Stage Directions
This person uses stage directions to tell actors where to go.
What is the director?
This is the traditional stage where the audience views the performance through a "picture frame" opening.
What is a proscenium stage?
This is the term for a detailed, scaled drawing or 3D model created by a scenic designer to show how the set will look on stage.
What is a set rendering or a 3D model?
This term refers to items used on stage that are not part of the set itself but are handled by actors.
What are props?
This flat piece is often covered with muslin or lauan and is designed to be lightweight and easy to move.
What is a Broadway flat?
This term refers to the area closest to the audience.
What is downstage?
This type of stage extends into the audience on three sides, creating an intimate viewing experience.
What is a thrust stage?
Before designing a set, a scenic designer often reads this multiple times to understand the story, characters, and mood.
What is a script?
This theater term refers to the area above the stage where scenery can be raised and lowered.
What is the fly rails or fly loft?
The vertical side pieces of a Broadway flat, which run the entire height of the frame, are called this.
What are the stiles?
This is the area farthest from the audience, often near the back wall of the stage.
Upstage
This type of theatre is performed in a location chosen for its specific relationship to the story, rather than a traditional stage.
What is site specific theatre?
This phase of scenic design involves measuring and constructing the set pieces according to the designer’s plans.
What is set construction or "the build."
This is the area located to the right or left of the stage, out of view from the audience, where actors and crew prepare for entrances.
What are the wings?
These horizontal pieces form the top and bottom of a Broadway flat, connecting the stiles.
What are the rails?
In this type of stage, actors must be mindful of playing to all sides of the audience.
In-the-Round
This type of stage is also known as an alley stage and features the audience seated on two sides, facing each other.
What is a traverse stage?
A scenic designer must consider this, the amount of space between the set and the audience, to ensure the design is visible from all seats.
What are sight lines?
This is the imaginary line that runs across the stage, representing the division between the audience and the actors.
What is the fourth wall?
This horizontal piece of wood runs across the width of a Broadway flat to provide structural support between the stiles.
What is a toggle?
This is the exact middle point of the stage, equidistant from all sides.
What is center stage?
The architectural feature that frames the stage and separates it from the auditorium is called this.
What is a proscenium arch?
This document, created by the scenic designer, shows a bird’s-eye view of the stage and where all set pieces will be placed.
What is a ground plan?
When set designers create levels on stage, they often use this structure to raise actors or furniture above floor level.
What is a platform?
These small triangular pieces of plywood are used to reinforce the joints where the stiles meet the rails on a Broadway flat.
What are cornerblocks?