Preparing the Performance
the final rehearsal(s) before a show opens. Actors are in full costume and make -up; all production elements are in place and the show runs without stopping
Dress Rehearsals
to act out a character, mood, idea or narration by gestures and bodily movement, and without making any sounds
Mime
1. the auditorium where the audience sits; 2. the audience
House
when performers take their bows after a performance
Curtain Call
attempting to show life and society as they actually are; realism
Naturalism
planning and arranging the movements, steps and patterns of dancers and/ or actors
Choreography
a movement, usually of the hand or arm, as a means of dramatic expression
Gesture
the walkway between sections of seats in a theatre
Aisle
a break between the parts of a performance; the house lights are usually brought up and the audience can go to the lobby, outside, etc.
Intermission
a form of theatre developed in the early to mid- 20th century in Germany as a response to the political climate; this type of theatre was meant to instruct the audience and to encourage them to consider socio-political issues; often characterized by actors directly addressing the audience; often associated with playwright and director Bertolt Brecht
Epic Theatre
the positions where the actors stand and move to onstage during the performance, including where they move to when entering and exiting the stage
Blocking
1. an actor or group of actors who provide commentary on the action taking place during the play, as in ancient Greek dramas; 2. the group of dancers and singers in a musical who perform as a unit during the performance, and who generally have no speaking roles or very few lines
Chorus
the part of the stage floor in front of the curtain line that projects toward or into the auditorium
Apron
1. to darken the stage suddenly; 2. a time when the lights are turned off and the stage is completely dark
Blackout
when the audience is aware of something that the character does not realize
Dramatic Irony
a cloth or curtain o n the stage, often painted to look like a particular scene, such as a landscape or some other background
Backdrop
the opponent of the hero or protagonist in a drama
Antagonist
a sunken area in front of the stage where the musicians sit and play the music for the performance
Orchestra Pit
an exercise to deepen understanding of character ; an actor, while playing a character, sits in the ‘hot seat’ answering questions while staying in character
Hot Seating
a form of theatre that encourages audience interaction and participation as a way to explore different options for dealing with an issue, often an issue related to a form of oppression
Forum Theatre
a technical rehearsal during which the performers perform each moment in a show that has a technical cue, moving from one technical cue to another, from the beginning to the end of the show; this allows the technical team to practice the timing and operation of the technical aspects of the show, such as lighting
Cue to Cue
how the actor’s voice varies in pitch as the actor reveals emotion
Inflection
the narrow curtains, running stage left to stage right (see: stage areas) , on either side of the stage that mask the wings
Legs
a speech by a single performer
Monologue
a dramatic form that has highly exaggerated and implausible characterization, dialogue and situations, and which focuses on exaggerated emotions
Melodrama