Theatre Roles
Responsible for developing believable character, memorizing lines and showcasing stories to audiences
Actor
Character goals or wants that they are actively working to achieve or obtain
Objective
guidelines or instructions written as part of the script of a play. Usually in italics.
Stage Directions
The act of a character walking/moving out of the audience’s view
Exiting
A light left burning overnight on stage to keep friendly spirits illuminated and to keep unfriendly spirits at bay.
Ghost Light
Responsible for actions backstage such as costume changes, set changes, spotlights, curtains, make up, etc.
Crew
Person(s) or object(s) that stand in the way of your character achieving his or her goals
Obstacle
The emotional essence of a story or scene through stillness and body language. A "Frozen Stage Picture".
Tableau
The act of the upstage leg taking the first step into the audience’s view
Entering
An imaginary "obstruction" between the audience and the actors in a representational play.
Fourth Wall
Responsible for interpreting the script, managing directors, guiding actors, and making creative decisions to bring the story to life on stage.
Director
Actors to relate to their character by asking a basic question(s) centered around the question word, “if”.
Magic If
A story told by expressive bodily or facial movements of the performers, music can be added. Charades can be an example of this acting movement.
Pantomime
A body position where the actor is facing directly stage left
Profile Left
A class of art having a characteristic form or technique. Examples include Western, Romance, Comedy, Dramedy, Horror, etc.
Genre
Responsible for overseeing and managing lighting, sound, set design, and construction, costume, and props.
Technical Director (TD)
These are examples of which theater term? - To woo, To scold, To inspire, To frighten, To conceal, To tease
Action Verbs
A movement where an actor uses limbs or facial expressions that is unique to each individual character, that an actor might do repeatedly as that character to make them more unique
Master Gesture
When two actors are both involved in a short moment of “mirroring” the other’s body position usually at the “one-quarter” positions. Both actors should be the same distance from the audience, neither upstaging the other.
Shared Gesture
The clear and precise pronunciation of words.
Articulation
Responsible for developing a believable character and able to inhabit a role of a character(s) for a production to save the day in case a performer is unable to perform
Understudy
A character is essentially born into the world that the script writer has created. This is the environmental conditions affecting the life of the character in the script. "What cards were they dealt?"
Given Circumstances
Movement used on stage, where an actor moves from one area of the stage to another, should be made with a slight arc
Crossing
A body position where the actor is facing downstage right, towards the downstage audience, but not totally facing the audience downstage.
One-Quarter Right
1) The command given to technical departments to carry out a particular operation. 2) Any signal (spoken line, action or count) that indicates another action should follow
Cue