Script
Act
A main division of a play, ballet, or opera.
Protagonist
The main character in a play
Theatre in the Round
A stage design where the stage is a circle and the audience stands all around the stage.
Off-Stage
The area that is not seen by the audience where actors wait to enter scenes or exit to when scenes are completed
Prop
Objects used by actors during a performance.
Scene
A sequence of continuous action in a play, movie, opera, or book.
Antagonist
The character or force that opposes the main character
Thrust Stage
A stage design where the stage comes out into the audience and actors can be seen from three sides, while still having a backstage area.
Wings
Areas to the sides of the stage where actors wait before entering.
Cue
A word or change in action on stage that lets an actor know that they must give a line
Motivation
An actor’s reason for doing something in a scene
Objective
The goal a character wants to achieve in a scene
Apron
The part of the stage that extends past the main curtain.
Proscenium stage
The classic Western stage design where the stage is a “picture frame” and actors are seen only from the front.
Improvisation
Spontaneous theatre that is not planned or rehearsed ahead of time, not always comedy.
Subtext
The underlying meaning or emotions beneath the spoken words
Cast
The actors and actresses in a play
Rake
The slope of a stage if it is not flat
Level
Using higher and lower levels on stage to give a more interesting stage picture to the audience.
Off-Book
The point at which actors no longer need their scripts to perform the dialogue in a performance.
Stage Directions
Directions written in a script, usually italicised that indicate an action, not to be spoken.
Monologue
A portion of text that is spoken by just one actor, may occur within a scene involving more actors.
Blocking
Where an actor will move on stage during a scene
Curtain Call
The carefully choreographed appearance of actors on stage after the performance to acknowledge the applause of the audience
Strike
To "strike the show" is to disassemble the entirety of the set, return all equipment to storage and leave the venue as it was before the show was set up.