Terminology
The precise staging and planning of actor movements on a stage.
Blocking
Where the audience sits.
House
Name the musical with the song "Alexander Hamilton"
Hamilton
Before slicing into his lyrics, Sondheim wrote the words for this 1957 musical retelling of Romeo and Juliet in New York City alongside composer Leonard Bernstein.
West Side Story
Long before playing Wolverine in the X-Men movies, this Australian actor won a 2004 Tony Award for starring in The Boy from Oz.
Hugh Jackman
Clues based on the first major song of a musical that sets up the exposition or theme.
Opening Number
Appropriately, these off-stage spaces to the left and right of the acting area share their name with the feathery limbs of a bird.
Wings
Name the musical with the song "Circle of Life"
The Lion King
Sondheim went full fairy tale in this 1987 mashup musical, where Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Little Red Riding Hood all venture past their backyards.
Into the Woods
Before singing pop hits like "Dangerous Woman," this ponytail-rocking superstar made her Broadway debut at age 15 in the 2008 musical 13.
Ariana Grande
To "break" this theatrical barrier means an actor acknowledges or speaks directly to the audience, a technique used heavily in Hamilton and Passing Strange.
Fourth Wall
Named for the perspective of the performer looking out at the house, this specific side of the stage is abbreviated as "SR."
Stage Right
Name the musical with the song "No One Mourns the Wicked"
Wicked
This demon barber of Fleet Street serves up some of Sondheim's most thrilling music—and some highly questionable meat pies.
Sweeney Todd
Long before she was a Marvel superhero or a La La Land Oscar winner, this actress made her Broadway debut at age 25, taking over the iconic role of Sally Bowles in the 2014 revival of Cabaret.
Emma Stone
A person who steps in for a lead character who feels ill or is unable to perform.
Understudy
Theater spaces named for this geometric shape feature seating on all four sides of the stage, leaving performers completely surrounded.
Circle (Arena Stage)
Name the musical with the song "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning"
Oklahoma
Inspired by a painting by Georges Seurat, this 1984 masterpiece explores the relationship between an artist and his muse on an island in Paris.
Sunday in the Park with George
Before ruling the pitch in Pitch Perfect or earning an Oscar nomination for Up in the Air, this multi-talented actress earned a Tony nomination at just 12 years old for the 1998 Broadway musical High Society.
Anna Kendrick
The moment at the end of a performance when actors return to the stage to receive applause from the audience.
Curtain Call
This two-word theatrical term refers to the exact spot on the stage floor—often marked with colored tape—where an actor must stand for proper lighting or blocking.
Spike Mark
Name the musical with the song "I hope I get it"
A Chorus Line
This 1976 Sondheim musical uses a mixture of Western and traditional Japanese theatrical styles to chronicle the Westernization of Japan starting in 1853.
Pacific Overtures
Long before she became a household name fighting the supernatural in Stranger Things, this Emmy-nominated actress made her Broadway debut at age 10, playing the young version of the tragic character Fantine in the 2014 revival of Les Misérables.
Sadie Sink