Terms 1
A male or female person who performs a role in a play, work of theatre, or movie.
Actor/Actress
The planning and working out of the movements of actors on stage.
Blocking
Clothing worn by an actor on stage during a performance.
Costume(s)
The person who oversees the entire process of staging a production.
Director
The placement and delivery of volume, clarity, and distinctness of voice for communicating to an audience.
Projection
A person or a situation that opposes another character’s goals or desires.
Antagonist
The clear and precise pronunciation of words
Articulation
A theatrical work that is intentionally humorous.
Comedy
The stage area toward the audience.
Downstage
An expressive movement of the body or limbs.
Gesture
The point of greatest dramatic tension or transition in a theatrical work.
Climax
The conversation between actors on stage.
Dialogue
Opposition of persons or forces giving rise to dramatic action.
Conflict
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.
Dress Rehearsal
A spontaneous style of theatre through which scenes are created without advance rehearsal or a script.
Improv/ Improvisation
A character’s goal or intention
Objective
A room backstage, often licensed, in which the company can sit and relax before, during or after a show
Green room
A signal, either verbal or physical, that indicates something else, such as a line of dialogue or an entrance, is to happen.
Cue
A group of theatrical artists working together to create a theatrical production.
Ensemble
A long speech by a single character.
Monologue
The archway is in a sense the frame for stage as defined by the boundaries of the stage beyond which a viewer cannot see.
Proscenium arch
In a traditional theatre, the part of the stage which projects in front of the curtain. In many theatres this can be extended, sometimes by building out over the pit
Apron
The pronunciation of words, the choice of words, and the manner in which a person expresses himself or herself.
Diction
The technique of calling upon your own memories to understand a character’s emotions.
Emotional memory
a dramatic device in theater where a character speaks to the audience, sharing thoughts or feelings that other characters on stage cannot hear
Aside