Performance
A momentary pause or delay in which there is a subtle shift in mood, thought or feeling.
Beat
Catharsis
One aspect of Aristotle’s theory of tragedy, which attempts to describe the feeling
of release felt by the audience at the end of a tragedy; the audience experiences
catharsis, or is set free from the emotional hold of the action, after experiencing strong
emotions and sharing in the protagonist’s troubles.
A one-room theatre, without a Proscenium arch; the interior is painted black, including walls, floor, and ceiling, and any drapes are also black. Typically used for small-scale studio productions.
Black box
A traditional term used to describe the path traced by an actor’s movement on stage, including entrances and exits. It is usually determined by the director's wit.
Blocking
The point of greatest intensity in a series or progression of events in a play, often forming the turning point of the plot and leading to some kind of resolution. See also exposition and dénouement.
Climax
Blackout
A lighting cue where all stage lights go off simultaneously. Often used to signal the end of a scene.
Business
Physical activity used to show character, fill a pause in dialogue, or establish a scene. It is often unscripted or improvised and sometimes comic in intention. A playwright may suggest ‘business’ to indicate the need for some activity at that point in the performance.
Chorus
A group of performers who sing, dance, or recite in unison. In Greek drama, the chorus was the group of performers who sang and danced between episodes, narrated off-stage action, and commented on events.
A set with three walls, leaving the fourth wall to be imagined. The box set can represent a real room with doors and windows that work.
Box set
Characterisation
How an actor uses body, voice and thought to develop and portray a character.
A group or Ensemble speaking together in one voice. It often involves using combinations of different or contrasting voices to bring out meaning or tonal qualities in a text.
Choral speech
Cloth
A piece of painted or plain scenic canvas. A Backcloth (or backdrop) hangs at the rear of a scene. A Floorcloth Or Stagecloth is a painted canvas sheet placed on the stage floor to mark out the acting area, or to achieve a particular effect.
The organised movement of actors and dancers, often to music.
Choreography
Brechtian
Drama influenced by the theory and practice of the twentieth century German theatre practitioner Bertolt Brecht.
Choreography
The organised movement of actors and dancers, often to music.