Drama Terms & Stagecraft
What are the bracketed or italicized instructions in a script (such as [angrily] or [rushing up to the group]) called?
Stage directions.
What form of protest are Joseph, David, Linda, and Frank participating in at the Southern lunch counter?
A sit-in.
In Voices at the Counter, line 1 includes the word harassed. Based on the text context, what does harass mean?
To bother, attack, or annoy someone repeatedly.
Why is the waitress hesitant to serve the students in Scene 2?
She fears her boss will fire her, and she is afraid of violence breaking out.
When answering a Short Constructed Response (SCR) on an assessment, what two essential parts must your answer include?
A clear claim/answer and specific supporting text evidence.
In drama, what is the term for the conversation between two or more characters on stage?
Dialogue.
What main conflict do the students face when they sit at the lunch counter in Scene 2?
The waitress refuses to serve them because of segregation, and a customer angrily threatens to call the police.
Where and when does the drama Voices at the Counter take place?
At a store/lunch counter in a South Carolina town during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.
Why does Frank, a white student, decide to join the sit-in with Joseph, David, and Linda?
They are his friends, and he refuses to stand by while they are treated like second-class citizens.
Which sentence best summarizes Scene 1 of Voices at the Counter?
A group of students gather outside a store to mentally prepare for a peaceful sit-in at a segregated lunch counter.
What literary technique occurs where there is a clear contrast between what characters expect and what actually happens?
Irony.
How do the students plan to respond if the police arrive and arrest them?
They will remain peaceful/nonviolent, and more of their friends will come to take their places.
How does the setting of a "whites only" lunch counter in Scene 2 create tension in the scene?
It places black students in a space forbidden by segregation laws, creating direct conflict with the waitress and angry customers.
What can the reader infer about Linda's character when she says, "it would be an honor to go to jail for this cause"?
She is brave, dedicated, and values equal rights more than her own personal comfort or safety.
How does Frank's arrival in Scene 1 advance the plot of the play?
It shows that both black and white students were joining together to support the sit-in movement.
What structural element tells the actors, crew, and audience where and when a specific section of a play takes place?
The scene heading/setting description.
In Scene 1, what training did the students undergo to prepare for harassment during the protest?
Nonviolence training.
In Scene 2, line 16, the customer speaks [angrily] and threatens the students. What mood does this stage direction help create for the audience?
A tense, hostile, or uneasy mood.
What does David mean when he says, "Our parents' generation has made some progress with boycotts, but things are moving too slowly"?
Younger generations felt the need to take faster, direct action to force systemic change.
What evidence from Voices at the Counter shows that the students were prepared for angry reactions?
No matter what happens, we’ll stay cool, just like we practiced in our nonviolence training (Line 6).
How do stage directions directly help an actor during a performance?
By telling them how to deliver their lines, express emotions, move on stage, or interact with props.
According to the Narrator at the end of the play, how did student sit-ins move the Civil Rights Movement forward?
They successfully integrated lunch counters across the South and inspired adults to protest other forms of segregation.
Linda asks why the store accepts her money for clothing but not at the lunch counter. What point is she highlighting about segregation?
The unfairness of segregation laws.
What can the reader infer about why the protesters chose nonviolence over fighting back?
They believed reacting with peace and love would give their movement more moral power and public sympathy.
What central theme about youth involvement is developed throughout Voices at the Counter? Use one piece of evidence from the text to support your answer.
Young people can lead powerful historical change through courage, determination, and peaceful action.