Theatre Terminology and Stage Directions

Ad-Lib To improvise stage business or conversation, especially when an actor has missed or forgotten lines and other actors must supply the missing information

Amphitheater An oval or round structure with no roof that has tiers of seats rising from the center, used for public performances of plays and other productions

Apron The section of the stage in front of the curtain

Arena Theater A stage without a proscenium arch and with seats on three or four sides, allowing close association between actors and spectators

Aside A line spoken directly to the audience

Backdrop A large piece of cloth, on which scenery is painted, that is fastened to battens and hung at the back of the stage setting Also called a drop

Backstage The area behind the set that is not visible to the audience, including dressing rooms, the greenroom, etc.

Black Box Theater A large square room with black walls and a flat floor seating is typically loose chairs on platforms, which can be easily moved or removed to allow the entire space to be adapted to the artistic elements of a production

Blackout Stage direction to turn off all stage lights suddenly

Blocking Movement and groupings on the stage

Business Any specific action, other than a change of location, performed on the stage, such as picking up a book or pouring tea Used to establish atmosphere, reveal character, or explain a situation

Cheat A stage technique in which an actor who is facing sideways pivots the torso and turns the face toward the audience

Closed Audition A tryout open only to union members

Cold Reading A tryout during which an actor uses material never seen before

Cross To move from one position to another on stage

Cue The last words, action, or technical effect that immediately precedes any line or business A stage signal

Curtain Calls The appearance of a play’s cast in response to an audience’s applause Bows at the end of the play

Cut To stop action To Omit

Cyclorama (Cyc) A white background curtain on which lights or other effects can be projected

Dress Rehearsal An uninterrupted rehearsal with costumes and props The final rehearsal before the first performance

Flat A wooden frame covered with cloth used as the basic unit of structure of a box set

Fly The area above the stage where scenery is hung when not in use A system for hanging drops Verb: to raise or lower scenery

Follow Spot A long range lighting instrument capable of picking up or following a person moving on the stage

Fourth Wall The imaginary wall through which the audience watches the action of the play

Gel A transparent color medium placed on lighting instruments to produce different colors

Gobo A stencil placed in the gel holder of a spotlight to project a pattern

Grand Drape The curtain hung just upstage of the proscenium that opens and closes at each act or scene Also called an act curtain

Greenroom A waiting area offstage used by actors We use the choir room

Holding for Laughs Waiting for an audience to quiet down after a humorous line or scene

Improvisation The impromptu portrayal of a character or a scene without any rehearsal or preparation

Legs Narrow drapes, usually hung in pairs, stage left and stage right, to mask the backstage area

Monologue A speech by a single actor

Motivation The reason behind a character’s behavior

Objectives The goal of a character; what the character wants or is striving for in a scene

Off Book Rehearsal without scripts

Off Stage Off the visible stage Also called “off”

Open Audition Tryout open to nonunion actors

Periaktoi (Prisms) Sets made up of three flats, shaped as triangles mounted on a wheeled carriage that can be pivoted

Pit The front part of the auditorium where the orchestra might be located – often below stage level

Projection The control of the volume and quality of the voice so that it can be heard clearly by everyone in an audience

Proscenium Arch The arch opening between the stage and the auditorium

Readers’ Theatre A form of theater in which plays are read to an audience from a script and brought to life by the readers’ voices, facial expressions, and controlled movement

Scrim A drop made of fabric that seems almost opaque when lit from the front and semitransparent when lit from behind

Stealing a Scene Attracting attention from the person to whom the center of interest legitimately belongs

Strike To remove an object or objects from the stage To take down the set

Tableau A scene presented by silent, unmoving actors For more info, see Pageant of the Masters

Thespian An actor

Understudy A person who learns a role and who can perform it in the absence of the actor

Wings The offstage areas to the right and left of the set

Stage Directions UP RIGHT LEFT DOWN Audience UC UL RC C LC DR DC DL Up Right UR Up Center UC Up Left UL RIGHT LEFT Right Center RC Center C Left Center LC Down Right DR Down Center DC Down Left DL DOWN Audience