1. Theatre Final Vocab Exam Review

2. Review: Theater Vocab Please take quality notes as all of this information will be on the final examination.

3. Blocking Determining the basic movements of actors during a play.

4. Center stage Literally, the space at the very center of the stage.

5. Downstage The part of the stage that is closest to the audience.

6. Upstage The part of the stage that is farthest away from the audience

7. Rake In older theaters, the whole stage was ramped, with the back higher than the front –Gave the illusion of depth and distance –Gave better sight lines for group scenes –This is where “Upstage” and “Downstage” come from

8. Entrance The act of coming onto the acting area (from backstage, the wings or the house) during a performance

9. Exit The leaving of the acting area by an actor.

10. Stage right The right side of the stage from the actors’ perspective when facing the audience.

11. Stage left The left side of the stage from the actors’ perspective when facing the audience.

12. Cross A stage direction meaning to move from one place to another on the stage.

13. Hot Spot An area downstage right that is an especially good focal point.

14. Freeze To remain motionless on stage

15. Cheat To turn the body out, partially toward the audience, while appearing to talk directly to another character on stage.

16. Upstaging Standing upstage of another actor, forcing him or her to face away from the audience to exchange dialog.

17. Drawing Focus Acting in a manner or being in a location that draws the attention to you rather than where it is intended to be placed by the director.

18. Fourth Wall The invisible wall of a set through which the audience sees the action of the play.

19. Proscenium Arch A structure that “frames the picture” of the “fourth wall”

20. Apron The area of the stage in front of the curtain line.

21. Mark Mark A direction for the actor to go to a certain place on the stage.

22. On stage When an actor is in sight of the audience

23. Off stage When an actor is out of sight of the audience.

24. Sight lines Imaginary lines from the audience to the stage.

25. Proscenium Arch The picture frame from which an audience watches a play.

26. Wings The area off stage, usually to the right and left, where actors wait to enter the stage.

27. House The seating area of a theatre.

28. Stage Direction Notes added to the script of the play, that provide blocking or directions for effects

29. Acting Area The space set aside for the performance of a play

30. Backstage The area behind the set that is not seen by the audience. This may include the wings

31. Actor One who performs a role or represents a character in a play.

32. Character A person in a play, or the personality of that person

33. Character Role A major role in the play, but not one of the romantic leads

34. Straight man A character who feeds lines to the comic

35. Comic relief A break in tension of a tragedy provided by a comic character

36. Thespian Formally, a member of The International Theatre Association for Theatre Arts Students. Informally, a person involved with stage theater

37. Ingénue The young, attractive, innocent female lead in a play, generally the romantic interest

38. Hero The protagonist of the play Protagonist means the main character in a play or novel that either moves the action forward, or the action is done to

39. Ham An actor who overacts, often with elaborate gestures or facial expressions.

40. Disguise To wear masks, false hair or clothing to conceal an actor’s identity

41. George Spelvin The false name used in a play program to conceal from the audience that one actor is playing two roles or that an actor has chosen to not be recognized

42. Ad lib To improvise something, often dialog not given in the script.

43. Beat The length of a pause between words or actions

44. Concentration The actor’s focus on the moment of the play in which he or she is acting

45. Diction A manner of speaking or singing, usually used to mean speaking or singing clearly and precisely

46. Pace The speed at which the sounds of speaking are delivered, words per minute

47. Voice Projection The ability to speak sufficiently loud to reach all areas of the house clearly

48. Timing The use of pace, rhythm and pauses to deliver words in the most effective manner to communicate the desired emotional impact and meaning, usually most important in comedy

49. Monologue A long speech given by one character (not necessarily by one actor)

50. Soliloquy A monologue in which a character reveals his thoughts to the audience as if “speaking to himself” –What is the difference between that and a monologue?

51. Dialog Passages of talk between more than one character (not necessarily more than one actor)

52. Aside Words spoken by a character in such a way that they are heard by the audience but supposedly not by the other characters

53. Mime The representation of action, character, mood and/or location with gestures and action rather than words

54. Action An event or series of related events that form part of a dramatic plot

55. Antagonist The character who opposes the protagonist or hero, frequently a villain

56. Anticlimax An event that is far less important or powerful than expected

57. Antihero A protagonist who lacks the usual noble qualities of a hero, when your main character isn’t a good guy

58. Bit part A very small role, including a few or no lines

59. Book The text (libretto) of a musical or opera

60. Business or stage business A gesture or act that adds detail or drama to a scene

61. Cast The group of performers in a play

62. Catharsis The release of built-up emotional or dramatic tension

63. Chorus 1) A group of actors who perform together as a group 2) In a musical or opera, performers who may not have named roles but add numbers and strength to singing and dance

64. Climax A decisive moment that is of maximum intensity or a turning point or resolution in the plot

65. Comedy A play of light and humorous character with a happy ending or a play in which the central theme is overcoming adverse circumstances

66. Conflict Antagonism or struggle between characters that lends intensity to plot

67. Dramatic Irony Events or implications are understood by the audience but not the characters in a play

68. Drama A written work intended to be performed on stage, that involves conflict and characters

69. Epilogue A scene at the end of the play, separate from the action of the play, usually summarizing what has already occurred

70. Exposition Lines in a play intended to explain information rather than advance action

71. Falling Action The part of the plot that occurs after the climax or the conflict had been resolved

72. Foil A character who makes another character look better by comparison, or whose function is primarily to assist another character

73. Foreshadow Giving an advance hint of events to come

74. Heroine The principal female character, usually possessing noble qualities or innocence

75. Improvisation Spontaneously creating unscripted lines or action, this may be part of the intended plot or may be to conceal errors

76. Intention The true purpose of the character, which may not be the same as the declared or apparent purpose

77. Juvenile A character who is a child or young person, or an actor who typically plays those roles

78. Libretto The text or words of an opera or musical, the words may be spoken or sung

79. Lyrics The words of a song

80. Motivation The thoughts or events that cause a character to act in a specific manner

81. Narrator A person that provides narration, or the exposition of the play, this may be done by a character or an actor as themselves rather than a character, it may or may not be part of the action

82. Off book Rehearsals conducted with lines memorized rather than read from a script

83. On book Rehearsals conducted with lines read from a script, not memorized

84. Opening 1) The beginning of a stage work; OR 2) The first performance of a stage work

85. Overture The music before the beginning of a musical or opera, usually a preview of each song in the first act

86. Plot Also called storyline, it is the main plan or scheme of how the events will create the action of the play

87. Principals The leading roles in a play, usually includes the hero, heroine and antagonist, may include large comic roles

88. Prologue An introductory scene, before the action of the play, setting forth exposition or introducing the theme or characters of the play

89. Protagonist The main character in a play, the action happens to him or her, the antagonist opposes him or her

90. Resolution Usually the climax of the plot, the moment when the conflict between the protagonist and antagonist is resolved

91. Scene A division of a play, usually the events between the characters occurring continuously in time in one location