Audio Terms
Person in charge of the audio crew.
Who is Audio Department Head? or Who is A1?
Hardhat, safety glasses, general purpose gloves, sound protection, and safety shoes.
What are some examples of Basic Safety Equipment? or What are Basic Safety Equipment? or What are some examples of PPE? or What are PPE?
Modify a pattern or garment to suit individual sizing or design preference.
What is to Alter?
Commonly used for hoisting or hauling.
What is the Bowline Knot?
Non-lensed luminaire with an asymmetrical reflector, primarily used for lighting backdrops.
What is a Cyclorama Light? or What is a Cyc Light?
A set that utilizes three walls to enclose the stage area.
What is a Box Set?
Process of giving cues to the crew and performers. Typically performed by the Stage Manager.
What is Calling a Show? or What is Cue Calling?
Electronic equipment that increases the level of a sound signal.
What is Audio Amplifier or What is Amplifier?
Fire resistant barrier which closes off the proscenium opening in case of fire.
What is the Fire Safety Curtain? or What is the Fire Curtain? or What is the Safety Curtain?
Hand stitches that cross to form an X.
What is a Cross-stitch?
Loader: “Clear the rail, loading weight”
Operator: “Rail is clear, load weight”
Loader: “Finished loading, check for balance”
Operator: “Checking balance. Thank you.”
What is Loading Weight Procedure? or What is Loading Weight Protocol?
Process of aiming a luminaire so that the beam falls in the desired location and shape.
What is Focus? or What is to Focus?
A scale diagram that shows where the scenery is placed on the stage floor.
What is a Ground Plan? or What is a Plan View? or What is a Floor Plan?
Backstage bulletin board information about the production, crew, and venue are posted.
What is the Call Board?
Speaker designed to reproduce very low frequencies; typically 20-200 Hz.
What is a Subwoofer? or What are Subs?
Elevated walkway used to access equipment.
Person who assists the performer with costumes.
What is a Dresser?
Commonly used to tie to an anchor point or batten.
Luminaire which projects light via an elliptical reflector and a lens system.
What is an Ellipsoidal Reflector Spotlight? or What is an Ellipsoidal? or What is an ERS? or What is a Leko? or What is a profile? or What is a Source 4?
A flat built on board face.
What is a Broadway Style Flat?
The floor should be taped before this begins.
What are Rehearsals?
A measurement of sound vibrations (frequency) per second.
What is Hertz? Hz
Imaginary line through the center of the stage from upstage to downstage.
What is the Center Line? CL
Garment that is selected from inventory.
What is a Pulled Costume?
A guided, movable rigid carriage assembly used to hold counterweights and to counterbalance a load.
What is a Counterweight Arbor? or What is a Counterweight Carriage?
Warning given when the stage is going to a blackout.
What is Going Dark? or What is Going to Black?
stage flooring, permanent or portable.
What is a Deck? or what is Stage Decking?
Warning/standby, Name of Cue, and GO.
What are the three parts of calling a cue?
An electronic device used to convert high impedance unbalanced signal to low impedance balanced microphone level.
What is a Direct Input Box? or What is a DI Box?
Short drapery hung horizontally to mask the overhead battens, lighting equipment and scenic elements.
What is a Border? or What is a Teaser?
Person responsible for final fitting and construction of men's garments and/or fitted suits.
Who is a Tailor?
The space between the roof and the performance area that is not visible to the audience.
What is the Fly Loft? or What are the Flies? or What is the Fly House? or What is the Fly Tower?
Scale drawing that shows the locations of lighting equipment.
What is a Light Plot? or What is a Hang Plot? or What is a Lighting Plan? or What is a Plot?
A stage constructed as a downward slope.
What is a Rake?
This document is make after a show to give department heads an idea on how the show went, and communicate any needs to the team.
What is a Performance Report?
Thick cable containing a combination of many individual audio cables inside a common, sturdy outer jacket.
What is a Snake?
Five categories are: 1. Safety (falls, machine related injury, electrical hazards), 2. Chemical (liquids, gases, vapors, fumes and particulate materials), 3. Biological (blood, fungi, mold, viruses and animal droppings), 4. Physical (include radiation, working in extreme heat or cold, spending hours under the sun or being constantly exposed to loud noise), 5. Ergonomic (musculoskeletal disorders, these types of hazards occur when repetitive work, the type of work, or a certain position strains the body)
What are OHSA Hazards?
Seam inside the leg of pants that runs from the crotch to the hem.
What is an Inseam?
Over stage support structure consisting of regularly spaced members permanently affixed to the venue to support equipment.
What is the Gridiron? or What is the Grid?
The connection of a circuit to dimmer or assignment of a dimmer to channel.
What is a Patch? or What is a Hard Patch? or What is a Soft Patch?
A stage platform that moves.
What is a Wagon?
This document contains all the contact information for your cast, crew and production team.
What is a Contact Sheet?
Trade Name (ITT-Cannon); multi-pin locking connector
What is XLR? or What is 3-pin?
Imaginary line across the stage between the proscenium opening upstage corners.
What is the Plaster Line? or What is the Proscenium Line?
Fabric-like fastener that is designed to interlock.
What is Hook & Loop? or What is Velcro?
A system of multiple lift lines, operated together to raise, lower, or suspend a load; all of the mechanical, component subsystems required for supporting, positioning, and operating those lift lines as a system.
What is a Line Set?
Opening at the gate of an Ellipsoidal Reflector Spotlight where accessories can be inserted.
What is a Pattern Slot? or What is a Gobo Slot? or What is a Template Slot?
The sides of a flat.
What is a Stile? or What are Stiles?
These are given to actors to keep their rehearsals and performances consistent and on-track.
What are notes?
the rate at which a sound vibration occurs that constitutes a wave, usually measured per second. Scientific name for pitch.
What is Frequency?
Warning given when someone overhead has dropped something or a dangerous situation is occurring overhead.
What is Heads? or What is Heads Up? or What is Look Out?
Pouch for wireless microphone battery and transmitter.
What is a Mic Pack? or What is a Belt Pack?
To bring a rigging element to a defined height.
What is Trim? or What is Trim Height?
Single lamp in a safety cage on a floor stand that remains illuminated on stage when the theater is not in use.
What is a Ghost Light?
A portion of a stage that turns on a center axis.
What is a Turntable? or What is a Revolve?
Designers, Director, Department heads
Who are people that should attend a Production Meeting?