masterful methodists who use and discard various parts of many schools of thought to achieve success.

monologue

An extended set of lines spoken by one person either directly addressing the audience (as in a soliloquy) or another character (a speech).

monotone

When a person speaks with no change in tone.

motivation

A character's individual desires or goals which propel them into action ;the driving force of an inciting event that starts a story's progression. Also known as "objective" or "super-objective".

mug

To make exaggerated facial gestures in order to draw the audience's attention

O

objective

A single, temporary desire or goal that arises in a character within a scene. (Also called "Intention".)

obstacle

A force opposing a character's "objective" (or "intention") which gives rise to dramatic tension and conflict.

OTT

Over The Top, or over-exaggerating when acting.

orchestra

The seats on the lower part of the theatre.

orchestra pit

where the musicians play, usually directly in front of the stage, often sunken below the seating sections.

omnes

(archaic) In stage directions, all the cast.

outcome

what happens after the character achieves his/her Objectives

P

packed house

Full house.

parascenium

in a Greek theatre, the wall on either side of the stage, reaching from the back wall to the orchestra.

part

A character; the portion of the script intended for one character.

parterre

The upper part of the main seating. Usually behind a cross aisle, and almost always steeper than the lower Orchestra.

preferred reading

The interpretation of the script that is stressed by the author or the text itself.

promenade

A performance of a play in which the actors and audience occupy the same space, with no distinction between acting area and audience area. The audience is given the freedom to explore the space together with the performance, and there is generally an element of audience interaction in the play.

prompt

To tell an actor his next line when he has forgotten it. Also the person whose job it is to do this (also called the prompter). It used to mean the side of the stage where the prompter sat. The other side of the stage was called 'Opposite Prompt' or OP.

prop

Property.

property

An object used in the play, from the Middle English proppe, meaning a support, not originally related to property as in ownership; does not include scenery or costumes.

proscenium

Proscenium arch.

proscenium arch

The boundary between the stage and the audience in a conventional theatre; it appears to form an arch over the stage from the audience's point of view. In some cases, it does create an arch over the stage.

protagonist

The main character; the hero or heroine.

pseudomonologue

When only one half of a dialogue is portrayed, especially either just the questions or the answers, wherein the performer is not directly addressing the audience.

R

raked stage

When the set inclines as it goes upstage. Often used in the past (especially in Shakespeare's time) to force the perspective of the stage picture. This has determined the sections of the stage; i.e. "Upstage".

read through

A reading of the entire play or act without blocking.

rehearsal

Practice of the play.

run

Run through.

run through

A practice of an entire play or act.

S

script

The text of the dialogue and stage directions of a play; to write a play.

sense memory

In method acting, when an actor attempts to recall memories of the physical sensations surrounding prior emotions in order to utilize emotional memory.

signs of character

The various cues that convey a character's personality, emotion or motivation.

signs of performance

An actor's movements, expressions and vocal tones and patterns that contribute to signs of character.

site specific

A play which is created or specifically modified to use the character of the performance space to the greatest advantage. Site specific spaces are usually locations which are not normally used for showcasing theatre, but have another primary function (warehouse, mansion, abandoned military bunker, etc).

social actor

People who portray themselves in a performance, usually previously known to the audience.

sold out

When the number of tickets sold for a performance is equal to or greater than the number of available seats.

soliloquy

A monologue spoken by a character to him or herself or the audience to reaveal his or her thoughts.

SRO

See "Standing Room Only".

stalls

Orchestra.

stage direction

In the script of a play, any instruction for the actors, or setting, or character description.

stage left

The side of the stage on the left when facing the audience.

stage right

The side of the stage on the right when facing the audience.

standing ovation

At the end of a performance, when the audience stands and claps, a higher form of praise than normal applause.

standing room

A space where people can stand to watch a performance, especially if all the seats are filled. (See Gallery.) Most New York houses count standing room tickets in their house counts. The Lion King caused quite a stir when it didn't, and boasted more than 100 percent house counts for months.

standing room only

Admittance to a performance after all of the seats are filled which requires people to stand to watch.

strike

to remove a set piece or from the stage ("Strike that chair.") To "strike the show" is to disassemble the entirety of the set, return all equipment to storage and leave the venue as it was before the show was set up. May be used as a noun to refer to the event at which the show is struck.

stock character

A archtypical or stereotyped character, usually originating in Roman comedy and finding its widest expression in Commedia dell'arte. Stock characters continue to be used, however, in one form or another and examples include the lover, crafty servant, the miser, the clown, etc.

super

Supernumerary.

supernumerary

Extra, walk-on part, most often speaks no words.

supporting cast

Actors who are not playing major parts.

T

tabs

The curtains separating the stage from the audience.

tech

Techie.

tech

Technical rehearsal.

techie

A general slang term for a member of the technical crew of a show.

technical rehearsal

A rehearsal primarily for the purpose of practicing the technical elements of a play, such as lights and sound.

theater

Building where acting takes place (also a cinema)

theatre

The world of this type of acting, or the world of acting in general; the art itself.

theatre in the round

Any theatre where the audience is seated on every side of the stage. (See arena.)

thrust

A stage that extends out into the audience, so that the audience is seated on three sides of it.

Toi-toi

A term used in Dutch movie, television, theatre or video to wish 'good luck' for a performance.

typecast

When an actor becomes associated with only one type of role or character, often based on physical appearance.

U

understudy

An actor familiar with another actor's role so that he or she can substitute in an emergency.

upstage

Towards the back of the stage; the half of the stage that is farthest from the audience; to outshine another's performance, especially when the other has a larger part or is more well-known. (The third meaning derives from the simplest means of "upstaging" another actor: to walk "upstage" of an actor, thereby forcing the other actor to turn his or her back to the audience while the "upstage" actor can stand full front, facing the audience. For the origin of the former two meanings, see raked stage)

V

verisimilitude

The trait of seeming truthful or appearing to be real, from the Latin veri similis, "like the truth."

viewpoints

An directing technique championed by Anne Bogart. Originally it was a dance and movement technique extended to apply to the movement of actors and manipulation of a stage image by a director. It was also later extended as an acting technique.

W

walkdown

Curtain call.

wardrobe

Costumes, or the people responsible for them.

wardrobe mistress / master

The person in charge of the costume department.

wings

The "backstage" or parts of a stage off to the left and right not seen by the audience.

See also

ballet, Chinese opera, comedy, drama, epic theatre, farce, kabuki, melodrama, mime, musical theatre, opera, operetta, pantomime, paradigmatic structure, syntagmatic structure, suspension of disbelief, tragedy, tragicomedy, vaudeville