Parts of a Play
A speech within a play delivered by a single actor
Monologue
To perform in a play or film
Acting
A branch of theatre that includes scenery, costumes, special effects, sound, lighting, and props.
Technical Theatre (“Tech”)
A performance of dramatic literature
Play
"Break a leg!"
Good luck!
The written dialogue, description, and directions provided by the playwright.
Script
A part in a play; the character played by an actor in a play.
Role
objects used by actors on stage (e.g., fan, wallet) or objects necessary to complete the set (e.g., furniture, plants, books).
Props
One or more people who watch actors in a scene, play, or film.
Audience
"Quiet in the house!"
Everyone be silent
Instructions in a script telling the actors how to move around the stage
Stage Directions
An opportunity for the actors to be acknowledged by the audience as actors rather than characters.
Curtain Call
The part of the stage closest to the audience
Downstage
Opening announcements that inform the audience of pertinent information such as safety protocol and audience etiquette.
Curtain Speech
"Places!"
Get into position; the play is about to start
Literature written in dialogue form and intended for performance before an audience
Drama
A work session in which the director and actors prepare a play for performance.
Rehearsal
An actor's stage clothing.
Costume
a humorous, as opposed to serious, play or film
"Hold!"
Freeze until the director tells you what to do.
A person, animal, or entity in a story or play with distinct physical, mental, and emotional features.
Character
Planned dance movements in a play or musical
Choreography
All the scenery, backdrops, set pieces, and props used to create a stage environment for a dramatic performance.
Set
any serious, as opposed to humorous, play or film.
Drama
"Standby."
Get ready
Words spoken by the characters in a play to communicate their thoughts, feelings, and actions.
Dialogue
Planned movement around the stage including sitting, standing, entering, exiting, and crossing
Blocking
The part of the stage farthest from the audience
Upstage
a serious, as opposed to humorous, play or film, usually ending in the death of one or more major characters. Traditionally, the main characters would be upper class
Tragedy
"Thank you ten!"
I heard you say there are ten minutes until something.
A subdivision of an act within a play, usually marked by a change of lighting or scenery.
Scene
A convention which allows actors to pretend the audience does not exist
Fourth Wall
The actor’s left as s/he looks at the audience
Stage left
An evaluation and analysis of the quality of a scene, play, or film.
Critique
"Stay alive." / "Don't drop out."
Keep reacting to the scene your character is in even when your character doesn't have any lines or blocking.
The correct term for the author of a play script
Playwright
The unspoken meaning or intention behind the actions and dialogue of a text or performance, which is implied largely by nonverbal behavior and subtleties in vocal qualities.
Subtext
The middle of the stage
Center Stage
In sports, the break between periods of the game is known as "Half time." In theatre, the break in the middle of a play is called...
Intermission
"Hold the house."
The play is going to start late because audience members are still arriving.
A division of a play marked by an intermission
Act
An actor’s movement from one part of the stage to another.
Cross
The stage manager’s copy of the script in which the blocking and technical cues are noted.
Prompt book
A standard way of doing things; an accepted set of rules for behavior or etiquette
Convention
"Phoning it in."
Not giving your best effort in a rehearsal or performance.
A monologue performed while the actor is alone onstage
Soliloquy
A signal from one theatre worker to another that some predetermined action, such as a spoken line, an entrance, sound effects, scenery change, or lighting change, is required
Cue
The liaison between the director and all other theatre personnel, in charge of keeping the show organized during rehearsal and running smoothly
during performance
Stage Manager
The ability of the audience to choose to believe what is presented on stage despite knowing it's not real
Suspension of disbelief
"Chewing the scenery"
Over-acting in a bad or distracting way.