theatre terminology and stage directions. ad-lib to improvise stage business or conversation,...
TRANSCRIPT
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Theatre Terminologyand Stage Directions
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Ad-Lib
To improvise stage business or conversation, especially when an actor has missed or forgotten lines and other actors must supply the missing information
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Amphitheater
An oval or round structure with no roof that has tiers of seats rising from the center, used for public performances of plays and other productions
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Apron
The section of the stage in front of the curtain
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Arena Theater
A stage without a proscenium arch and with seats on three or four sides, allowing close association between actors and spectators
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Aside
A line spoken directly to the audience
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Backdrop
A large piece of cloth, on which scenery is painted, that is fastened to battens and hung at the back of the stage setting Also called a
drop
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Backstage
The area behind the set that is not visible to the audience, including dressing rooms, the greenroom, etc.
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Black Box Theater
A large square room with black walls and a flat floor seating is typically loose chairs on platforms,
which can be easily moved or removed to allow the entire space to be adapted to the artistic elements of a production
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Blackout
Stage direction to turn off all stage lights suddenly
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Blocking
Movement and groupings on the stage
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Business
Any specific action, other than a change of location, performed on the stage, such as picking up a book or pouring tea Used to establish atmosphere, reveal
character, or explain a situation
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Cheat
A stage technique in which an actor who is facing sideways pivots the torso and turns the face toward the audience
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Closed Audition
A tryout open only to union members
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Cold Reading
A tryout during which an actor uses material never seen before
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Cross
To move from one position to another on stage
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Cue
The last words, action, or technical effect that immediately precedes any line or business A stage signal
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Curtain Calls
The appearance of a play’s cast in response to an audience’s applause Bows at the end of the play
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Cut
To stop action To Omit
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Cyclorama (Cyc)
A white background curtain on which lights or other effects can be projected
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Dress Rehearsal
An uninterrupted rehearsal with costumes and props The final rehearsal before the first performance
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Flat
A wooden frame covered with cloth used as the basic unit of structure of a box set
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Fly
The area above the stage where scenery is hung when not in use A system for
hanging drops Verb: to raise or
lower scenery
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Follow Spot
A long range lighting instrument capable of picking up or following a person moving on the stage
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Fourth Wall
The imaginary wall through which the audience watches the action of the play
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Gel
A transparent color medium placed on lighting instruments to produce different colors
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Gobo
A stencil placed in the gel holder of a spotlight to project a pattern
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Grand Drape
The curtain hung just upstage of the proscenium that opens and closes at each act or scene Also called an act curtain
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Greenroom
A waiting area offstage used by actors We use the
choir room
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Holding for Laughs
Waiting for an audience to quiet down after a humorous line or scene
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Improvisation
The impromptu portrayal of a character or a scene without any rehearsal or preparation
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Legs
Narrow drapes, usually hung in pairs, stage left and stage right, to mask the backstage area
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Monologue
A speech by a single actor
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Motivation
The reason behind a character’s behavior
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Objectives
The goal of a character; what the character wants or is striving for in a scene
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Off Book
Rehearsal without scripts
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Off Stage
Off the visible stage Also called “off”
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Open Audition
Tryout open to nonunion actors
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Periaktoi (Prisms)
Sets made up of three flats, shaped as triangles mounted on a wheeled carriage that can be pivoted
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Pit
The front part of the auditorium where the orchestra might be located – often below stage level
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Projection
The control of the volume and quality of the voice so that it can be heard clearly by everyone in an audience
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Proscenium Arch
The arch opening between the stage and the auditorium
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Readers’ Theatre
A form of theater in which plays are read to an audience from a script and brought to life by the readers’ voices, facial expressions, and controlled movement
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Scrim
A drop made of fabric that seems almost opaque when lit from the front and semitransparent when lit from behind
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Stealing a Scene
Attracting attention from the person to whom the center of interest legitimately belongs
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Strike
To remove an object or objects from the stage
To take down the set
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Tableau
A scene presented by silent, unmoving actors For more info, see
Pageant of the Masters
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Thespian
An actor
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Understudy
A person who learns a role and who can perform it in the absence of the actor
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Wings
The offstage areas to the right and left of the set
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Stage Directions
Audience
Center
C
Up Right
URUp Center
UCUp Left
UL
Right Center
RCLeft Center
LC
Down Right
DRDown Center
DCDown Left
DL
UP
RIGHT
LEFT
DOWN