Vocabulary
Making up dialogue, action, or scene on the spot, without a script.
What is Improvisation?
The area of the stage closest to the audience.
What is downstage?
A term for charisma, charm, or the "it factor" that makes someone attractive.
What is Rizz?
Acting or speaking on impulse, without prior planning.
What is Spontaneity?
An actor nails a monologue they've done 50 times, but it still feels like the first time they're saying it.
What is "illusion of the first time"?
Communicating without using any words at all — facial expressions, posture, tone.
What is Non-Verbal Communication?
The middle of the stage.
What is center stage?
Slang for something average, unimpressive, or not that great.
What is Mid?
A directing/writing approach where the plot and events drive the story, rather than the people in it.
What is Situation-Approach?
You walk from stage left to center stage during a scene.
What is Cross?
An actor's movement from one stage position to another.
What is Cross?
The actor's right when facing the audience.
What is Stage Right?
Slang for lying or exaggerating; "no ___" means telling the truth.
What is Cap?
The idea that a scene or line should feel like it's happening for the very first time, even in the 100th performance.
What is "illusion of the first time"
Your scene partner is supposed to have the audience's focus, but you keep making faces and moving around to pull attention to yourself instead.
What is Scene Stealing?
When an actor draws focus away from the actor who should have it.
What is scene stealing?
The area of the stage farthest from the audience.
A term for someone acting overly serious, controlled, or emotionless, like an isolated alpha.
What is Sigma?
A movement of the hand, arm, or body used to express an idea or emotion.
What is gesture?
You're doing a silent scene about eating a mango without saying a word — just your face and body.
What is Pantomime?
An awareness of your body's position and movement in space.
Kinesthesis
The area on either side of the stage, hidden from the audience, where actors wait to enter.
What are the Wings?
Slang meaning something is excellent, delicious, or amazing.
What is Bussin' Bussin?
Acting entirely without words, using body and face to communicate.
What is Pantomime? or Mime?
the opposite, where the people's choices drive the story.
What is Character-Approach?