Technical Terms
The area of the stage closest to the audience.
What is downstage?
This 1957 musical features rival gangs, the Jets and the Sharks.
What is West Side Story?
The hit musical that tells the story of Alexander Hamilton through rap and hip-hop.
What is Hamilton?
A theater tradition that means wishing someone good luck without saying “good luck.”
What is saying “break a leg”?
“Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya, tomorrow…”
“…you’re always a day away.” (Annie)
The backstage area where actors wait before entering the stage.
What are the wings?
The composer behind The Phantom of the Opera.
Who is Andrew Lloyd Webber?
The Disney musical that features sisters Elsa and Anna.
What is Frozen?
The longest-running show in Broadway history.
What is The Phantom of the Opera?
“Defying gravity, and you can’t pull me down…”
“…So if you care to find me, look to the western sky!” (Wicked)
When an actor speaks directly to the audience, breaking the fourth wall.
What is an aside?
The musical that includes the song “If I Were a Rich Man.”
What is Fiddler on the Roof?
The musical featuring “You Will Be Found” and “Waving Through a Window.”
What is Dear Evan Hansen?
The musical that tells the untold story of the witches of Oz.
What is Wicked?
“I am not throwing away my shot…”
“…I’m just like my country, I’m young, scrappy, and hungry!” (Hamilton)
A long horizontal pipe above the stage where lights, curtains, and scenery are hung.
What is a batten?
This Rodgers and Hammerstein musical takes place in Oklahoma Territory.
What is Oklahoma!?
The musical based on Alanis Morissette’s 1995 album of the same name.
What is Jagged Little Pill?
The first musical written entirely by women to win the Tony Award for Best Musical.
What is Fun Home?
“Seasons of love—five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred…”
“…minutes.” (Rent)
The point in rehearsal when actors perform without scripts for the first time.
What is off-book?
The 1964 musical about a flower girl transformed into a proper lady.
What is My Fair Lady?
The Tony-winning musical set in the Greek underworld.
What is Hadestown?
The performer who holds the record for the most Tony Awards won by an individual.
Who is Audra McDonald?
“There’s no business like show business…”
“…like no business I know.” (Annie Get Your Gun)