Words and terms you should know

Parts and places inside a theatER.

TheatER: The structure within which theatrical performances are given. Usually includes an orchestra or seating area, and a stage.

TheatRE: A collaborative art form including the composition, enactment, and interpretation of dramatic presentations for an audience.

Center stage: The center of the area defined as the stage.

Downstage: The stage area toward the audience.

Stage left: The left side of the stage from the perspective of an actor facing the audience.

Stage right: The right side of the stage from the perspective of an actor facing the audience.

Upstage: Used as a noun, the stage area away from the audience; used as a verb, to steal the focus of a scene.

Green Room: Our classroom, or the area backstage where the actors wait during performances.

Catwalks: Platforms and walkways above the audience that are used by stage technicians to access lighting, sound and effects instruments.

Orchestra Pit: The area between the stage and the audience where the orchestra plays.

Front of house: The area in the theater where the audience sits

Offstage/backstage: The area of the stage concealed by the proscenium and drapery that is not seen by the audience

Booth: Room above the audience wherein the light board operator, sound board operator, and stage manager run the show.

1. Catwalks2. Front of house3. Orchestra pit4. Green room5. Upstage6. Stage Left7. Stage Right8. Center Stage9. Downstage10. Booth11. Backstage/offstage

Proscenium: The view of the stage for the audience; also called a proscenium arch. The archway is in a sense the frame for stage as defined by the boundaries of the stage beyond which a viewer cannot see.

Teaser: the border drapes across the top of the stage that conceals the lighting instruments

Tormentor: The border drapes on the sides of the stage that conceal the backstage areas

Cyclorama: The large muslin drape hung across the extreme upstage area that represents the sky.

Grand Drape: The main curtain that conceals the stage from the audience. Usually red.

Apron: The area of the stage on the audience side of the grand drape.

Fly Rail: The ropes, pulleys, and arbors off stage right that control the height of the drapes, electrics, battens, and hanging scenery.

Battens: Pipes hung above the width of the stage that can be used for hanging scenery.

Electric: A batten affixed with electrical outlets used for hanging and powering lighting instruments.

Backdrop: A large piece of painted fabric hung behind the actors. Usually painted to resemble a realistic location.

1. Proscenium2. Teaser 3. Tormentor4. Cyclorama5. Grand drape6. Apron7. Fly Rail 8. Battens 9. Electric10. Backdrop

Select a partner (ONE partner) Take out a SINGLE piece of paper for

your team. Number it from 1-21 Find the numbers in the space, and

write the corresponding term next to the number.

The first 3 teams to turn their quiz in to me (all terms correct) get a prize!

“Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you, trippingly on the tongue…”

Actor/Actress: A male or female person who performs a role in a play, television, or movie.

Director: The person who oversees the entire process of staging a production.

Ensemble: A group of theatrical artists working together to create a theatrical production.

Stage crew: 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.

Stage manager: The director’s liaison backstage during rehearsal and performance. The stage manager is responsible for the running of each performance.

Blocking: The planning and working out of the movements of actors on stage.

Cross: A movement from one part of the stage to another

Position: The direction an actor is facing relative to the audience, but from the actor’s perspective.

Gesture: An expressive movement of the body or limbs.

Tableau: A silent and motionless depiction of a scene created by actors, often from a picture (plural tableaux).

1. Actor/Actress2. Director3. Ensemble4. Stage Crew5. Stage Manager6. Blocking 7. Cross 8. Position 9. Gesture 10. Tableau

Volume: The degree of loudness or intensity of a voice.

Vocal quality: The characteristics of a voice, such as shrill, nasal, raspy, breathy, booming, and so forth.

Projection: The placement and delivery of volume, clarity, and distinctness of voice for communicating to an audience.

Pitch: The highness or lowness of voice Articulation: The clear and precise

pronunciation of words.

Sense memory: Memories of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures. It is used to help define a character in a certain situation.

Subtext: Information that is implied by a character but not stated by a character in dialogue, including actions and thoughts

Objective: A character’s goal or intention Motivation: A character’s reason for doing

or saying things in a play. Characterization: The development and

portrayal of a personality through thought, action, dialogue, costuming, and makeup.

