Stage Spaces
The imaginary barrier between the actor and audience
4th wall
Movements performed by an actor on stage, usually determined with the director.
Blocking
Imagining things on stage that you have heard, seen, felt, smelled, or tasted in the past; useful for creating realistic pantomime and character
sensory recall
lights go out quickly
blackout
The areas to the left and right of the stage are called
stage left and stage right
If your director asks you to walk downstage, which way do you move
toward the audience
Acting without a script.
improv
The motivational thoughts of characters in a script that are implied but not written into the text
subtext
All areas not on the stage – actors wait here, props are stored here
backstage
A speech given by one person on stage, while others are onstage listening
monologue
The idea for the term upstage and down stage originally came from
Raked stage
A cue that your acting partner gives you during an improvisation
offer
The reason behind each action a character performs; also known as intention, objective, secrets, wants…
Motivation
a trigger for the action to start at a specific time
cue
Actions performed by an actor to make a character more believable
stage business
An actor must adapt by acting “with the back” when working in this type of stage space
Arena or theatre in the round
Words in the script spoken by actors; also known as dialogue
lines
activating your memory of intense emotional experiences for the purposes of informing your acting choices
emotional recall
Taking the set apart after the final performance
strike or striking the set
A move by one actor to counter (balance) the move of another actor, moving from behind someone so one person will not be blocked from another.
The “picture frame” through which the audience views the action is the
Proscenium
A character’s specific intention for each moment in the play.
Objective
Requires the actor to respond to on stage situations as if he or she really would, given the circumstances of the play
the Magic IF
Decorating the set before the play opens
dressing the set
A unit of action, motivated by a single objective, in which a character employs a specific tactic to get what they want
beat