Theater Vocabulary

The non-acting aspects of a production including: lights; sound; props; etc.

Objects used by characters on stage during a play.

A full-scale rehearsal where performers work out final details of the performance

Three-dimensional scenery which stands by itself such as a tree

The clear and precise pronunciation of words

A part/character/person written by a playwright

Seating within the auditorium

Part of the rehearsal process (after the read-through) when the actors start blocking the show

The words spoken by the actors during a play.

A category of artistic endeavor having a particular form, content, technique. drama/comedy, etc

An organized reading of the screenplay or script by the actors speaking their parts.

Painted curtain without folds, hung from battens

Selecting which actors will play which roles/characters

All stage lights go off simultaneously (usually at the end of a scene or act)

Trying out for a role by performing a short piece/reading from a script in front of director

When an actor is invited to come back for a second audition.

Thoughts the actor has that are unspoken.

What happens in a play; the order of events; what happens rather than what it means (the story)

A short play that has a beginning, middle and an end. A one-act usually has no intermission.

Physical, mental and vocal exercises used by actors to ready themselves for performance

Dramatic form that exaggerates emotions.

Increase voice or movement so that they will carry to the audience.

The personalities or parts that actors become in a play; roles played by actors in a play.

When an actor/actress reads from a script without having read from it before.

The point in a play where action meets obstacle; opposition that gives rise to dramatic action

Indications in the script to the directors and actors on characterization, setting, and mood

The environment of the play; scenery and furniture

A scene or play without words; the actors use only action and gesture to express their meaning.

To deliver lines and move at the exact right moment

spontaneously create dialogue, as in off the "top of your head"

Rod suspended over the stage from which lights and scenery are hung

A set of actors in a play

When an actor loses concentration while performing, and is not in character.

An actor/actress, or a person involved with theater

Actor versed in another's part, ready to step in if needed

Impromptu acting based on the following circumstances: who, what, when, and where.

The principal character around whom the action revolves.

What the play means as opposed to what happens (plot); the main idea or message within the play

To practice or prepare for a play performance

Offstage to the left and the right of the acting area

Part of the stage that protrudes out in front of the proscenium, sometimes to the audience

Take down the set after the final performance

The highest point of highest dramatic tension/a major turning point in the action of the play

The stage movements that each character makes during the play.

Part of the stage that is farthest from the audience/steal attention from focal point of scene

A word or phrase or action signaling an actor's line.

A division of a play or of an act of a play (section of the play)

To articulate or pronounce words clearly.

The art of evaluating or analyzing the play.

The individual who writes a play.

The individual in charge of all aspects of the production; makes final decisions of production

A short, informal performance; usually a comic piece

To balance the stage picture (where the actors are in relation to one another while on stage)

The play in written form

A movement of position of the hand, arm, body, head, face that is expressive of an idea/emotion