Places in the Theater
Part of the stage closest to the audience
Down stage
A government officer appointed by Queen Elizabeth whose responsibilities were to oversee and regulate the business of theater companies
Master of Revels
Short address spoken by an actor at the end of a play that comments on the meaning of the events in the play
Epilogue
Music usually introducing the entrance or exit of a king or another important person
Flourish
Middle of a circular outdoor theatre such as the Globe, the floor of which was made of dirt
Pit
The seating section of the theater (where the people seat) in a traditional theater
House
A poet and singer who composes and performs songs or poems; a master storyteller
Bard
Stage direction indicating the coming of a battle; a call to arms
Alarum
Stage direction indicating the departure of two or more characters from the stage
Exuent
A stage surrounded by the audience on three sides
Thrust stage
Roofed seating area of a theater, such as the Globe, that resembled the grandstand of a baseball park
Gallery
Audience members at the Globe Theater who stood in the pit to watch the play
Groundlings
Term used when an actor has memorized a script well enough that he/she doesn’t need to look at it any more
Off-book
Words an actor speaks to the audience which other actors on the stage cannot hear
Aside
The "backstage" or parts of a stage off to the left and right not seen by the audience
Wings
The left of the stage (as seen by an actor facing the audience)
Stage left
A person who recited a prologue before Act I or informed audience of action offstage
Chorus
A set of lines spoken by a character by himself onstage, as if talking to himself or the audience (typically a medium to long speech)
Soliloquy
Preface or prelude to a play
Induction
The belief that that a monarch’s right to rule a nation comes directly from God, rather than from the people they rule
Divine Right
The part of the stage in front of the proscenium arch (front curtain frame)
Apron
The person in Elizabethan theater company who was in charge of making sure all actors had their scripts, would aid in rehearsals, and provide words if actors forgot their lines.
Prompter
The three principles of dramatic structure derived from Aristotle (time, place, and action)
Unities
Usually the last line of an actor’s speech, which is a signal to another performer that something else is to happen
Cue line
The name of the theater company that Shakespeare belonged to in London
Lord Chamberlain's Men