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Basic Theatre Terms
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Act | The main division of a play or musical |
| Action | The interplay between performers |
| Ad-lib | To improvise |
| Apron | The part of the stage in front of the curtain |
| Aside | A short remark made to the audience by one of the characters in the play |
| Audition | A process whereby perspective actors/singers/dancers perform in front of a group of individuals usually including the director and/or stage manager who are looking to cast specific roles and chorus |
| Backstage | Any area not seen by the audience, including dressing rooms |
| Bit part | A small role |
| Blackout | Quickly cutting the lights to make the stage area completely dark |
| Blocking | Providing the actors with their locations on stage and their actions |
| Box office | The place where one can purchase tickets to the show |
| Break a leg | An old theatrical adage meaning "good luck" |
| Breakaway | A costume or prop that is designed to come apart easily |
| Callback | When a director selects a few performers from auditions who are asked to return for a second try-out |
| Casting | The process of choosing performers to play the selected roles |
| Characterization | Adding the traits, quirks and mannerisms of a particular character. |
| Cold reading | Reading a part from a script that one has not rehearsed before |
| Company | Any performers, crew, stage hands, etc. associated with a particular show |
| Cover | To stand in front of someone else on stage, blocking them from the audience |
| Cue | That which signals when to enter, exit, play music, change lighting, etc. |
| Curtain call | Final bows at the end of a performance |
| Director | Although the director can fall under many subheadings, it is the person responsible for the overall artistic vision of the production |
| Double | To play more than one role in the same production |
| Dress Rehearsal | A final rehearsal with all make-up, costumes, sets, lighting, sound etc. A dry run of the exact performance, just without an audience |
| Extra | A person who is used to provide proper background but who doesn't have lines |
| Front of House | Can include lobby and box office. A place where audience members can mingle before the performance starts |
| Greenroom | A reception lounge for performers, waiting to go on |
| House | The place where the audience is seated |
| Houselights | Those lights that illuminate the audience area and are turned off before the show commences |
| Monologue | A long speech given by one character |
| Off Book | At a stage in rehearsals when the actors are no longer using their scripts as lines have been committed to memory |
| Prompter | Someone backstage who is following the script and can cue a forgotten line |
| Run | The number of performances of a particular production |
| Run-through | A rehearsal of a part of the script (without interruption) |
| Set | The furniture, props, backdrops etc. that transform the bare stage into the proper location for the performance |
| Scrim | A gauze or net curtain that becomes transparent when lit from behind |
| Sight gag | Visual humor - can involve a prop, costume, or movement |
| Spike | Marking the stage with tape to indicate positions of props, furniture etc. (Also referred to as marking out) |
| Strike | To dismantle the set |
| Technical Rehearsal | A rehearsal where lighting, scene changes, sound cues and special effects are rehearsed |
| Timing | Being able to deliver words or actions at the most effective moment |
| Trap | An opening in the stage floor where performers and/or props etc. can disappear |
| Understudy | A performer who is ready to take over a specific role if the original performer is unable to do a performance (usually due to illness) |
| Wings | Space at the sides of the stage, just behind the curtains. Performers enter and exit from the wings |
Created by:
Panda-chan31
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