Theatre Vocabulary

1. Theatre Vocabulary We need to speak the same language

2. Directorial Staff • Director: This is the person who makes all the decisions regarding the way actors deliver their lines and where they are positioned on stage. If the production is a musical, there will also be a Music Director and Choreographer.

3. Design Staff • Set Designer: This person designs the sets for a production. This includes backdrops, props, set pieces. • Costume Designer: designs and assembles the costumes. • Lighting Designer: determines how lights will be used for the production.

4. Design Staff cont… • Sound Designer: This person is responsible for amplifying the actors’ voices. • Prop Master: constructs or acquires any properties which may be necessary. • Make-up Artist: responsible for all character make-up for the production. All characters need to have make-up to help the characters faces, under the lights, appear in the correct fashion.

5. Vocabulary • Acts – large divisions in a play. • Scenes – smaller subdivisions within the act. Each scene takes place in a specific location or setting. • Stage – the area from which the actors perform for the audience.

6. Vocabulary cont… • Onstage – anything in view of the audience. • Offstage – anything outside the view of the audience. (A.K.A. Backstage). • House – where the audience sits to watch the performance.

7. Stage Vocabulary • Upstage – area of stage furthest from the audience. • Downstage – area of the stage closest to the audience. • Stage right – area of the stage to the right of the actor as he/she is facing the audience.

8. Stage Vocabulary cont… • Stage left – area of the stage to the left of the actor as he/she is facing the audience. • Centerstage – Absolute center of stage. • Apron – section of the stage that extends forward in front of the main curtain.

9. Stage Positions

10. Stage Vocabulary cont… • Green room: room where the actors wait for their entrance cues. (It doesn’t matter what color the walls are painted.) • Shop: space that is set aside for the construction and painting of scenery and props.

11. Body Positions • Open up: each character turns slightly towards the audience.

13. Articulation: The clear and precise pronunciation of words. • Blocking: The planning and working out of the movements of actors on stage. • Concentration: The ability of the actor/actress to be “in” character - that is, to be like the character s/he is portraying – in dialog, attitude, carriage, gait, etc.

14. Characterization: The development and portrayal of a personality through thought, action, dialogue, costuming, and makeup. • Cold reading: A reading of a script done by actors who have not previously reviewed the play. • Collaboration: Two or more people working together in a joint intellectual effort.

15. Context: Interrelated conditions in which a play exists or occurs. • Costume: 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.

16. Cue: A signal, either verbal or physical, that indicates something else, such as a line of dialogue or an entrance, is to happen. • Denouement: 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.

17. 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. • 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.

18. Emotional memory: The technique of calling upon your own memories to understand a character’s emotions. • Ensemble: A group of theatrical artists working together to create a theatrical production. • Monologue: A long speech by a single character. • Motivation: A character’s reason for doing or saying things in a play.

19. Objective: A character’s goal or intention • Pacing: The tempo of an entire theatrical performance. • Pantomime: Acting without words through facial expression, gesture, and movement. • Pitch: The highness or lowness of voice

20. Projection: The placement and delivery of volume, clarity, and distinctness of voice for communicating to an audience. • Run-through: A rehearsal moving from start to finish without stopping for corrections or notes. • Stage manager: The director’s liaison backstage during rehearsal and performance. The stage manager is responsible for the running of each performance.

21. Stock characters: Established characters, such as young lovers, neighborhood busybodies, sneaky villains, and overprotective fathers, who are immediately recognizable by an audience. • Subtext: Information that is implied by a character but not stated by a character in dialogue, including actions and thoughts.