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Quiz 1

Quiz yourself by thinking what should be in each of the black spaces below before clicking on it to display the answer.
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Question
Answer
ad lib   to improvise words and actions not contained in the text  
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apron   the forestage. Projects beyond the proscenium arch  
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arc cross   movement in a curved line  
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arena stage/theatre-in-the-round   theater space where the audience sits on all four sides  
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aside   unspoken thoughts of a character delivered directly to the audience with the other characters on stage but unable to hear what is being said  
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auditions   competitive tryout for a performer seeking a role in a theatre production  
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backdrop   large sheet of painted canvas or muslin that hangs at the back of a set  
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backstage   stage area beyond the acting area, including the dressing rooms  
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beat   specific moment in an actor's speech; a slight pause before continuing the speech; a break in the rhythm  
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blackout   a fast darkening of the stage, usually indicating the end of a scene  
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blocking   the arrangement of the actors' movement on stage  
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blocking rehearsals   rehearsal with emphasis placed on stage movement, as overseen or dictated by the director  
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body position   the actor's physical stance in relation to an audience  
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build   to increase the loudness, rate, and energy of a line, speech, scene or song in order to reach a climax  
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business   non-voiced action with or without props; activity performed by an actor during or in place of a speech  
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call   1) announcement to performers or crews that they are needed for a rehearsal or performance; 2) warning to performers to get ready for an entrance  
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call board   a backstage bulletin board on which notices of concern to the actors are posted  
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center line   an imaginary line down the center of the stage, from upstage to downstage  
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cheat   move that does not attract attention to itself while managing to keep the actor in view of the audience. Director may say, "Cheat right" or "cheat open."  
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closed turn   turn made away and with the actor's back to the audience, usually considered a poor movement  
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counter or counter-cross   as one actor moves, another actor shifts his/her position to balance the composition of scene  
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cross   movement of an actor from one position on the stage to another  
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cue   signal to an actor or stage technician that the next line or stage function is to occur  
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curtain call   the appearance of the actors on stage at the end of a performance to receive the audience's applause  
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downstage   the part of the stage closest to the audience as you face the audience  
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drop   to skip a line or say it with insufficient volume to be heard clearly  
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emotional memory/recall   use personal experience, method acting  
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flat   frame constructed of 1-by-3 boards, covered with canvas, painted, and used most often for interior or exterior walls of a building in a stage setting  
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fly loft (flies)   space above the stage where scenery may be lifted out of sight of the audience  
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footlights   a series of lights placed on the stage floor along the front of the stage  
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fourth wall   an imagined partition closing to a three-sided set on the downstage side at the proscenium  
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gels   color medium made of dyed animal material. Used to change the color in any stage lighting instrument  
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gesture   a movement  
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give/take   when two actors are not equally open and one receives a greater emphasis than the other based on position, the actor emphasized is said to "take" the scene, and the other is said to "give" the scene to the emphasized actor  
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greenroom   traditional name of the room in which actors gather to wait for entrances  
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grid   framework of steel affixed to the stage ceiling, used to support rigging necessary for flying scenery or lighting  
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house   area of the theatre in which the audience sits to watch a performance  
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masking   the draperies or flats that hide backstage from the audience's view  
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monologue   uninterrupted speech delivered by one character in a play to other characters who are at least present, if not listening  
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mugging   a derogatory term for exaggerated facial expression  
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objective   the goal toward which a character is striving. The superobjective is the life goal that determines how a character acts  
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on (or off) book   unable (or able) to perform a scene without looking at a script; the stage manager following along in the script during rehearsal is also said to be "on book"  
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open turn   actor is to turn toward the audience  
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open up   actor is to turn front and face the audience  
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pacing   rate of performance (not just speed, but also precision, intensity, clarity, and frequency of new emotions, impressions)  
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pick up cues   to speed up or shorten the time between a cue and the next line  
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places   an order warning the actors to take their positions onstage  
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projection   actor's technique for making voice, movements, and gestures clear to all parts of the house  
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property/prop   material object that is carried by performers or is used on the set  
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proscenium (or proscenium arch)   mostly open wall separating the stage from the auditorium  
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raked stage   a stage that is slanted, either to increase visibility or produce false perspective  
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repertory   set group of productions that a theatre company has prepared for performance; also, the practice of alternating performances of different plays of the repertory  
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run-thorugh   rehearsal in which the actors preform long sections of the play without to gain a better understanding of the shape of the whole  
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shared stage   placing actors so all have equal focus and emphasis  
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soliloquy   inner thoughts of a character spoken alone on stage to explore the character's private thoughts; often lyric in style and highly emotional  
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stage left/right   left/right side of the stage, from the actor's perspective  
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stage picture   arrangement on a stage of performers and the visual production elements  
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strike   to remove a setting, props, or furniture from positions onstage  
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throw away   underplay a moment in a scene; de-emphasize a line reading or a piece of business  
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thrust stage/apron stage   wraparound theater space where the stage extends out into the audience and the spectators view the action from three side.s The main advantage to this setup is that more of the audience can be closer to the actors.  
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top   to "build" on a previous line's energy and/or volume; one actor tops the other, building tension and emotional impact  
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trap   opening in the stage floor, normally covered, which can be used for special effects, such as having scenery or performers rise from below, or which permits the construction of a staircase which ostensibly leads to a lower floor or cellar  
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upstage   area on the stage area farthest away from the audience. The term dates back to the days when the stage was raked away from the audience so that actors had to literally walk upstage.  
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upstaging   to cross deliberately to a place upstage of another actor and assume a full front or one-quarter position, thereby forcing the other performer to turn to a three-quarter position in order to talk with the upstager  
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wings   offstage areas right and left stage  
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