Theater Vocab
TRUE/ False: Blocking tells an actor where to move on stage.
True
During rehearsal, the actors practice saying only their dialogue while leaving out costumes, lighting, and sound. What type of rehearsal is this?
Line Run
An actor is facing the audience and moves to the back left area of the stage. What is this position called?
Upstage Left (USL)
TRUE/ FALSE: A student says, “Stage Left means the audience's left.” . . . .EXPLAIN!
tage Left is the actor's left when facing the audience. It is the audience's right.
TRUE/ FALSE: If a director tells an actor, “When the lights come up, begin your monologue,” the lights coming up are a cue.
True
True/ False:A playwright is the person who performs the characters, while an actor is the person who writes the play.
False
TRUE/FALSE: An actor standing on Stage Right is standing on the actor's right side while facing the audience.
True
What is the abbreviation for Stage Left, and which side of the audience does it appear on?
SL; the audience's right side.
A scene requires an actor to pretend to open a heavy door, but there is no door on stage. Which technique could the actor use?
A. Mime
B. Blocking
C. Line Run
D. Cue
A. Mime
What is the difference between a plot and a script?
The plot is the story or what is happening in the play; the script is the written text that makes up the play.
A director tells an actor, “Walk from Center Stage to the front right corner of the stage.” What stage position should the actor move to?
Downstage Right (DSR)
An actor is standing in Downstage Right. They move toward the back of the stage while staying on the same side. What position are they moving toward?
Upstage Right.
An actor is waiting backstage in an area hidden from the audience. What part of the stage area are they in?
Wings
A director asks an actor to turn slightly toward the audience while still appearing to talk to another character. What technique is the director asking the actor to use?
Cheat Out
An actor is facing the audience. The director tells the actor to move to Downstage Left. Where should the actor go?
A. Back right from the actor's perspective
B. Front left from the actor's perspective
C. Back left from the actor's perspective
D. Front right from the actor's perspective
B. Front left from the actor's perspective
An actor is waiting behind the curtain on the actor's left side. What area are they in?
Stage Left Wings
Explain the difference between blocking and stage directions.
Blocking is where an actor moves on stage during a scene, while stage directions are instructions in a script that tell actors where to move, stand, enter, exit, or how to act on stage.
A character walks onto the stage after another character gives a specific signal. What TWO theatre terms could describe what is happening?
(HINT: It's two answers)
Enter and Cue
An actor enters from the Stage Left wings, crosses through Center Stage, and exits through the Stage Right wings. What theatre term describes the actor's movement from one part of the stage to another?
Cross (X)
Why is the Apron different from the Wings?
The Apron is the part of the stage that extends past the curtain and is closest to the audience. The Wings are the hidden side areas where actors wait to enter.