1. Volume2. Projection3. Vocal Quality4. Pitch5. Articulation6. Sense memory7. Subtext8. Objective9. Motivation10. Characterization

From Billy Wiggle-sticks, to Eric Bogosian, it all starts with a script.

Text: Printed words, including dialogue and the stage directions for a script.

Dialogue: The conversation between actors on stage.

Monologue: A long speech by a single character.

Play: The stage representation of an action or a story; a dramatic composition.

Stage Direction: The actions of a play printed in the script by the publisher.

Genre: The main types of literary form, principally tragedy and comedy, but also forms that are more specific such as the revenge tragedy, or comedy of manners.

Style: The distinctive and unique manner in which a writer arranges words to achieve particular effects. Usually associated with a historical era or period of time it was most popular.

Dramatic structure: The particular literary structure and style in which plays are written

Tragedy: In the classical sense, a play that demonstrates a character’s fall from grace, power, position, or moral standing through their own actions.

Comedy : A theatrical work that is intentionally humorous.

1. Text 2. Dialogue3. Monologue4. Play5. Stage Direction6. Genre7. Style8. Dramatic Structure9. Tragedy10. Comedy

Plot: The ordered structure of a play as the action progresses through the story.

Rising action: The part of a plot consisting of complications and discoveries that create conflict.

Protagonist: The character through whose eyes we see the action of a play.

Antagonist: A person or a situation that opposes the protagonist’s goals or desires.

Conflict : Opposition of persons or forces giving rise to dramatic action.

Crisis: A decisive point in the plot of a play on which the outcome of the remaining action depends.

Climax: The point of greatest dramatic tension in a theatrical work.

Denouement: The final resolution of the conflict in a plot – the “tying up of loose ends”.

Exposition: Detailed information revealing the facts of a plot.

Given Circumstances: the information laid out in the exposition – where, when, socioeconomic conditions, political climate, etc.

1. Plot2. Rising Action3. Protagonist4. Antagonist5. Conflict6. Exposition7. Crisis8. Rising action9. Climax10. Denouement

Once more… WITH FEELING!

Cold reading: A reading of a script done by actors who have not previously reviewed the play.

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.

Tech rehearsals: Rehearsals where technical elements such as sound and lighting are added to the show.

Pacing: The tempo of an entire theatrical performance. Informal theatre: A theatrical performance that

focuses on small presentations, such as one taking place in a classroom setting. Usually, it is not intended for public view.

Formal theatre: Theatre that focuses on public performance in the front of an audience and in which the final production is most important.

Improvisation: A spontaneous style of theatre through which scenes are created without advance rehearsal or a script.

Melodrama: 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.

Mime: An incident art form based on pantomime in which conventionalized gestures are used to express ideas rather than represent actions.

Musical theatre: A type of entertainment containing music, songs, and, usually, dance.

1. Cold Reading2. Dress Rehearsal3. Tech Rehearsal4. Pacing5. Informal Theatre6. Formal Theatre7. Improvisation8. Melodrama9. Mime10. Musical Theatre

Pantomime: Acting without words through facial expression, gesture, and movement.

Puppetry: Almost anything brought to life by human hands to create a performance. Types of puppets include rod, hand, and marionette.

Theatrical conventions: The established techniques, practices, and devices unique to theatrical productions.

Wagon: Any piece of scenery on a wheeled platform designed to be moved on and off stage.

Props (properties): Items carried on stage by an actor; small items on the set used by the actors.

Set Piece: Anything not carried by an actor. Masks: Coverings worn over the face or part of the

face of an actor to emphasize or neutralize facial characteristics.

Make-up: Cosmetics and sometimes hairstyles that an actor wears on stage to emphasize facial features, historical periods, characterizations, and so forth.

Costume: Clothing worn by an actor on stage during a performance.

1. Pantomime2. Puppetry3. Theatrical Conventions4. Wagon5. Properties6. Set piece(s)7. Masks8. Makeup9. Costume