1. Words and terms you should know
Theatre Vocabulary
Words and terms you should know

2. Section 1: theater Structure
Parts and places
inside a theatER.

3. First things first…
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.

4. The Actor’s perspective…
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.

5. The Audience perspective…
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.

6. Checkpoint: Define these terms
Catwalks
Front of house
Orchestra pit
Green room
Upstage
Stage Left
Stage Right
Center Stage
Downstage
Booth
Backstage/offstage

7. The big Picture…
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.

8. Now you see it, Now you don’t…
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.

9. Checkpoint: Define these terms
Proscenium
Teaser
Tormentor
Cyclorama
Grand drape
Apron
Fly Rail
Battens
Electric
Backdrop

10. Theatre Structure Quiz: Scavenger Hunt
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!

11. Section 2: Acting Vocabulary
“Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you, trippingly on the tongue…”

12. Who Are you?
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.

13. Moving about…
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).

14. Checkpoint: Define these terms
Actor/Actress
Director
Ensemble
Stage Crew
Stage Manager
Blocking
Cross
Position
Gesture
Tableau

15. Oral exam… 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.

16. Feelings, nothing more than feelings…
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.

17. Checkpoint: Define these terms
Volume
Projection
Vocal Quality
Pitch
Articulation
Sense memory
Subtext
Objective
Motivation
Characterization

18. Section 3: The page
From Billy Wiggle-sticks, to Eric Bogosian, it all starts with a script.

19. Set the action to the word…
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.

20. A Comedy of Errors…
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.

21. Checkpoint: Define these terms
Text
Dialogue
Monologue
Play
Stage Direction
Genre
Style
Dramatic Structure
Tragedy
Comedy

22. The Plot thickens…
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.

23. …and thickens…
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.

24. Checkpoint: Define these terms
Plot
Rising Action
Protagonist
Antagonist
Conflict
Exposition
Crisis
Rising action
Climax
Denouement

25. Section 4: The Process
Once more… WITH FEELING!

26. 2 Minutes to shine
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.

27. I’ll take Theatre Styles for 800, Alex.
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.

28. Checkpoint: Define these terms
Cold Reading
Dress Rehearsal
Tech Rehearsal
Pacing
Informal Theatre
Formal Theatre
Improvisation
Melodrama
Mime
Musical Theatre

29. Theatre styles for 1000.
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.

30. Where does he get those wonderful toys…
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.

31. Checkpoint: Define these terms
Pantomime
Puppetry
Theatrical Conventions
Wagon
Properties
Set piece(s)
Masks
Makeup
Costume