Get Moving!
What we call it when an actor moves toward their left when facing the audience.
What is stage left?
(Not a trick question! When an actor is onstage, they're always facing the audience. So, when an actor moves to their left, they're moving towards stage left. However, the audience will see the actor moving to the audience's right.)
These are objects used to help tell the story in a scene.
What are props?
(Props are objects that characters use in a scene, such as a telephone, a flashlight, an apple, you name it! It's important not to play around with props, even if they're your props for a scene!)
A device used to make a performer's voice or instrument louder.
What is a microphone?
(Fun fact: microphones come in many different shapes and sizes. A singer might hold a microphone in their hand, but actors often have small microphones hidden right by their hairline. These are powered by battery packs that can hide under your costume!)
The area where the audience sits.
What is the house?
(The area where the audience sits can be called a number of things, but is most often referred to as "the house." So, when someone says "house lights up," they are indicating that the lights in the seating area are turning on!)
A clearly visible circle of light that sometimes moves around to follow a specific performer or object.
What is a spotlight?
(A spotlight helps to draw the audience's focus somewhere specific. If a character is singing a solo, the lighting designer and director may decide to put that performer in a spotlight, which will brightly light a circle around the performer.)
What we call it when an actor moves towards the back of the stage, away from the audience.
What is upstage?
(Fun fact: stages used to be slanted [aka. on a rake], so the back of the stage was literally up higher than the rest of the stage!)
When a theatre company gets into position to begin a show or a scene.
What is "places"?
(When someone calls places, that means everyone should go to where they need to be at the beginning of the show. Sometimes, in rehearsal, a director will call "places" to have everyone get into position to start a specific scene from anywhere in the play.)
A speech that a character gives when they are alone. It may not be addressed to anyone in particular, and often appears in Shakespeare plays!
What is a soliloquy?
(A soliloquy is a speech [or, a monologue] given by a character in which they express their thoughts or feelings out loud. Soliloquies often happen when a character is alone or thinks they are alone.)
These are the areas where actors wait to make an entrance.
What are the wings?
The wings are a part of backstage, usually marked by curtains, that house performers waiting to enter. The only people who should be in the wings are performers and tech crew who are getting ready to enter/move a set piece, etc.)
A time when the orchestra and actors run through all the music of a show together, usually for the first time.
What is a sitzprobe?
(A sitzprobe [German for 'seated rehearsal'] is a music rehearsal where the singers and orchestra of an opera or musical get together for the first time to run through all of the show's music. This allows both groups to get used to performing together and practice timing, tempo, volume, etc.)
What we call it when an actor moves toward their right when facing the audience.
What is stage right?
(Also not a trick question! When an actor is onstage, they're always facing the audience. So, when an actor moves to their right, they're moving towards stage right. However, the audience will see the actor moving to the audience's left, which we sometimes call house left.)
These are a series of ropes and pulleys that can raise or lower set pieces and even, sometimes, actors!
What is the fly system?
(The fly system allows a theater to "fly in" set pieces from above the stage! Not all theaters have this ability, but some have fly systems that are so intense, they can lift actors up into the air!)
When a performer gives the impression that they're speaking very quietly, but is actually speaking loudly enough for the audience to hear.
What is a stage whisper?
(Stage whispers help the audience understand that not all of the characters in a scene are meant to be hearing a certain piece of information. If an actor actually whispered, no one would be able to hear them! That's why we stage whisper.)
A type of theater setting where the audience surrounds the stage.
What is in the round?
(When a play or musical is set "in the round," audiences are seated around the stage. Sometimes, the audience forms a full (or nearly full) circle around the stage, but there are often one or two aisles reserved so that actors may enter and exit. Staging something in the round provides unique challenges and unique opportunities!)
This is the area where the light and sound operators usually sit during the show.
What is the booth?
(The booth is where the light and sound board operators sit during a show. The booth is usually at the back of the theater and is sometimes up high to give the tech crew inside the best view of the stage, allowing them to watch for cues and make any necessary changes to lights/sounds.)
What we call it when an actor moves towards the front of the stage, toward the audience.
What is downstage?
(Fun fact: stages used to be slanted [aka. on a rake], so the front of the stage was literally down lower than the rest of the stage!)
A big set piece often used as a background for a scene, usually wooden.
What is a flat?
(A flat can be rolled or moved on or off stage either by a member of tech crew or on the fly system! Flats can be painted to represent any kind of background and can move anywhere on the stage as needed.)
When an actor faces the audience, even if their character is whispering directly to someone else.
What is cheating out?
(Cheating out is SUPER important! Even if your character is plotting secretly with their sidekick, actors always need to face the audience during a scene. Otherwise, how is anyone supposed to know what's going on?)
This is the piece of the stage that covers the orchestra pit.
What is the apron?
(This is a removable piece of the stage that covers the orchestra pit! Sometimes, theaters choose to remove the apron from the stage so the orchestra can be heard more easily. Others choose to leave it in place. Some theatres don't even have an apron!)
An object that can change the color of a stage light.
What is a gel?
(A gel is a colored film that we can place in front of a light to give it a different color. For example, if our play took place in the jungle, we might use a green gel to evoke the thick greenery found in a jungle.)
When everyone on or around the stage stops moving, usually (but not always) because of an emergency.
What is a hold?
(If there is ever something dangerous happening, someone should call "Hold!" This tells everyone to stay right where they are. Someone will call hold if an company member is seriously injured, if there is a fire, if there is a set piece that may fall, etc.)
The big piece of cloth that stretches across the back of the stage.
What is the scrim?
(The scrim [also sometimes called the cyc, short for cyclorama] allows us to project different scenery with lighting! It's very delicate and needs to be treated with care.)
What is projecting?
(Projecting is a great way to practice using your best speaking voice! Projecting doesn't just mean being loud. Projecting is pushing out the sound of your voice so that it's loud enough to fill the space and reach the audience member that is furthest away.)
This is what we call the arch that frames the stage.
What is the proscenium?
(The proscenium traditionally refers to an arch in front of the curtain that frames the stage. Not all theaters have a fancy arch, but we can generally understand the proscenium as something that frames the stage.)
An object that can change the shape or shapes that a light projects.
What is a gobo?
(A gobo allows us to project different shapes or textures onto the scrim. So, if a scene takes place underwater, we could use a gobo to project wavy blue shapes onto the scrim!)